The travel and tourism industry is filled with so many talented women. It is a predominantly female industry, that is until you get to the boardrooms where there needs to be more female representation in leadership teams.

In 2022, only just over 12% of the chief executives of the world’s top 350 travel companies were women. As a sector, we have a duty to support women in ensuring they reach their true potential.

In my opinion, culturally ingrained gender dynamics still very much play a part in holding women back from top jobs. In many cases, women feel the pressure of balancing work and family life.

Working in the travel industry does, unsurprisingly, require a certain amount of travelling, and being away from home can also have added pressure as well as being disruptive to family life.

For me, it’s incredibly important to lead with an understanding of these pressures and provide women with a supportive and nurturing environment where they are able to take on responsibilities and not be afraid to set clear boundaries.

Research also shows women don’t take as many risks; they talk themselves down, and are less likely to speak up in meetings. The industry needs to look at how it empowers women, how it gives them confidence to speak up and take risks so they can thrive.

Encouraging women to self-promote is one of the best ways to get more women into senior executive positions, but it can only be done if the industry is supporting them doing so. We need to look at ways we can work collectively to achieve this.

’Empower women to be their true self’

I have been a part of The Advantage Travel Partnership for more than 25 years and have been fortunate enough to have worked with leaders who have believed in me and helped me develop and grow as a leader myself.

What I have learnt as a woman leader in travel is you need to have the confidence to bring your true self to work every day. At Advantage, we share enormous passion for what we do, and a large proportion of our membership are women.

We know further progress is needed, and together with our members, we are working towards creating an environment that provides opportunities for everyone to flourish, while giving them the freedom and support they need to be their true selves at work.

It’s important for me, today, to call out the cohort of dedicated and loyal women that help make Advantage the success is it today. Their tenacity and commitment know no bounds, and the passion, energy and compassion they show each other every day fills me with pride.”

Julia Lo Bue-Said is chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership.