Panellists speaking at TTG’s Fairer Travel Event in London prompted decision makers to implement more policies combatting judgement and harassment, and ensure processes are put in place to support women when pursuing opportunities for career progression.

“My feeling is there’s a lack of psychological safety within the industry,” said Debbie O'Neill, Managing Director of Jules Verne and Chair of the Association of Women Travel Executives (AWTE).

“It’s something businesses really need to pay attention to now, because if women don’t feel they can challenge a decision without being labelled as ‘difficult’, speak up and ask for a salary increase – because men are very good at doing that – or show vulnerability without being labelled as unprofessional, then it’s going to feel like a barrier," she said.

O'Neill added that she “celebrates emotion” in the Jules Verne office, not just for women but for men too. “Your people need to be able to speak up and not be judged or reprimanded,” she urged. “Human-centered leadership is just so important.”

'The systems – or lack of – are the issue'

Atlyn Forde, Founder of the Inclusive Travel Forum, puts this “invisible barrier” down to the systems, or ultimately, a lack of them.

She explained other sectors such as law and finance have better succession planning processes in place, to enable women and other under-represented groups to take the next step in their careers.

“They may have sponsors, for example a Chief Executive spotting talent and sponsoring [that person] to get into a [higher] position,” said Forde, adding it “should be made easier to go on a pathway to leadership”, or to try out or transition between different departments rather than waiting for changes to happen naturally.

“If we had more women in leadership positions, they may make more decisions that would benefit women,” she said.

'Loving the industry and feeling safe in it are two different things'

This discussion comes off the back of a TTG survey conducted in March that revealed only 20% of female respondents strongly agree they see a clear path to leadership.

Some 38% of female respondents said they had felt uncomfortable at a work event, conference, fam trip, or in the workplace, while 22% told TTG they had experienced inappropriate behaviour from colleagues.

Despite this, 82% of women said they would recommend a career in travel to others.

Find out more about the Fairer Travel Event

“Loving the industry and feeling safe and supported within it are two completely different things – and it’s not sustainable,” observed O'Neill.

Nicky Lyle, Hotelplan's Group HR Director and Co-founder of HR in Travel, added employers and staff often think harassment has grey areas, citing digital tools and resources available to really help leaders train their staff – and themselves – on what different types of harassment really look like.

But her message was clear: “There is no grey area here – there has to be a clear zero-tolerance policy, and that has to be really understood, because employers can then say ‘it’s there’”.