The report Creating Belonging: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in Travel and Tourism is a collaboration between WTTC and HospitableMe, a global leader in inclusive hospitality.
Supported by AIG Travel, the report offers data on travel and tourism employment, aiming to give the public and private sector the tools they need to drive change and make travel and tourism more diverse and inclusive.
Based on data from six economies, Rwanda, Australia, the US, the UK, South Africa and the EU, it offers a deep dive into indicators such as gender, age, sexual orientation, disability status and educational skills.
According to the World Tourism Organization, the proportion of women working in travel and tourism is highest in Australia, 54%, followed by the US (48%), which is higher than the overall average.
In terms of youth employment, the sector has always been considered a key employer for the under 25s.
This research shows that the US has 26% young workers in the sector, more than double the average share for the entire economy (12%), followed by Australia (26%) and Rwanda (24%).
Last year, UK travel and tourism employed a higher proportion of LGBTQ+ employees (5.2%) than the economy as a whole (4%), an increase of nearly 2.7 percentage points since 2011, according to this new survey. this way.
Disabled workers make up nearly 17% of the UK travel and tourism workforce, while in the US sector they represent nearly 5%, both marginally higher than the economy as a whole (16.6% and 4.4 respectively %).
Julia Simpson, President and CEO of WTTC, said: “Travel and tourism has always been a human sector, regardless of its origins. Hospitality goes beyond travelers; it’s about how we welcome and care for our colleagues and employees.
“Our sector has come a long way. Everywhere we see efforts and changes led by large travel and tourism businesses who are now paying more attention to creating a sense of belonging, supporting their employees, no matter who they are or where they come from.”
Kenny Porpora, HospitableMe Partner and Head of Education, said: “This first-of-its-kind survey demonstrates the commitment of the travel sector to building a more inclusive world through travel.
“The insights we gained through this research clearly show that inclusion remains both a major strength and a huge challenge for the travel industry. We are here to reach out to industry leaders, urging them to harness these discoveries and join us on a transformative journey. Together, we can shape a future where every passenger, employee and stakeholder feels truly seen, valued and welcome.”
Travel & Tourism supports people from all walks of life, employing the highest proportion of workers with lower levels of formal education in the EU, UK and US compared to the economy as a whole.
The report also includes a comprehensive survey of WTTC members offering a detailed look at the DEIB landscape in the sector, providing examples of best practice for areas such as recruitment, education and training and benefits, among others.
The WTTC draws on the findings to offer opportunities for challenges facing the sector, such as DEIB training and senior management support, the recruitment process and benchmarking and research.
The majority of companies analyzed (60%) had staff dedicated to their DEIB efforts, making it clear that this is an urgent topic that all travel and tourism stakeholders need to pay close attention to in order to ensure , that the term “hospitality” equals “partnership”.