Women still lagging behind men in tourism, says new report
More work must be done to close the wealth and skills gap between men and women employed in tourism, according to a new international report launched at ITB.
Almost one in five tourism ministers worldwide is a woman and women are more than twice as likely to be employers in tourism compared to other sectors, yet they typically earn 10% to 15% less than men, said the Global Report on Women in Tourism by the World Tourism Organization.
UN women director for Latin America Gladys Acosta pointed out that women’s contribution to the tourism sector is often invisible. “In the Caribbean for example, 84% of contributing family work – unpaid – to tourism activities is provided by women. This is one of the key areas to address in promoting gender equality in tourism,” she said.
“This report highlights the crucial role tourism plays in empowering women politically, socially and economically,” added UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. ”But it makes it very clear that more must be done to close the gender gap, in particular ensuing equal pay for men and women for equal work, raising employment quality and ending all discrimination”.
The report provides recommendations to policymakers and operators on how to promote more gender sensitive policies and integrate gender equality into corporate decisions, including strengthening the legal protection of women in tourism employment, providing higher-levels of training and greater opportunities for women to develop their businesses.
“Greater gender equality will contribute to the overall quality of the tourist experience, with a considerable impact on profitability and quality across all aspects of the industry,” added the report.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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