The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) unveiled today its first-ever global tourism report focussing on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) during its Global Summit, taking place in Kigali.

The report - Creating Belonging: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging in Travel & Tourism - is the result of a collaboration between WTTC and HospitableMe, a global leader in inclusive hospitality.

Supported by AIG Travel, the report offers data around tourism employment, aiming to equip both the public and private sector the tools they need to spark change and make tourism more diverse.

Drawing on data from six economies, Rwanda, Australia, US, UK, South Africa and the EU, it offers a deep dive on metrics such as gender, age, sexual orientation, disability status and educational skills

According to the global tourism body, the share of female workers in tourism was highest in Australia, at 54 per cent, followed by the US (48 per cent), higher than the overall average.

In terms of youth employment, the sector has always been considered a key employer for those aged under 25 years.

This research shows the US saw 26 per cent of youth employees in the sector, more than twice the share of the total economy average (12 per cent), with Australia (26 per cent) and Rwanda (24 per cent) following closely.

Last year, according to this new study, UK tourism employed a higher share of LGBTQ+ employees (5.2 per cent) than the overall economy (four per cent), with a near 2.7 percentage points increase since 2011.

Julia Simpson, WTTC president, said: “Travel has always been a people sector, whatever their background.

“Hospitality goes beyond travellers; it is about how we welcome and care for our colleagues and employees.

“Our sector has come a long way.

“Across the board, we are seeing efforts and changes led by major tourism businesses, who are now paying more attention to creating a sense of belonging, supporting their employees, regardless of who they are or where they come from.”

Travel supports people from all walks of life, employing the highest share of workers with lower levels of formal education across the EU, UK and the U.S, compared to the overall economy.

WTTC draws from the findings to offer opportunities for the challenges faced by the sector, such as education on DEIB and senior leadership support, recruitment process, and benchmarking and research.

A majority of the companies analysed (60 per cent) had dedicated personnel to their DEIB efforts, making clear this is a pressing topic all tourism stakeholders should pay close attention to, to ensure the term “hospitality” equals “partnership”.

To access this report, visit the WTTC Research Hub.

More Information

Take a look at a selection of Breaking Travel News video interviews from the Global Summit here.