The Empowerment of Women in Tourism
BALI, BTNp: HELD in Nusa Dua the 2nd Regional Conference on the Empowerment of Women in Tourism in Asia and the Pacific (2-4 May) concluded and recommended several things as follows.
Tourism in Asia and the Pacific has a unique role in the region as more than 54% of the workforce is constituted by women, which goes up to around 56% in countries like Japan. This underscores the significant role played by women in the sector, which is also supported by lower and flexible barriers to entry. Data from the region also highlights that women’s involvement in the sector contributes to all three pillars of sustainability, namely, economic, environmental, and social.
However, women from Asia and the Pacific remain at a disadvantage in most roles within the sector, which often tend to be non-managerial, lower-paid, and often informal in nature while also being an extension of their domestic responsibilities. Sociocultural expectations from women to prioritize their family and their partner’s career over theirs’ also add to the reasons for discrimination and gender pay parity, which accounts for a difference of 14.7% between the wages earned by men in similar roles.
The 2nd Regional Conference on the Empowerment of Women in Tourism in Asia and the Pacific focused on discussing the contributions made by women in the tourism sector while acknowledging the need for a plan of action grounded in partnerships and collaboration.
Eight key areas of action emerged from the 2-day conference that witnessed engaging discussions among experts and leaders from Asia and the Pacific outlining strategies to further create space to empower women and enable the empowered ones.
Leadership and Policy: There is a critical need for mentorship and diversity training to raise awareness about women leaders in tourism workplaces, along with gender-informed policy changes that allow women to make empowered decisions. Interventions and policy amendments are also required to retain women in the industry by combatting the socio-cultural expectation to prioritize domestic roles over their careers.
Sustainability: Women can meaningfully contribute to economic, environmental, and social sustainability through their interactions as cultural ambassadors for the destination. However, to enable this contribution, there needs to be an investment in their training to enable them to negotiate sociocultural norms.
Entrepreneurship: With more women entrepreneurs in tourism than in other industries, there is a need to focus on women-led and women-focused networking and mentorship for business development skills.
Employment: With over 50% of women in the tourism workforce, there is an acute need for diversity training in tourism workplaces to counter stereotypes and biases towards women. There is also a need for businesses to take the lead in fostering more inclusive spaces and implement corporate policies that prioritize women’s careers.
Education and training: Education and training play a pivotal role in how women contribute to the tourism sector. Much attention is needed to integrate gender-sensitive perspectives into tourism vocational education and training to mitigate gender bias.
Finances and Investment: As the number of women entrepreneurs and travellers grows, financial support and investment in women-owned businesses will be pivotal for the sector. There is also the need to invest in women’s competency development across different business strategy-making.
Safety and Accessibility: The safety and accessibility of women in tourism need a combination of structural and sociocultural interventions. Tourism service providers need to create a safe, inclusive, and respectful place for women travellers as enshrined in Global Code of Ethics in Tourism.
Community and Civil Society: Enabling women to make empowered decisions across different facets of tourism has the potential to enhance their contribution to the larger social structure and decision-making. *BTNewspaper
