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Diversity in Travel

Manchester, United Kingdom — 22-25 September 2009

Tourism accounts for up to 10% of the world’s employment and is consistently either growing on par or outpacing the global economy. It is an industry ideally positioned for contributing to greater gender equality and the empowerment of women.

As the global industry body in the youth and student travel market, WYSE Travel Confederation is deeply committed to helping women excel at the forefront of our industry and providing the opportunity for women to develop their careers within our membership organisation.

WYSE Travel Confederation’s strength lies in its diversity and to this end our organisation always looks to have a 50/50 gender balance in its educational content and within its governance. Despite our best efforts, however, this does not always occur.

In the public arena there is never a shortage of men who step into the spotlight and give expert opinions. Women lacking the opportunities or confidence to present at professional conferences blocks them from gaining visibility in their fields, deprives their colleagues of valuable perspectives and takes away potential role models.

Below you will find some more information on how you can get involved. Diversity doesn’t just stop at gender either, so watch this space for further campaigns surrounding diversity issues.

There’s no lack of women in the travel industry

There is an imbalance of women in senior positions

An unacceptable lack of women in board positions

Women should get equal pay for equal work

%

Female tourism workforce

%

Women in management

%

Female board members

%

Earn less than male counterparts

Suggest a speaker

Let us know if you would like to speak at one of our events or would like to suggest a speaker for one of our educational sessions, workshops, or webinars 

Governance Participation

If you would like to stand for election on our board or one of our panels please register your interest and we will tell you the next steps to take.

Recent topics and activities

During WYSTC 2018 Edinburgh, women from around the globe gathered to discuss the barriers to women reaching senior leadership positions in the travel industry. The meeting was organised by WITH (Women in Travel and Hospitality), with hosting and support from WYSE Travel Confederation. 

The Women in Travel mentor programme

The women in travel project offers employees the opportunity to help one another develop through collaboration, goal achievement and problem solving. Mentoring is a developmental partnership through which partners share perspectives as they foster personal and professional growth.

Employees at any level can apply to be mentored, and mentors are chosen from manager level and above.

Mentoring can include:

  1. Coaching
  2. Sponsorship
  3. 360 feedback
  4. Leadership training
  5. Business development
  6. Executive presence
  7. Negotiation
  8. Career management

Example Mentors:

               

Anne Dolan                  Kim Whitaker

Co-founder | Clink Hostels               Co-founder | Once in Cape Town

How your organisation can get involved

This initiative is by no means limited to just women, men can get involved too! In the public arena, there is never a shortage of white men who are asked to step into the spotlight and give expert opinions. The world is filled with all-male panels at mostly male conferences, featuring male keynote speakers and discussions dominated by men. Denying women opportunities to present at professional conferences prevents them from gaining visibility in their fields, and it deprives their colleagues of valuable perspectives. To this end we are calling on women in the industry to put themselves forward as speakers at conferences.