It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the travel industry could, and should, be doing a lot better when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
A cursory glance at the people we work with, see at trade shows and what is portrayed in travel advertising highlights the issue.
Martinique Lewis, a diversity in travel consultant, says travel companies need to look across everything they touch internally and externally and grade themselves on their diversity.
Lewis, who is also president of the Black Travel Alliance, was speaking at the Phocuswright Conference 2020 online event.
She urges companies to figure out whether they are reflective of their customers - those that spend money with them - citing some compelling financial reasons for travel companies to take note.
African Americans, for example, spend $63 billion on travel annually while Muslims spend $220 billion annually.
And, as Lewis adds, diversity is not just about skin color, it can mean religion, race, gender, age and ability.
Improvement Needed: Grading the Travel Industry on Diversity & Inclusion - Phocuswright 2020