Sounding Off: Travelers are diverse, and leadership teams should be, too

Each Friday, PhocusWire dissects and debates an industry trend or new development covered on our site that week.

Travel is an experience for everyone. No matter your sex, gender, age, ethnicity, etc., travel is designed to be enjoyed by people from all walks of life.

The travel marketplace should, in turn, reflect this diverse array of interests. So why are men primarily in charge when they aren’t the only ones traveling?

As Schwarz points out in her piece on women’s leadership, women are 50% of the population. And, of course, many, if not most, of those women are traveling: They’re traveling with friends, with their partners, with their children - and, increasingly, by themselves.

“Companies’ management teams and boards should fairly represent the consumers they are serving or selling to,” Schwarz says, and she couldn’t be more correct.

This is an issue that extends far beyond travel (just look at who oversees the majority of products dedicated to “women’s health”), but the logic is simple: If your product targets women travelers, women should be included among the leadership team to ensure that demographic’s needs are met.

Why, then, is this not the case?

For starters, because men are already in charge, and it’s not easy to dismantle a system that’s in place. But that makes it all the more important.

As we’ve been exploring throughout our Women’s Leadership Initiative, there are a number of things travel companies can do to work toward gender parity. It starts with education, it builds with cultivating female talent, with promoting women, with making diversity a top priority among businesses to end the lip service and put intentions into actions.

At the end of the day, the ultimate goal for any travel company is to provide travelers with the best experience. This includes all travelers. And it’s the responsibility of all leaders.