Are female entrepreneurs at a disadvantage in the travel industry
compared to their male peers? It’s a complex issue but certainly the statistics
point to challenging odds.
The United Nation’s World Tourism Organization’s Global Report on
Women in Tourism 2019 found that while women make up the majority of the global
tourism workforce – 54% - they
hold less than 40% of managerial positions, less than 20% of general management
roles and less than 8% of board positions.
In hospitality specifically, a
recent study from the Castell Project finds the odds of a woman reaching the
executive leadership level were one woman to 5.7 men at the end of 2020.
But there are also many examples of
women beating these odds, and three of them shared their perspectives on
building their companies during Phocuswright
Europe 2021.
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Charlotte Franzellin is founder and
CEO of Trippers, Pavlina Zychova is co-founder and CEO of MyStay and Vanessa de
Souza Lage is co-founder and chief marketing officer of Rentals United.
The three founders are each at very
different stages of their careers – Franzellin just released the Trippers app
last month and is about to seek funding, MyStay was born in 2016 and de Souza
Lage brings the most experience to the discussion having founded four other
companies before Rentals United in 2015.
The three discuss the challenges –
and opportunities – they have experienced as female founders, the importance of
having mentors and how startups can create an opportunity to build diverse
companies from day one, potentially a faster path to equity than trying to “fix”
existing organizations.
Plus they share why – despite the
need for much more progress – they are optimistic about the opportunities
for women in the future.
Watch the full discussion below.
Tracking the Journey for Women Founders - Phocuswright Europe Online 2021