Tricia Barnett - Co-Director at Equality in Tourism: Gender Equality in Industry Boardrooms

"The representation of women on boards, in those key decision-making and leadership roles, is a crucial starting point for improving the status of women’s work, job quality and career prospects throughout the global tourism and hospitality industry." 

Tricia Barnett, Co-Director at Equality in Tourism

"Our third Sun, Sand and Ceilings report shows encouraging progress – women now hold 33% of board positions, more than double the figure from 2013. However, we’re still falling short of the gender parity that should be the norm in our industry where women make up 54% of the overall workforce (UNWTO, 2019). 

In the hotel sector, there was a 7% increase in the number of women on boards compared to 2018 – and only a 2% increase since 2013. This persistence of male-dominated boards shows we have systemic barriers that require attention.

As urgent as the moral case for greater gender diversity is the business case. McKinsey’s 2020 research shows that organisations with over 30% women in leadership outperform peers by 48%. In an industry facing ongoing economic pressures, this gives companies a distinct competitive advantage, especially when you consider that women influence 82% of travel purchasing decisions (Skift, 2024).  

What's encouraging is that progress is achievable. Forward-thinking hospitality leaders are already adopting the recommendations set out in the 10-step action plan for change within Equality in Tourism’s report, such as regular gender audits, structured mentoring programmes, and transparent target-setting. Notably in the hotel sector, Accor was the only company we analysed where women outnumbered men in board positions, which they put down to setting bold targets. 

With our predominantly female workforce and customer base, the tourism and hospitality industry should be setting the standard for gender equality in boardrooms. The question isn't whether we can achieve parity, but how quickly we can get there."