Travel: Do we have a diversity problem?

Our aims this year are very clear:

• To gain a better understanding of the industry’s current position on the principles of diversity and inclusion.
• To highlight why travel businesses need to embrace the principles of diversity and inclusion.
• To showcase practical examples of how travel businesses can take steps to improve their diversity and inclusion policies.
• To discuss how the travel industry can drive standards and become a truly open sector for all.

It’s fantastic to see some travel businesses already telling us how important diversity and inclusion is to them. But we want to build a picture that will truly be representative of the sector.

TTG editor Sophie Griffiths said: “We’re excited to be setting the agenda around diversity and inclusion in the travel industry with the launch of our new initiatives.

“But we can only drive change through partnership with the industry. We look forward to working closely with partners throughout all sectors of travel to make that happen.”

Over to you.

TTG Media’s first TTG Diversity & Inclusion in Travel conference takes place at the QEII Centre in London’s Westminster on Wednesday, July 3, 2019.

Aimed at anyone leading teams or setting company culture within travel businesses, the all-day event will host speakers from inside and outside the travel industry. Confirmed speakers include Sophie Dekkers, UK country director at easyJet, and Josh Weinstein, president of Carnival UK.

Attendees will be the first to see the first Diversity & Inclusion in Travel report, produced by TTG Media and PwC and unveiled by PwC’s consulting leader on diversity and inclusion, Jon Terry.
The event is supported by PwC and everywoman, and will be chaired by TTG Media chief executive Daniel Pearce.

Tickets, priced £249 + VAT, are available at an early-bird rate of £199 + VAT until April 5, 2019. Visit the Diversity & Inclusion in Travel Conference site for more information.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) defines diversity as valuing everyone as an individual – regardless of age, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, physical ability or religious or political beliefs.

Having a diverse and inclusive business means supporting a workforce that is representative of an organisation’s customers and also celebrating the benefits of having a range of perspectives in decision-making.

The CIPD also defines inclusion as realising equality of opportunity for all staff members and recognising that what makes people different is seen as a positive that can lead to better business decisions.

If you run a travel business or an HR department at a travel company and you would like to share your approach to diversity and inclusion, complete the TTG/PwC Diversity & Inclusion in Travel survey. Survey responses are non-attributable and entirely anonymous.

Email diversity@ttgmedia.com

Chief executive, easyJet

“Encouraging an environment where people care about diversity and inclusion while recognising its value is critical to a successful business. We want to reflect the diversity of the customers we fly and the communities in which we operate.

“EasyJet, through the Amy Johnson Flying Initiative, wants 20% of entrant pilots to be women by 2020. When we launched the programme in October 2015, women made up 6% of easyJet’s new pilot intake. In 2018, we achieved 15%, and in 2019, we’re targeting 20%. Our pilots completed more than 100 school visits last year and we signed up to sponsor the Brownies’ aviation badge to get girls interested in flight at an early age.

“We are also reviewing our policies, processes and practices across the whole airline to understand what we currently do to support inclusion and diversity, and how we can improve, providing training for people managers, launching a female leadership programme and forming the right partnership with organisations outside of easyJet.”

President and chief executive, Carnival Corporation

“Diversity is a business imperative. Having people from different backgrounds and different cultural experiences organised around a common objective are far more likely to innovate than a homogeneous group.

“As the world’s largest leisure travel company, we take great pride in connecting nearly 12 million annual guests with people, cultures and places around the world to foster a better understanding and appreciation of each other.

“I’m certainly proud to be African-American. I look at my role as a great responsibility. At the top, we have to force that focus on inclusion and diversity. And we’ve done that. We now have four women presidents of our brands. We have an LGBT colleague who is president of a brand. We have an African-American who’s the president of a brand. My chief security officer is African-American. My general counsellor is Hispanic. We always look for diversity in the talent. You want your team very diverse so when they’re working together, they’re bringing those different perspectives.”

Managing director, Funway Holidays

“Talent is by nature diverse, and to Funway this talent has no boundary from the perspective of race, gender, sexuality or disability. We want the right people at Funway, and to us the diversity of our people brings rich experiences, different perspectives and different contributions, which adds to our collective ability to deliver to the needs of our customers.

“Consider the contribution existing and prospective team members bring, the voice they have, and how we can accommodate that to create a diverse choir of knowledge and experience that brings harmony and creates an uplifting experience for our customer. Diversity and inclusion is our default setting in hiring at Funway, and we are always open to embracing the opportunity of looking past diversity to include talent by accepting the individual not the label.”

Download a copy of the charter and send us a photo of your company boss signing it.