Travel sector still suffering 'shocking' lack of diverse talent

That was the opinion of a leading diversity expert at the ITT conference, who said the lack of ethnic diversity among conference delegates was suggestive of a wider problem.

“I might have expected this 14 years ago, but it’s slightly shocking with all the work that has been done in recent years that I’m still in a room like this,” said Dr Joanne Abeyie MBE.

“It’s a shame [there isn’t more ethnic diversity in travel], because from my experience here it’s a very warm and welcoming industry, and so many speakers have talked passionately about D&I on this stage,” she continued.

“I’m not saying people in this room aren’t trying incredibly hard to make it more diverse and inclusive… but there’s an opportunity after the pandemic to reposition the travel industry as a great place to work”.

Dr Abeyie, who has driven diversity-in-the-workplace initiatives from the age of 18, and was instrumental in setting up the Creative Diversity All-Party Parliamentary Group with Baroness Deborah Bull, made the comments in conversation with TTG Media CEO Daniel Pearce during an interview at the ITT Conference in Istanbul.

She said companies who don’t receive applications from candidates of ethnic minorities or with physical disabilities, for example, must work harder to fix the problem. 

She advised businesses to work with community groups or diversity organisations to run focus groups asking why people from those communities aren’t considering roles in travel, then adapt attraction strategies in response to the insight gained.

She agreed the industry should focus on celebrating and profiling those from minority backgrounds who’ve had successful careers in the sector, but said displaying the range of roles in the sector was also critical.

“Before I came to this conference, I didn’t know what roles there are in the travel industry, apart from pilots and cabin crew and maybe travel agents,” Abeyie pointed out.

Travel companies should beware of recruitment agencies who only pay lip-service to sourcing diverse candidates, she insisted, as those that promise to deliver “a diverse slate” of candidates for a role might not have genuine connections to a diverse talent pool.

“Before you hand over £30,000-£40,000 in fees, put them on the spot and ask, ‘is there anyone you can think of who’d be good for this role?’. If they can’t list two or three names straight away, it’s difficult to believe they have access to a broad range of talent.”

Abeyie was also sceptical about workplace schemes built by business leaders without consulting the minority group the scheme sought to support.

“After the Black Lives Matter movement, I saw so many companies creating schemes for black staff, but none of them asked what black staff needed. If you need a special scheme [to be able to recruit more black staff] you’re basically saying ‘if you apply through our normal processes you wouldn’t get the job”.