The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) will advocate for increased gender equality in the travel and tourism industry in 2018. As noted in the SDGs, gender equality is the prime focus of Sustainable Development Goal 5, which is ‘Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’.
The proclamation was first made by PATA Chairperson Mr. Sarah Mathews at London, in the presence of the major players in travel and tourism.
UN stated that, although the world has achieved progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment under the Millennium Development Goals, women and girls continue to suffer discrimination and violence around the globe. Not just a fundamental human right, besides Gender equality is a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.
“Travel and tourism provide the perfect opportunity for people from various backgrounds to share their stories with each other in the hope that we can better understand each other as humans, regardless of our gender, race, faith or beliefs,” said PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy. “The Association holds the fundamental belief that all travel and tourism stakeholders have an equal voice that should be heard. It is through a shared voice that change can be attained.”
‘Women in Tourism 2010’, the global report published by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and UN Women found that, Women make up a large proportion of the formal tourism workforce and are well represented in service and clerical level jobs but poorly represented at professional levels. Women in tourism are typically earning 10% to 15% less than their male counterparts while tourism sector has almost twice as many women employers as other sectors. One in five tourism ministers worldwide are women.
“In line with the SDGs, PATA will continue to drive forward its mission of empowering its members to leave a positive impact on countries, destinations, local communities and the surrounding environment. Gender equality requires a strong commitment from both the public and private sectors to work together in reinforcing policies, adapting laws, and investing in education, vocational training and skills development to provide women in the industry with opportunities to make empowered choices for their future. Equality is and will continue to be a cornerstone of the Association’s mission in acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region,” he added.
