During its Global Summit in Kigali, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) unveiled its first global report on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) in travel and tourism.

The report, titled "Creating Belonging: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Travel and Tourism," is the result of collaboration between the WTTC and HospitableMe, a global leader in inclusive hospitality.

Supported by AIG Travel, the report provides data on employment in travel and tourism, aiming to equip both the public and private sectors with the tools needed to bring about change and make travel and tourism more diverse and inclusive.

Drawing on data from six economies (Rwanda, Australia, the U.S., the U.K., South Africa, and the EU), the report offers an in-depth analysis of metrics such as gender, age, sexual orientation, disability status, and educational skills.

According to the global tourism organization, the proportion of female workers in travel and tourism was highest in Australia at 54%, followed by the United States at 48%, exceeding the overall average.

Regarding youth employment, the sector has always been considered a key employer for those under 25. The research shows that the United States had 26% of young employees in the sector, more than double the overall economy's average (12%), closely followed by Australia (26%) and Rwanda (24%).

Last year, according to this new study, the UK's Travel and Tourism sector employed a higher percentage of LGBTQ+ employees (5.2%) than the general economy (4%), marking an increase of nearly 2.7 percentage points since 2011. Workers with disabilities constituted almost 17% of the UK's travel and tourism workforce, while in the U.S. sector, they represented almost 5%, both marginally higher than the overall economy (16.6% and 4.4%, respectively).

Julia Simpson, President and CEO of the WTTC, said, "Travel and tourism have always been a people-centric sector, regardless of their background. Hospitality goes beyond travelers; it's about how we welcome and care for our colleagues and employees."

Kenny Porpora, HospitableMe Partner and Director of Education, stated, "This survey, the first of its kind, shows the tourism sector's commitment to building a more inclusive world through travel. The insights we've gained make it clear that inclusion remains both a core strength and a formidable challenge for the travel industry."

Travel and Tourism supports people from all walks of life and employs the highest proportion of workers with lower levels of formal education in the EU, the UK, and the US, compared to the overall economy.

The report also included a comprehensive survey of WTTC members, providing a detailed insight into the DEIB landscape across the sector, offering best practice examples for areas such as hiring, education and training, and benefits, among others.

WTTC builds on the findings to provide opportunities for sector challenges, such as DEIB education and executive support, hiring processes, and benchmarking and research.

Most surveyed companies (60%) had dedicated staff for their DEIB efforts, emphasizing that this is an urgent issue that all stakeholders in travel and tourism should pay attention to, ensuring that the term "hospitality" equates to "partnership."