Inclusive Leadership Pledge
Destinations International believes in the importance of cultivating a tourism industry that represents a wide variety of individuals at every level of our member organizations. We celebrate the broad range of human differences among us, while also embracing the commonalities we all share.
We firmly stand by our belief that all sectors within the travel industry should be accessible to everyone – as members of a community, as a visitor, and as a career path. To transform this dynamic industry toward greater inclusivity, CEOs and leaders must commit and be held accountable to create an environment that is welcoming for all.
A long-term commitment is necessary to drive meaningful change.
At Destinations International, we stand committed to developing inclusive strategies, offering resources, and sharing best practices that empower our member organizations to take action now and for decades to come.
We must all come together to develop thoughtful solutions that impact our communities and this world in a positive way.
Will you join us? Sign the pledge...
I acknowledge the importance of understanding my connection to creating an environment that welcomes people from all backgrounds and abilities. I also acknowledge that this will take time and I am committed to long term impact.
To create authentic and meaningful impact, an individual must understand their ‘why.’ Why creating an environment that welcomes people from all backgrounds and abilities matters to them. This personal connection is critical for short term action and long-term impact to take place.
This essential step requires curiosity, time, investment, and building trust with a variety of stakeholders within your community – including underrepresented members of the community.
Each signee is encouraged to engage Destinations International as a resource. In addition to our member tools and services we have a wide range of partners and businesses that can assist.
I will build and sustain a workforce that represents my community, which includes diverse identities, backgrounds, and experiences, and promotes a culture of belonging; this will be led by executive leadership and supported by all levels of my organization's leadership including our boardroom.
A diverse and inclusive workplace is central to our industry’s ability to attract, develop, and retain the talent it needs to remain competitive, drive innovation, and maintain relevancy.
Inclusivity is critical to bringing together a wide variety of voices when promoting tourism and sustaining economies. Growing an inclusive and equitable workforce reflective of the community has many long-term benefits. It can attract diverse talent to the destination, spark innovation, and provide space for the vast backgrounds, perspectives, and historically marginalized voices to promote tourism and authentically welcome all travelers.
I will collectively share best practices and lessons learned that highlight how my organization is creating welcoming spaces for people of all backgrounds and abilities, and I will hold my colleagues accountable to measure action and progress.
As a leader and change maker, I am committed to having open, honest conversations about inclusion and how to welcome people of all backgrounds and abilities.
Accountability is an important part of progress – this commitment includes using the EDI Assessment Tool as applicable, working towards the development of an implementation plan that integrates people of all backgrounds and abilities, designing metrics for success, and engaging organizational/community perspectives.
Sharing information about strategies that are working well along with challenges that you are experiencing with the member community at Destinations International serves as an opportunity to learn from each other and provides insight on resources that need to be developed to support your initiatives.
I will build trust with marginalized and underrepresented people in my community. As appropriate and with permission, their stories and perspectives will be shared in tourism marketing and storytelling.
I will honor the history of indigenous lands and am dedicated to building trust and including people and communities that have not been represented in the past.
The goal of inclusive and equitable marketing practices: to build partnerships with underrepresented populations, create stories and marketing assets that authentically represent the community, and to attract visitors and clients of all backgrounds and abilities through these practices.
I will support actions in my community that seek to achieve equity and belonging for everyone, including travelers, stakeholders, and citizens alike.
I am committed to listening to different viewpoints and to reimagine what true belonging looks like.
This includes supporting local businesses to purchase goods and services from diverse vendors, engaging a variety of stakeholder voices to support and create economic opportunities through tourism, and stay dedicated to demonstrating how this industry can enrich the lives of people living in my destinations.
I am personally invested and committed to all elements outlined in this pledge.
I acknowledge my role as a leader who is committed to creating a welcoming environment.
I am fully aware that I must commit to taking thoughtful steps to create sustainable change and growth within my organization and community even if change does not take place immediately.
Therefore, I pledge to invest my time and resources to take action upon all the elements of this pledge, to build trust within my community, maintain curiosity and learning about different perspectives, share lessons learned, and to seek assistance where needed.