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Destinations International Releases Industry Brief on Workforce Diversification and Retention in the Travel Industry
Identifies gap in diverse representation, lays foundation for industry collaboration to accelerate progress
Spokane, WA (October 28, 2024) – Destinations International (DI), the world’s leading association representing destination organizations and convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), today issued an industry brief, “Addressing Workforce Diversification and Retention in the Travel Industry.” The brief highlights the importance of diverse talent attraction and succession planning in the industry and outlines commitments to accelerate progress. The report was released at DI’s 2024 Social Inclusion Summit.
DI has identified workforce diversification as a critical issue affecting the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. Diverse workplaces create lasting community impact by representing the varied perspectives and experiences of their residents; further, they can experience greater productivity and innovation that translates into positive business outcomes. Destination and industry organizations lacking the skills and strengths that come with diverse talent and may struggle to connect with the communities they serve, ultimately impacting their overall success and sustainability.
The 2023 Destinations International Social Inclusion Survey on Destination Organizations, an analysis of data collected from destination organization professionals, identified a lack of workforce diversity across race, gender and neurodivergence, particularly in leadership. While 73% of respondents expressed the desire for greater cultural diversity within their organizations, only 61% of the destination organizations represented aimed to expand diversity at all leadership levels, and just 24% had initiatives for targeted development of diverse employees.
DI’s Workforce Diversification and Retention brief highlights the importance of inclusion and outlines how DI intends to address these issues both in the short and long term through a commitment to diversification and retention of people of color, underrepresented identities and abilities in the U.S. travel industry. DI will develop similar briefs for Canada and international geographies, recognizing the distinct cultural differences of its member regions.
The brief outlines five core DI commitments for 2025-2027 as part of its 10-year vision:
- Engaging youth and developing a pipeline of talent.
- Retaining current diverse professionals in the industry.
- Highlighting stories that represent diverse leadership.
- Partnering and aligning with industry organizations.
- Creating a workforce celebration day.
“A diverse workforce is essential to the continued growth and success of the travel industry,” said Sophia Hyder Hock, DI Chief Inclusion Officer. “Destinations International is committed to the diversification and retention of people of color, underrepresented identities and abilities. This industry brief details our deliberate approach to setting goals and metrics for DI’s own initiatives through 2027, and our objective of aligning with the industry to expand to an industry-wide effort from 2028 to 2035. We believe this approach provides the foundation to proactively influence how the travel industry can work together to achieve real and measurable progress on workforce participation and retention.”
DI encourages destination organization leaders and industry partners to review the industry brief, engage in alignment and express interest in collaboration, including identifying goals and metrics that can accelerate meaningful progress on workforce development and retention over coming years.
The complete report is available online.
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About Destinations International
Destinations International is the world’s largest and most reliable resource for destination organizations, convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) and tourism boards. With more than 8,000 members and partners from over 750 destinations, the association represents a powerful forward-thinking and collaborative community around the world. For more information, visit www.destinationsinternational.org.
About the Author
Tim Smith has 20+ years of strategic communications experience spanning roles in government, industry, agency and association settings. Most recently, he led corporate communications for Delaware North, a global leader in travel, hospitality and entertainment. Previously, he was Managing Director – West Coast at APCO Worldwide and Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at Edelman, providing clients with senior communications and public affairs counsel. He has lived and worked outside the United States for more than a decade, including as a U.S. diplomat tasked with promoting trade and investment.
As Vice President of Communications, Tim is responsible for development and execution of strategic communications to support the association’s mission, enhance and elevate brand, and strengthen impact. He serves as primary contact for media and manages communication with global stakeholders, including association leaders, members, policymakers, media, academia, tourism industry and staff.
Tim is active in civic and professional organizations and has served on the boards of the Public Affairs Council, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and PRSA Puget Sound, among others. He has three grown children and currently resides with his wife outside of Buffalo, New York.