WTTC: Pandemic Took Heavy Toll on Women and Youth in Tourism Industry

The full impact and ramifications of the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to be the subject of much study among travel industry leaders.

The latest results of such studies show that woman and youth who had jobs tied to travel and tourism were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

At a press conference today in Brazil, The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), in collaboration with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism, released a detailed new report on the topic.

Titled Social Trends in Travel & Tourism Employment: The Impacts of COVID-19, the report reveals what it calls the “stark impact of the pandemic on women and youth employment within the global travel and tourism sector.”

In particular, nearly 70 million people working within the travel and tourism industry globally lost their jobs amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But women and young people experienced the brunt of that impact because their roles “were more likely to be in the worst affected areas such as hospitality and food services.”

And even though travel and tourism has largely rebounded from the global pandemic, the number of women and young people employed by the industry as of 2022 remains lower than it was prior to the pandemic. Per the new report, which examines employment trends across 185 economies from 2019 to 2022, about 42 million woman and slightly more than 16 million young people held travel and tourism-related jobs in 2022.

That’s significantly lower than the 48.4 million women and 19 million young workers who were employed by the industry in 2019.

At today’s press conference Julia Simpson, WTTC president and CEO, said more must be done to ensure an inclusive and equitable recovery.

“This report highlights the extraordinary potential of travel and tourism to drive inclusive growth, but it also underscores the urgent need for action,” said Simpson. “Women and young people are the backbone of our sector, yet they continue to face significant barriers.”
 
Simpson suggested that by investing in skills, promoting inclusive policies, and fostering entrepreneurship, more women and young people will be able to rejoin the travel and tourism workforce.

The latest EIR data, meanwhile, shows that in 2023, travel and tourism’s GDP contribution rose by 29.1 percent above pre-pandemic levels.

Despite this economic rebound, the WTTC says “the social recovery” continues to lag, particularly for women and young people who remain more likely to be stuck in informal, part-time, or low-wage roles without security or growth potential.

The organization added that young workers, who make up a greater share of the industry globally compared to the wider economy, face particular challenges in accessing stable employment.

Some of the key focus areas that the WTTC would like to see governments and the travel and tourism industry focus on include:

• Develop policies for skills training and gender equality
• Enhance job opportunities for women and youth
• Invest in education and leadership programs
• Implement inclusive hiring practices and equal pay
• Support flexible work arrangements and childcare
• Promote entrepreneurship through support for start-ups and small businesses
   
  
  

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