by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:25 AM ET, Wed March 3, 2021
Leaders within the tourism industry have come together to launch Tourism Diversity Matters (TDM), an organization that will work with other industry organizations to foster diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
TDM's four pillars are Apprenticeship Programs; Workforce Development; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI); and Research and Data. The organization's goal is to expand its platform to develop solutions to systemic racism and racial inequality through collaboration with the tourism industry's organizations.
Mike Gamble, President and CEO of SearchWide Global, is TDM's founder. Notable members of the Board of Directors include Apoorva N. Gandhi, Vice President, Multicultural Affairs and Business Councils, Marriott International, Inc.; Christine Duffy, President, Carnival Cruise Line; Roger Dow, President and CEO, US Travel Association and more.
Greg DeShields, CDE, CHE, respected for his initiatives to raise Philadelphia's status as a multicultural visitor destination with the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, has been named Executive Director.
Elliott Ferguson, President and CEO of Destination DC and one of TDM's chairmen of the board, said, "Addressing racism should impact how you lead - it's an American issue. As many are confronting these issues for the first time, we can't turn a blind eye and we can't turn back. The pandemic has forced us to slow down and focus on being human. We need to be comfortable with uncomfortable conversations and having these discussions not only at home, but also in the workplace."
SearchWide Global, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau and ConferenceDirect Foundation are founding partners.
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