Whether employees in tourism, hospitality or travelers – women can be found in a wide range of different roles in tourism. With over 50 percent, most workers in tourism are female, but primarily in service or mid-level management. Numerous obstacles such as exploitation, discrimination, low wages (especially through outsourcing) or sexual harassment stand in the way of the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women. “Even though the international community committed itself to the comprehensive equality of women in the 1995 Beijing Declaration at the Fourth World Conference on Women, we are still far from achieving this today, 30 years later. Sustainable tourism development with initiatives that promote girls and women in a targeted way can set a good example here,” explains Anna Kodek, responsible for the branch RESPECT at Naturefriends International. 

Gender equality in tourism 

On the one hand, there is a need for political commitment to ensure that companies along the value chain fulfil their responsibilities. On the other hand, there is also a need to reassess the priorities and indicators of economic, social and ecological development to promote gender equality. 

In global tourism, women must also have the opportunity to participate in the development of tourism projects and to play an active role. Solid education and training are an essential factor in enabling women to acquire the necessary know-how, while also finding pleasure and prospects in their work in tourism. 

Farm holidays as a successful recipe for community-based tourism 

In rural and mountainous areas, many farmers are no longer able to make a living from agricultural production alone. For a great number of them, “farm holidays” have become a second source of income; according to data from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Labor and Economy, on average 40 percent of the revenue of Austrian farms is generated by farm holidays. 

Community-based tourism in the Global South has many similarities to the successful “Holidays on a Farm” concept. In this way, tourism and agriculture can form a symbiosis, women can be encouraged through their work in tourism and can generate an important source of income for the family. In exchange, travelers get an authentic insight into a different way of life, which they will remember for a long time after their vacation. 

Positive commitment in tourism 

The branch RESPECT of Naturefriends International is working together with other NGOs for a fair tourism industry that empowers women and girls, promotes diversity and inclusion, contributes to the social and economic well-being of local communities and uses natural resources carefully. 

Sustainable tourism development and gender equality with a lot of women's power always goes hand in hand! 

Contact:  
Naturfreunde Internationale | RESPECT
Anna Kodek
T: +43-1-8923877-40 
E-Mail: anna.kodek@respect.at