Time to Re-evaluate your Competitive Advantage
Redefining the Importance of Women in the Tourism Industry
As we start to see a flicker of light at the end of the Coronavirus tunnel’s first wave it has led us to ponder what the new ‘normal’ will be. How will our businesses recover after months of closure, furlough and for industries such as the Hospitality & Tourism sector how can they recoup their momentous 2020 losses? Is it possible that it is time for a mighty shake up; out with the old and in with the new?
Our Library of Minds Coach, Gavin Tiffin, gives us an insight into what the Hospitality & Tourism sector could be doing to regain competitve advantage moving forwards with some surprising revelations for Management & Recruitment professionals alike:
“Having spent over twenty years in the hospitality industry, I have seen my fair share of trends come and go. Nothing could have prepared anyone for the current situation we find ourselves facing. However, as countries start to open their borders again and welcome tourists once more, albeit it with much-changed rules and regulations, is it not time for the industry to reflect on past mistakes and embrace change? The market will struggle for some time, and with any business, you must look to your strengths to keep a competitive edge.
A recent report I wrote, highlighting the lack of females holding top positions in the tourism sector, showed some very surprising statistics:
In 2015, the report: Hospitality White Paper, Women in Tourism and Hospitality: Unlocking the Potential in the Talent Pool, showed that globally women made up almost 70% of the hospitality workforce. However, women held only 40% of managerial positions , less than 20% of general management roles and only 5-8% of board positions. (Baum & Cheung, 2015)
Globally nearly two-thirds of all travellers are women, 670 million women, control $15 trillion of spending. (FCM Travel Solutions, 2019)
70-80% of travel decisions are made by a women.
The basic overview is that women control the budgets of the majority of travel spend, whether it be for leisure or business. Yet they have been overlooked in the past, and treated as a second thought when it comes to hotels, tours, airlines and more. If females have such power over decisions, should it not be the case that companies use this knowledge to appeal more to the target audience, thus, in turn, bringing in more custom, and therefore revenue?
This leads to the question of how do you make your company more female friendly? Well, perhaps the fact that so few females hold key positions within these companies may be the key to unlocking this dilemma. Only by employing, empowering and treating females as equals in the workplace, will a company have the ability to understand their target market and audience. This is, of course, a very simple overview and concept, and there are many varying factors to take into account.
As a male in the industry, over the years I have been ashamed and embarrassed by the behaviour of colleagues and their treatment towards women. I also have witnessed first hand the many times a female has been overlooked for a senior role by a male with less experience and knowledge.
If women are in the majority of the tourism sector workforce, surely it goes without saying their voice needs to be and deserves to be louder?
I urge companies to think again about their female workforce, maybe there is more to them than you may think, and this is the time to unlock the potential that is there.”
See more information about Gavin by clicking the Library of Minds tab at the top of the page. Check out his Linked In Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-tiffin-24072b/