INCLUSION& DIVERSITYGUIDELINESDECEMBER 2020

WORLD TRAVEL & TOURISM COUNCIL

Introduction
The following high-level guidelines, were compiled to support Travel & Tourism businesses of all sizes, provide an inclusive
work environment for all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation,ability, including physical, mental, and/or sensory impairments, first language, socio-economic status, citizenship and/orcountry of origin, faith, religion or spiritual affiliation, age or marital status.
Research has shown that by supporting and promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace companies experience benefits
including greater profitability, increased creativity and innovation, and a happier workforce where employees feel free andsafe to be who they are. It is good for business, enabling the sector to serve its clients and stakeholders better, and it is theright thing to do.
Diversity is about recognising that each individual has something distinctive to contribute; while inclusion ensures thoseindividuals are seen, welcomed, respected, and appreciated. Effective inclusion is essential to build tolerance, and ultimatelyto end discrimination. While equality means there is a level playing field, equity requires meaningful support for eachindividual as they strive for success.
The high-level inclusion and diversity guidelines were compiled on the basis of insights and frameworks developed byprivate sector leaders in Travel & Tourism, industry organisations including Travel Unity as well as associations in othersectors. Note that the guidelines are subject to change and may be enhanced as new research and insights become
available. While not all guidelines will be feasible for every business in the Travel & Tourism sector, the information isintended to provide guidance to be integrated and adapted by each business.
The guidelines are divided into four pillars, namely:

1. Developing a Supportive System
2. Creating Safe Spaces
3. Supporting an Agile System
4. Exemplifying Inclusion & Diversity– 1 –INCLUSION & DIVERSITY GUIDELINES

Developing a Supportive System			
Diversity and inclusion are most effective when they are part of an organisation’s culture and DNA.
This requires transparent and clear policies and practices that are shared and easily accessible to all employees
and stakeholders. Travel & Tourism businesses should:• Implement organisational diversity and inclusion strategy, as it refers to the total composition of the entire
employee workforce, across all locations and considering nuances for the local context, such as local legislation,
cultural norms and laws, and societal composition. Local strategy adaptation should be undertaken with local
experts and considering for employees’ empirical perspectives to account for relevant sensitivities and priorities.
• Incorporate diversity and inclusion into organisational values and in all aspects of the business. Celebrate
commitment to diversity and inclusion, provide frameworks to guide behaviour/champion fairness, reward
successful demonstration of diversity and inclusion values, and create accountability, among others.
• Provide employees, both in headquarters and abroad, with guidance, resources, and support. This requires
conducting due diligence and offering guidance on cultural values, norms, legislation, and behaviours.
• Establish metrics, accountability structures and/or processes to evaluate implementation and progress of diversity
and inclusion objectives across regions and at all levels of the organisation. Use data collected to improve policies
and objectives wherever possible, ensuring data collected meets global and local privacy legislation.
• Leverage performance management systems to embed diversity and inclusion and support diversity goals.
• Proactively work to have diverse leadership and senior management, ensuring each senior management teammember is equally empowered to make decisions for their respective roles.
• Actively counter bias in hiring processes by:￮ Providing written job specifications, avoiding any discriminatory language including racialised and genderedlanguage Review requirements to remove barriers of entry.
￮ Proactively seeking out diverse talent and engaging with key diverse community organisations where possible￮ Offering training to hiring managers to raise awareness of their own unconscious biases and put their own
assumptions aside￮ Posting jobs on a variety of platforms to reach a diverse people. Monitor data and track how changes tolanguage and channels affects applicant pool, making adjustments as necessary￮ Using standard, pre-set questions and criteria to ensure a fair and equal assessment of applicantsand bias is reduced￮ Interviewing candidates with disabilities in an accessible environment• Have a clear, transparent, and bias-free framework that determines how staff are remunerated and how increases
are calculated.
• Integrate diversity and inclusion goals within regional and department objectives.
• Highlight explicitly organisational and diversity goals during onboarding process.
• Conduct performance and goal-based annual reviews, removing biases and preferences as much as possible
and offering manager training as required.
• Have overt leadership support for and communication of diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• Aim to educate and sponsor new generations so as to foster interest and facilitate joining the sector.

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Creating Safe Spaces
An inclusive and diverse system needs to be supported by an enabling environment, which is safe, welcoming and provides
the opportunity for employees to develop professionally and personally while also creating a feeling of belongingness.
Creating safe spaces relates to ensuring the environment is free of discrimination whether in the office, on site, online orelsewhere. Travel & Tourism businesses should:• Make diversity and inclusion values clear at all levels of the organisation and in all engagements.
• Provide a safe space for employees to share their feedback, over time, on the organisation and their experience of it.
• Create an environment that facilitates difficult but respectful conversation about diversity and inclusion.
• Establish and support employee resource groups where applicable.
• Ensure that decisions made about a certain demographic have members of that demographic in the room, whereverpossible, empowering these individuals to share honest feedback and experiences.
• Ensure that individuals are not ridiculed or disadvantaged for sharing honest feedback and experiences.
• Explain to employees why diversity and inclusion are priorities and showcase how they are implemented at every levelof the organisation.
• Minimise bias through the implementation of outcome-based goals.
• Provide support for managers to deliver on diversity and inclusion goals, offering coaching where necessary and raisingawareness through training of potential unconscious biases. Tailor training to suit individuals and the business needs,
ensuring that the training is relevant for that job and that individual’s sphere of influence.
• Foster a supportive and respectful environment in all teams and at all levels.
• Create opportunities for promotion, growth, and continued professional development for all employees, with anapproval process that is transparent, unbiased, and fact-based.
• Design clear, written, bias-free and transparent leave policies. Where possible, allot flexi-time to allow employees tobalance their personal lives with work. Integrate both physical and mental health in sick leave policy, as well as parental
leave, without prejudice.
• Provide clear signage in the workplace about accessibility for varying physical, mental, and sensory abilities.
• Work to create an environment that does not disadvantage those with physical, mental, and/or sensory impairments,
such as integrating ramps, widening doorways for wheelchair access and audio-visual fire alarms.

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Supporting an Agile System					Agility and the ability to evolve over time are key to maintain a diverse and inclusive environment.
Travel & Tourism businesses should:• Engage proactively employees in the creation of diversity and inclusion initiatives and goals to ensure they meet theirneeds whilst addressing biases. Consider conducting employee surveys to learn about employee sentiment.
• Provide an opportunity for departing employees to voluntarily participate in an exit interview that includes input on
diversity and inclusion.
• Share feedback and aggregated data, on a regular basis, with employees on diversity and inclusion progress, giving
employees the opportunity to comment and highlighting how strategies and activities will be evolved. Ensure that noprivacy laws are breached by sharing information.
• Create framework for teams to share experiences and lessons across regions, where possible, to enable a fully global andinclusive organisational system.

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Exemplifying Inclusion & Diversity
An organisation’s internal and external commitment to diversity and inclusion needs to be aligned. In effect, how organisations
portray themselves and interact with the outside world and engage with stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, owners,
and local communities, are indicators of diversity and inclusion.
Travel & Tourism businesses should:• Define organisational stakeholders beyond employees, including local communities.
• Create systems to regularly engage with key stakeholders and incorporate their feedback, where appropriate.
• Develop a clear communication strategy that is aligned with the organisation’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
All campaigns, messaging, and media engagement should be sensitive to global and regional demographics and adapt asnecessary. Organisations should document communication considerations.
￮ Avoid divisive campaigns that may appear to elevate one demographic group over another￮ Use research-based approach to assess current and potential market and audiences￮ Keep cultural and historical considerations in mind when launching global & regional campaigns• Ensure customer-facing processes are inclusive and diverse. For instance, allow for multiple payment methods to cater todifferent types of customers and make customers aware that digital and physical accessibility options are available.
• Have inclusive marketing, media and communication standards to dignify representation of all people, elevate authentic
voice, avoid cultural appropriation and recognise dynamic diversity and intersectionality.
• Equip and train customer-facing staff to address issues relating to diversity and inclusion.
￮ Maintain a respectful, diverse, and inclusive environment throughout the customer experience.
￮ Advise travellers of a zero tolerance to discrimination. Have a clear definition of the zero-tolerance policy and systems
in place to uphold it￮ Document customer experiences on a regular basis and incorporate feedback to improve systems￮ Empower staff to address customer concerns as they occur or to engage other staff members if and where necessary.
Provide a quick response to any diversity and inclusion matters, where possible￮ Create opportunities for honest and open customer feedback• Engage regularly, where possible, with industry bodies and local governments to share visitor feedback on diversity andinclusion, thus enabling the destination to enhance customer experiences in the future.
• Collaborate with pertinent groups and communities around products that relate to local indigenous cultures.
• Ensure any protocols and systems for engaging with stakeholders are clear, written, and easily accessible to all stakeholders.
• Employ local employees whenever possible.
• Partner with organisations that have like-minded approaches to diversity and inclusion where possible.

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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all of our members and partners who have contributed to these guidelines, including:

Gloria Guevara
President & Chief Executive Officer
World Travel & Tourism Council
AUTHORSTiffany Misrahi
Vice-President of Policy
World Travel & Tourism Council
Lethabo-Thabo Royds
Content Programme Co-Ordinator
World Travel & Tourism Council
CONTRIBUTORSRichard Gray
Senior Vice President,Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
The Greater Fort Lauderdale
Convention & Visitors Bureau

The World Travel & Tourism Council is the global authority on the economic
and social contribution of Travel & Tourism.
WTTC promotes sustainable growth for the Travel & Tourism sector, working
with governments and international institutions to create jobs, to drive exports
and to generate prosperity. Council Members are the Chairs, Presidents and Chief
Executives of the world’s leading private sector Travel & Tourism businesses.
Together with Oxford Economics, WTTC produces annual research that shows
Travel & Tourism to be one of the world’s largest sectors, supporting 330 million
jobs and generating 10.3% of global GDP in 2019. Comprehensive reports quantify,
compare and forecast the economic impact of Travel & Tourism on 185 economies
around the world. In addition to individual country fact sheets, and fuller country
reports, WTTC produces a world report highlighting global trends and 25 further
reports that focus on regions, sub-regions and economic and geographic groups.
To download reports or data, please visit www.wttc.org

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