The United Nations Tourism Organization has launched a progressive initiative aimed at enhancing women’s empowerment within the tourism sector. This initiative, known as the “Almaty Call to Action,” emerged from the First Regional Conference on the Empowerment of Women in Tourism held in Almaty, Kazakhstan on October 22-23. This commitment reflects the goals set forth in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“Tourism is one of the world’s most vital economic sectors and a key source of employment and opportunity for women. However, inequalities persist within the industry,” stated UN Tourism Executive Director Zoritsa Urosevic. “The Almaty Call to Action is a clear signal of where and how to improve, ensuring that tourism empowers women and girls globally.”
“This conference is not just a single event,” noted Diyar Askarov, Director of Almaty Tourism Bureau. “It is part of a long-term project aimed at driving genuine change. This includes training with certified coaches, a video series spotlighting women in tourism, and an array of programs designed to shift discussion into actionable steps.”
Key Areas for Advancing Women’s Empowerment in Tourism
While tourism offers significant opportunities for women’s economic and social advancement, the conference discussions highlighted persistent inequalities. Women are frequently found in lower-paid, lower-skilled roles in informal employment, with limited progress toward closing the gender wage gap, addressing the digital divide, and achieving leadership gender parity. The burden of unpaid domestic work remains disproportionately on women.
The Almaty Call to Action outlines a commitment to fostering change in six primary areas:
1. Employment
- Implement strategies to reduce the gender pay gap in tourism.
- Challenge stereotypes associated with tourism employment.
- Enhance initiatives aimed at attracting women to underrepresented roles, such as transport and technical positions.
- Enforce policies that clearly define and prohibit gender-based violence and harassment.
- Mandate tourism businesses to report on their progress towards achieving gender equality.
2. Entrepreneurship
- Create initiatives that support women’s entrepreneurship through training, education, and access to financial resources.
- Facilitate the formalization of women-led tourism businesses to bolster financial inclusion.
- Enhance market access for women’s tourism products through gender-responsive procurement.
- Improve women’s access to digital technologies and platforms.
3. Leadership, Policy, and Decision-Making
- Encourage professional development for women through networking and mentorship programs.
- Develop policies to support women’s entrepreneurship and access to finance.
- Incorporate gender perspectives into all stages of tourism policy-making.
- Abide by international conventions on gender equality and decent work.
4. Education and Training
- Boost access to education and training for girls and women, particularly in STEM fields.
- Support continuous professional development for women throughout their careers.
- Offer targeted training to facilitate advancement into senior roles.
- Provide resources for gender-equality educational programs to encourage industry participation.
5. Community and Civil Society
- Implement measures to promote work-life balance in tourism.
- Ensure that gender equality commitments are effectively met at the national level.
- Foster collaboration with women’s networks to advance equality initiatives.
6. Measurement for Better Policies
- Systematically gather and publish tourism data disaggregated by sex in alignment with UN Tourism standards.
- Provide regular updates on gender-disaggregated tourism data to UN Tourism.
About UN Tourism
The United Nations World Tourism Organization is the leading international body dedicated to promoting responsible and sustainable tourism. It serves as a global platform for tourism policy issues and is a valuable source of expertise in the field. With a membership comprising 166 countries and over 500 affiliates from the private sector, UN Tourism plays a central role in guiding the industry’s advancements.
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