Equity, Belonging, Diversity + Inclusion

Travel and tourism can amplify peace, humanity, and cultural exchange. But meaningful change requires reflection and action.

“Going somewhere good” isn’t always easy, and there’s no single way to get there. That’s why we continually challenge ourselves and each other to find better ways of doing things.

At Tourism Cares, we are dedicated to moving our industry forward by asking important (and often uncomfortable) questions about justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We believe travel is a tool for celebrating our differences and building shared experiences, but we know there’s more work to be done.

We need to do a better job of amplifying underrepresented voices and investing in equitable opportunities. We are committed to creating a welcoming world for those including, but not limited to, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), of all abilities and all gender identities.

This is foundational in the ‘force for good’ we are working toward. As an industry, we need to be vulnerable and honest to keep each other accountable.

Let’s ensure we use the power of travel to push for real and systemic change.

Taking Action.

What Tourism Cares is doing now:

• Monthly staff education and external training - taking the time to define and understand through shared resources, engagement with paid guest speakers, facilitators, and training.

• Initiating a program audit and stakeholder assessment to measure and increase equal representation across all Tourism Cares programs.

• Engaging at a deeper level with our industry partners by becoming members of BIPOC associations.

• Board training around race, environmental, and economic justice.

• Training on best practices around sustainability and accessibility.

• Strengthening HR policies, including a yearly diversity training opportunity and developing strict anti-racism and belonging policies.

• Tourism Cares staff recently became Visitable Certified.

Banner image courtesy of ProColombia.