UN Tourism has issued an “urgent call to “invest in women” and accelerate progress towards gender equality across the sector.”
As the world marks International Women’s Day (8 March), the United Nations Specialized Agency celebrates the “achievements of women in tourismwhile highlighting the fact that women remain under represented in leadership positions, face barriers to career progression and have limited access to education and training.”
UN Tourism says this year’s theme, #InvestInWomen, highlights “the need for investment to address the projected annual deficit of USD 360 billion in funding if the world is to achieve the global gender equality goals set under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Sustainable Development Goal 5 – to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”
UN Tourism affirms that the benefits of increased investment in women could be huge, with evidence showing that “closing gender gaps could boost GDP per capita by 20% and create almost 300 million jobs in the global economy by 2035.”
UN Tourism Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “International Women’s Day provides the perfect opportunity for us to reflect on the progress that has been made and call out the huge investment that is needed for us to reach gender equality in the tourism sector. In many countries we are seeing the fruits of previous investment, but more is needed to help unlock new opportunities for economic growth, social inclusion, and sustainable development.”