SHERIDAN, WYOMING – October 27, 2024 – The critical role of women in tourism across Latin America and the Caribbean took center stage at the First Regional Conference on Women's Empowerment in Tourism. Co-hosted by UN Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism of Paraguay in Asunción on October 21-22, the conference debuted a comprehensive report highlighting the contributions and challenges faced by women in this vital sector.
The report underscored the significant role tourism plays in empowering women. Currently, women comprise 52% of the overall tourism workforce, with that number increasing to 60% in specific areas like accommodation and food services. Furthermore, the report revealed that 69% of those enrolled in tourism-related education programs are women, indicating a strong interest in tourism as a career path.
However, the report also shed light on the obstacles women encounter, including job insecurity stemming from a lack of regulated employment. This instability hinders women's access to financial resources, social security, and fundamental labor rights associated with stable employment.
Another challenge highlighted was the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles. Within tourism ministries, women hold only 25% of decision-making positions, and they are similarly underrepresented in tourism business ownership and other leadership capacities.
Conference Addresses Gender Equality
The Asunción conference served as a crucial step toward achieving gender equality in tourism, convening representatives from various member states, women leaders in the tourism sector, and gender and tourism experts. The goal was to discuss the report's findings and share best practices from initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality in their respective countries.
The conference also featured roundtable discussions and workshops, providing a platform for participants to explore strategies for implementing the report's recommendations. Key areas of focus included improving working conditions and increasing the number of women in leadership positions within the tourism sector.
UN Tourism Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, emphasized the potential of tourism to empower women, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean. He highlighted the study's concrete recommendations for promoting greater equality and women's participation in tourism, a sector crucial for economic development in many countries.
Paraguay's First Lady, Leticia Ocampos de Peña, extended an invitation to all Paraguayan women to participate in the conference, emphasizing its importance in raising awareness about the challenges women face in the tourism sector. She expressed hope that the event would foster knowledge exchange and the implementation of gender-sensitive policies, ultimately promoting inclusive tourism.
Angie Duarte, Paraguay's Minister of Tourism, underscored the significance of the collaboration between SENATUR and UN Tourism in bringing together women from the national tourism sector. She expressed gratitude for the First Lady's support of the initiative, which seeks to address gender inequalities and create more opportunities for women's empowerment within the tourism industry.
Minister Duarte emphasized the importance of recognizing women's contributions to the global tourism industry and encouraged women working towards personal and community development to join the transformative event. She expressed confidence that collective efforts could build a more equitable and prosperous future for all.