Latin American and Caribbean Tourism Sector Empowered by Women, Says Un Report

The United Nations Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism of Paraguay have released a report on women’s integral role in the tourism industry. The study, shared before the First Regional Conference on Women’s Empowerment in Tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean, provides insight into how women contribute to the global tourism sector.

The report emphasizes the importance of women’s participation in fostering sustainable and inclusive growth in the sector. According to the study, women make up 52% of the total regular workforce in tourism, and this figure rises to 60% in specific sub-sectors like accommodation and catering. In tourism education, women account for 69% of enrollments, indicating their keen interest in this field.

The study also underscores the challenges faced by women in the sector, including job insecurity resulting from unregulated employment, which predominantly affects women and hinders their access to financial services, social security, and labor rights. The report reveals that women occupy only 25% of decision-making roles in tourism ministries and are underrepresented in industry business ownership and leadership positions.

The conference held in Asunción, Paraguay, marked a significant stride towards gender equality in tourism. It brought together state representatives, women leaders in tourism, and experts in gender and tourism to discuss the report’s findings and share best practices from their respective countries. The event also included roundtables and workshops to develop strategies to implement the report’s recommendations and enhance working conditions and representation of women in leadership roles in the sector.

Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of UN Tourism, stated that tourism holds substantial potential for women’s empowerment, especially in the Latin American and Caribbean regions. He declared Latina women the sector’s driving force in the region and acknowledged the study’s proposal for promoting greater gender equality and women’s participation in tourism.

The First Lady of Paraguay, Leticia Ocampos de Peña, encouraged all Paraguayan women to attend the event. She underscored its importance in raising awareness of the challenges faced by women in the tourism sector. She described the event as an opportunity to promote the exchange of knowledge and the implementation of gender-based policies. Angie Duarte, the Minister of Tourism of Paraguay, stressed the significance of the joint efforts by SENATUR and UN Tourism in gathering women from the national tourism sector and expressed gratitude towards the First Lady for her staunch support for the initiative.

Further information about the study is available in the eLibrary or by contacting ecsr@unwto.org. A live webcast of the second day of the conference can be viewed on the event page.