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Diversity, equity and inclusion.

A successful future relies on an inclusive and diverse workforce and guest experience.

Elevating the importance of DEI and ensuring it is woven into the core of the industry is vital for the future of travel and our workforce.

As we rebuild the travel industry following the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential for our future growth and success to support programs that increase diversity and upward mobility throughout and across all sectors of the industry.

Travel jobs have historically been uniquely diverse, welcoming and accessible to all Americans. The travel industry employs a younger and more diverse workforce than many other sectors and has a greater share of Hispanics, African Americans and multi-ethnic individuals than the rest of the economy. This presents an incredible opportunity to ensure the values of diversity, equity and inclusion are woven through the fabric of all that we do as an industry.

We live in one of the most diverse countries on earth. U.S. Travel believes our industry should champion and celebrate that and that our workforce should be representative of our diverse populace. – Tori Barnes, EVP of Public Affairs and Policy, U.S. Travel Association

DEI is a core priority of the U.S. Travel Association, which is committed to having a central role in affecting lasting change and supporting the development of industrywide DEI plans. Over the past year, U.S. Travel has convened industry leaders to discuss lessons in race and diversity, surfacing important conversations and perspectives around inclusion and equality within the travel industry—and world, at large.

WEBINARS: INITIATING CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS

• Lessons in Race and Racism
• Lessons in Race and Racism: Continued

Tourism Diversity Matters

U.S. Travel and Tourism Diversity Matters launched a new strategic partnership that will strengthen the association’s focus and support of the industry on issues related to DEI and provide greater access to Tourism Diversity Matters’ subject matter expertise, research and resources. Especially important as we rebuild our workforce, this partnership will help to foster greater diversity across all facets of the industry, including leadership positions.

Founded in 2021 to address blind spots in ethnic disparities within the travel industry, Tourism Diversity Matters provides industry leaders with resources to develop more effective DEI strategies to engage, recruit and retain a diverse workforce.

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Research, News and Commentary on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

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Tourism Diversity Matters Launches to Inspire and Create Change For Tourism and Events Industry

Collective impact approach commits to eliminating disparities through advocacy and education; conferencedirect foundation, philadelphia convention & visitors bureau (phlcvb), and searchwide global among founding partners.

ST. PAUL, MN -- Elliott Ferguson, Chairman of the Board for Tourism Diversity Matters (TDM) and President and CEO, Destination DC, and Mike Gamble, TDM’s Founder and President and CEO of SearchWide Global today announced the collective impact model to inspire authenticity and inclusive leadership throughout the tourism and events industry. TDM’s mission is to be a resource to foster diversity, equity and inclusion practices that will educate, advocate, engage and empower in collaboration and cooperation with all industry initiatives.

Founding partners include ConferenceDirect Foundation, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), and SearchWide Global.

Ferguson, one of the few Black leaders in destination marketing has been a long-time advocate for repairing diversity deficiencies and misrepresentations in the corporate environment.

“Addressing racism should impact how you lead – it’s an American issue,” said Ferguson. “As many are confronting these issues for the first time, we can’t turn a blind eye and we can’t turn back. The pandemic has forced us to slow down and focus on being human. We need to be comfortable with uncomfortable conversations and having these discussions not only at home, but also in the workplace.”

TDM’s four guiding pillars include Apprenticeship Programs; Workforce Development; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and Research and Data. The goal is to sustain and expand the platform by collaborating with associated organizations and industries and notable research institutions to develop impactful solutions for all involved.

“Tourism Diversity Matters is a dedicated resource focused solely on creating long-term solutions through complete industry engagement and participation,” said Gamble. “The intention is to not replace existing good work happening in this area, but rather to shine a light on it, and add value and insight where needed.”

Greg DeShields, CDE, CHE, a respected leader on behalf of DEI and regarded for initiatives to raise Philadelphia’s image as a multicultural visitor destination, has been named Executive Director. In addition to this new leadership role, he will continue to lead PHL Diversity, a division of PHLCVB.

The inaugural Board of Directors includes:

Dr. Brandi Baldwin, CEO, Millennial Ventures Holdings 

Debra blair, director of organizational diversity, equity & inclusion, temple university school of sport, tourism and hospitality management, ray bloom, chairman, imex, cathy breden, cae, cmp, cem, evp & coo, international association of exhibitions & events (iaee); chair-elect, events industry council (eic), amy calvert, ceo, events industry council (eic), gregg caren, president and ceo, phlcvb, mark cooper, ceo, international association of conference centers (iacc); chairman, events industry council (eic), melissa cherry, coo, destinations international, roger dow, president and ceo, us travel association, christine duffy, president, carnival cruise line, mike gamble, president and ceo, searchwide global, al hutchinson, president and ceo, visit baltimore, sherrif karamat, president and ceo, pcma, michelle mason, fasae, cae, cqia, president and ceo, association forum, brad mayne, president and ceo, international association of venue managers (iavm), lynette montoya, president and ceo, latino hotel association, carrie freeman parsons, chair, freeman, leah smiley, president, society for diversity, inc., brian stevens, ceo, conferencedirect, paul m. vandeventer, president and ceo, meeting professionals international (mpi), telesa via, vp, sales, kimpton hotels and restaurants, carl winston, director of the l. robert payne school of hospitality & tourism management, san diego state university.

“Tourism Diversity Matters offers the opportunity to reset and heal from a year filled with the most challenging moments in modern history,” said Carrie Freeman Parsons. “I am honored to be part of this important collaboration moving all toward an inclusive environment with equitable access and participation.”

Tiered partnership opportunities are available. For more information about TDM’s mission and how the industry can be involved, please visit Tourism Diversity Matters.

Editor’s Note: Headshots available upon request

About Tourism Diversity Matters

Tourism Diversity Matters (TDM) is a 501 C (6) founded as the collaborative leader of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and concepts that can address the blind spots of ethnic disparities and provide decision-makers in the tourism industry access, resources, and tactics to develop more effective Diversity & Inclusion strategies that will engage and retain a diverse workforce. At TDM, we focus on four primary pillars of activity to benefit the Tourism Industry: Apprenticeships, Workforce Development, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Research and Data. TDM’s goal is to sustain and expand our platform by affiliating with fellow industry partners and notable research institutions, creating solutions that can be implemented, contributing to organizational success. Follow TDM @TDM_Matters on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

February 2, 2021

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The Travel Industry’s Reckoning With Race and Inclusion

Tourists, particularly Black travelers, are paying close attention to how destinations and travel service providers approach diversity and equity after a year of social justice protests.

By Tariro Mzezewa

Between the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought tourism to a near-complete halt for months on end, and last summer’s protests for social justice, the past year has been one of reckoning for the travel industry on issues of race and inclusivity.

In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, everybody from hotel operators to luggage makers declared themselves allies of the protesters. At a time when few people were traveling, Instagram posts and pledges to diversify were easy to make. But now, as travel once again picks up, the question of how much travel has really changed has taken on new urgency.

“From the very emergence of the Covid pandemic and especially in the wake of uprisings last summer, there’s a question about place,” said Paul Farber, the director of Monument Lab , a Pennsylvania-based public art and history studio that works with cities and states that want to examine, remove or add historic monuments. “What is the relationship of people and places? Where are sites of belonging? Where are sites where historic injustices may be physically or socially marked?”

Monument Lab is one of several organizations, groups and individuals trying to change the way travelers of all colors understand America’s racially fraught history. Urging people to engage with history beyond museums and presentations from preservation societies is one approach.

In turn, many travelers are paying close attention to whether companies are following through with their promises from last year. Black travelers, in particular, are doubling down on supporting Black-owned businesses. A survey released earlier this year by the consulting firm MMGY Global found that Black travelers, particularly those in the United States, Canada, Britain and Ireland, are keenly interested in how destinations and travel service providers approach diversity and have indicated that it has an influence on their travel decision-making.

At Monument Lab, questions about belonging, inclusion and how history memorializes different people were coming up frequently over the past year, Dr. Farber said, particularly from travelers looking to learn about Confederate and other monuments while road tripping.

In response, Monument Lab, which examines the meaning of monuments, created an activity guide called Field Trip , which allows people to pause on their trips to learn about specific monuments. On a worksheet, participants are prompted to question who created the monuments, why they were made and what they represent.

In creating Field Trip, it became clear to Dr. Farber that there is a strong interest from travelers to learn about Black history. This sentiment is echoed by tour operators who offer Civil Rights and other social-justice-oriented tours like those focusing on the contributions of Black Americans, women and figures in the L.G.B.T.Q. community.

“There are a lot of white people who for the first time have had a conversation about racial justice and maybe even heard the words ‘systemic racism’ for the first time,” said Rebecca Fisher, founder of Beyond the Bell Tours , a Philadelphia-based operator of social-justice-oriented tours that highlight marginalized communities, people and histories. “People heard the new words and now they want to learn. That doesn’t mean that it is backed up with results, but I am seeing a trend in interest.”

On a tour with Beyond the Bell guests might, for example, participants hear about Philadelphia’s President’s House, but they’ll also hear about Ona Judge , an enslaved woman who escaped from George Washington’s home, and about the former president’s efforts to recapture her. One of the company’s most popular tours focuses on gay history in the city.

Seeking Black-owned travel businesses

Black travelers, in particular, are increasingly looking for ways to show their support for Black-owned travel businesses.

Even as the family road trip has made a comeback in the wake of the coronavirus, that sort of trip hasn’t been a source of unfettered freedom for generations of Black motorists because of Jim Crow laws enforcing racial segregation in America. And now, after a year in which protests of the police killings of Black people amplified the perils of skin color, Black travelers are seeking out Black travel agents, Black hoteliers and Black-owned short-term rentals in addition to organizing in groups dedicated to Black travelers.

In fact, according to the international survey of nearly 4,000 Black leisure travelers by MMGY Global, 54 percent of American respondents said they were more likely to visit a destination if they saw Black representation in travel advertising. In Britain and Ireland, 42 percent echoed that sentiment, and in Canada that number was 40 percent.

“Another highly influential factor in the decision-making process is whether the destination is perceived as safe for Black travelers,” the survey noted. “Seventy-one percent of U.S. and Canadian respondents felt safety was extremely or very influential to their decision.”

In Facebook groups, Clubhouse chat rooms and across other social media platforms, Black travelers regularly ask one another for recommendations about where to travel, particularly about where others have been where they felt safe and welcome. While these questions are often about foreign destinations, in a year when Americans could largely only travel within the United States, inquiries increasingly arose about where travelers felt safe within the country.

“I was just curious on some good and safe locations for a first time solo traveler here in the States,” one woman posted in a group specifically for Black women travelers in June.

“Where’s a good ‘safe’ place to travel in the States?” asked another woman who was planning a 35th birthday trip with her sister.

This type of community gathering, though now online, isn’t new. For decades, African American travelers have looked to one another for guidance on where to travel. The most referenced form was Victor Hugo Green’s Green Book , a guide for Black travelers that was published annually from 1936 to 1966.

Last summer, facing an onslaught of messaging from travel companies saying that they supported the Black Lives Matter movement and would be committing to diversifying their ranks and finding other ways to be more inclusive, Kristin Braswell, the owner of CrushGlobal , a company that works with locals around the world to plan trips, decided to make the inclusion of Black businesses central to her work.

As a Black woman with a passion for travel, she started making travel guides that focused on supporting Black businesses. Each guide, whether it be to national parks, beach towns or wine country, provides information on businesses owned by Black people as well as guidance about diversity in the area and more.

“These road trips and initiatives that speak to people of color in general are important because we’ve been left out of travel narratives,” Ms. Braswell said. “If you’re going to be creating experiences where people are going out into the world, all people should be included in those experiences.”

Ms. Braswell added that the bulk of her business comes from Black travelers. These travelers, she said, are looking for Black travel advisers who have the knowledge of places where they are welcomed and can help them plan their trips. Over the past year travelers across racial backgrounds have been increasingly asking for tours and experiences that include Black-owned businesses, she said.

Across the country, as people protested against police brutality, travelers demanded to see more travelers who looked like them in advertising; they spoke out against tourism boards that hadn’t been inclusive in the past and formed organizations like the Black Travel Alliance , calling for more Black travel influencers, writers and photographers to be employed.

The Alliance and others have been pushing for more Black travelers to be visible and included in the industry and in spaces of leisure travel.

Going beyond museums

At the same time, tour providers like Free Egunfemi Bangura, the founder of Untold RVA , a Richmond-based organization, are offering tours that center on the contributions of Black people. In a city such as Richmond, which was once a capital of the Confederacy, she said that means seeing the value of working outside the established system of preservation societies and museums that are typically run by white leadership.

To Ms. Bangura and other activists, artists and tour operators, museums and traditional preservation societies are part of the culture of exclusion that has historically left Black people out and continues to present versions of history that focus on white narratives. Ms. Bangura’s tours take place on the streets of the city as a better way to understand the local history.

At a time when state legislatures are pushing for and passing laws that limit what and how much students learn about the contributions of Black and other marginalized people to the country, Ms. Bangura and others said, tours that show their contributions are even more important.

“There is a way to take these experiences out of the hands of the traditional preservation community, so you don’t have to go into the walls of a museum,” Ms. Bangura said, adding that another reason institutions like museums aren’t optimal is because some people aren’t keen to visit them. “But think of how often it is that after you come outside of a Black-owned coffee shop, you’re actually able to hear about some of the Black people in that neighborhood or people that fought for Black freedom.”

Additionally, although the tourism industry took a hit last year, outdoor activities continued to draw visitors, making outdoor tours like Ms. Bangura’s and Ms. Fisher’s of Beyond the Bell popular. Ms. Bangura said the style of her offerings makes them accessible for all travelers, especially those without access to smartphones for scanning QR codes or those unable to take part in headphone-aided tours.

Among the several kinds of tours and experiences Ms. Bangura has created is Black Monument Avenue, a three-block interactive experience in Richmond’s majority-Black Highland Park neighborhood. Visitors can drive through and call a designated phone line with unique access codes to hear songs, poems and messages about each installation. Every August, she runs Gabriel Week , honoring Gabriel Prosser, an enslaved man who led a rebellion in the Richmond area in 1800.

“I call him brother General Gabriel,” Ms. Bangura said, adding that in her work, she encourages “people to decolonize their history by making sure that history is being told from the language of the oppressed, not the language of the oppressor.”

Walking tours, for those who go on them, also provide a visceral sense of history that differs from the experience of a museum. Even as the National Museum of African American History and Culture has attracted record numbers of visitors to Washington, D.C., tours like Ms. Bangura’s can provide a more local perspective and show visitors exactly where something significant happened.

“We can find community in walking together, we can find community in exploring a neighborhood together, and we can find a sense of where we are, we can find a sense of where folks have been and we can find common ground,” said Kalela Williams, the founder of Black History Maven , a Philadelphia company that primarily offers walking tours of the city that focus on Black history.

“It’s important to see where things were, how things were working in relation to one another,” she said. “You can see the proximity of folks’ houses and schools and churches. You can imagine how folks would have walked around and navigated and visited each other in a way that you might not in a museum.”

THE WORLD IS REOPENING. LET’S GO, SAFELY. Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our Travel Dispatch newsletter : Each week you’ll receive tips on traveling smarter, stories on hot destinations and access to photos from all over the world.

Tariro Mzezewa is a travel reporter at The New York Times.  More about Tariro Mzezewa

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Focusing on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Travel and Events

Mike Gamble, founder of Tourism Diversity Matters, discusses the impetus for starting the initiative, and its goals for the future.

Tourism Diversity Matters, a new initiative providing the tourism industry with resources to learn about how to build DEI infrastructure, will use its own board as an example in an upcoming white paper on board diversity.

“The ‘aha moment’ for me last year was to say, wouldn’t it be great to have an organization that really focused on this 24/7, 365 [days a year]?” said Mike Gamble, president and CEO of recruitment firm SearchWide Global.

Mike Gamble

The “this” Gamble is referring to is diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the travel and events industry, and how he came to launch a new initiative, Tourism Diversity Matters (TDM), in February 2021. The goal, Gamble said, is to create “a portal for all the good work that’s happening in the industry” with resources for companies and organizations to learn about best practices to build their own DEI infrastructure as well as access the latest research and data insights. Along with SearchWide Global, TDM counts the ConferenceDirect Foundation, PHLCVB, and Sports ETA as founding partners.

So far, TDM’s board includes Elliott Ferguson , chairman, along with 21 other leaders representing a broad spectrum of the tourism and events industry. The board itself will serve as a topic that TDM intends on addressing in a forthcoming white paper on board diversity, which will eventually be made publicly available through its portal. It’s resources like these, Gamble said, that will give companies and organizations the tools they need to make a difference at the grassroots level.

“We collectively have to make an impact on the way that our workforce looks so that it mirrors visitors and attendees of events,” Gamble said. And “if there’s anything that our greater industry — tourism, travel, hospitality, and events — can all agree on and collaborate on, it has to be this, right?”

RELATED: Building a More Diverse Tourism Industry Through Apprenticeships

Another centerpiece of the initiative is an apprenticeship program, which will give underrepresented and ethnically diverse graduates six months of work experience and a guaranteed job upon conclusion. Split into three tracks — tourism, sports, and events — the program aims to attract more young people to consider choosing a long-term career in the industry.

“As much as we want to make a difference in the way that our industry looks from a leadership perspective . . . we have to impact the foundation and the entry-level area as well and keep these young people engaged in the industry, too,” Gamble said. “Ten years from now, if we’ve got 1,000 young people who’ve gone through the apprenticeship program — that’s not too lofty of a goal. Then they’ll be directors and vice presidents, and moving up the chain within their organizations, and that’s going to be a great value for all of us.”

For more information, visit tourismdiversitymatters.org .

Jennifer N. Dienst is managing editor of Convene.

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Why diversity, equity, and inclusion matters to the Center for Responsible Travel

Written by Kelsey Frenkiel , CREST Program Manager

We are on a mission to improve our policies and practices to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive space for our staff and partners.

We know that responsible tourism cannot be sustained when it is designed by a homogeneous group of people because they cannot speak to all the ways that tourism benefits or harms diverse communities.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a key component of tourism sustainability. In this post, we’ll provide an update on our work as it relates to DEI, including an explanation of why it is important to the travel sector, and how we are defining it.

We call upon all tourism organizations, businesses, governments, and individuals to assess their own policies and practices.

What does Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mean?

We use the following definitions in our discussions around DEI: 

Diversity : The understanding of individual differences along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, geographic background, life experiences, age, physical abilities, cognitive abilities, health, physical characteristics, body composition, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other perspectives and ideologies. 

It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. 

Diversity is a reality created by individuals and groups from a broad spectrum of demographic and philosophical differences. 

Equity: Fairness and equality in outcomes, not just in resources and opportunity. We recognize that each person needs something different to succeed and; to reach their own purpose, values, and goals. 

Inclusion : The achievement of a work environment in which all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully, have equitable access to opportunities and resources, and can contribute fully to the organization’s success.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Travel & Tourism

We believe that sustainability cannot exist without diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. True sustainability balances the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit. 

Black, indigenous, and people of color make up a huge portion of the hospitality workforce in the US. For many US indigenous communities, tourism is a major source of revenue. Marginalized communities that are disproportionately affected by rising sea levels and flooding are at the mercy of millions of tourists driving, flying, and cruising to their destinations every year.

The Black Travel Alliance’s recent #PullUpForTravel study confirmed that black travel content creators are under-represented in the travel industry and “there is, for the most part, lip service paid to diversity and inclusion.” The majority of tourism policymakers, planners, and managers do not have those voices at their theoretical tables. 

CREST is a founding member of the Future of Tourism Coalition . Our guiding principles emphasize “seeing the whole picture,” “collaboration,” bringing equitable tourism benefits to destination communities, reducing tourism’s social burden, and protecting the sense of place. In this way, diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in sustainable travel and tourism are a “must have,” not a “nice to have.” 

There is evidence for the return on investment more broadly: according to McKinsey & Company , “companies in the top quartile for workforce diversity are 33 percent more likely to financially outperform their less diverse counterparts.” Tourism businesses, governments, DMOs, nonprofits, and others must be willing to make an investment in these principles in order to do their jobs well. 

What CREST is doing to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive

Why dei is important to crest.

Our vision is to transform the way the world travels. Travel impacts everyone, and so it must be designed and managed in a way that is equitable and brings all voices to the table. We have developed a DEI Vision Statement to guide our work in this area:

The CREST staff  diligently working to improve our organization and ourselves through a diverse, equitable, and inclusive lens. We acknowledge our imperfections but strive to make intentional improvements each day. We seek to create a more equitable future for destinations and communities through sustainable tourism solutions by challenging marginalization in tourism development, bringing a diverse spectrum of voices to the forefront of our initiatives, and fostering equitable access to opportunities and resources to the best of our ability. 

Who we’re working with

CREST is working with Papilia , a woman-owned company that offers customized diversity, equity, and inclusion, communication, leadership, talent management, cultural learning, coaching services, and wellness solutions for travel organizations and individuals in the travel industry. 

What steps has CREST taken so far?

So far we have taken the following actions: 

• Conducting a DEI audit to understand how to improve our internal and external practices
• Holding unconscious bias and emotional intelligence training sessions 
• Reviewing and revising our staff and internship recruitment process 
• Reviewing our website to ensure it is accessible for people with different abilities 
• Conducting an audit of our conference speakers in order to establish a system that encourages the amplification of different voices  
• Conducting a DEI staff survey to serve as a baseline to measure progress and to create annual DEI metrics/accountability measures 
• Examining how to ensure underserved and marginalized identities are represented through our programmatic portfolio.   

What will this mean moving forward?

Our next steps are: 

• Developing baseline DEI metrics and accountability measures 
• Developing a DEI policy
• Integrating DEI into our five-year strategic work plan 
• Diversifying the composition of our board members 
• Expanding our stakeholder mapping process with each project 
• Updating our Academic Affiliate and Experts Network recruitment and onboarding process  
• Developing a communications strategy that informs and generates conversation about topics critical to advancing sustainability and DEI in the travel industry. 

You can find more information on CREST’s evolving DEI commitments and actions on our DEI page . 

We call upon all tourism organizations, businesses, governments, and individuals to assess their own policies and practices. We invite you to reach out to Program Manager Kelsey Frenkiel if you are interested in learning more about our journey or have questions, comments, or feedback to share.

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Tourism Diversity Matters Expands Team to Meet Growing Demand for Organizational DEI Expertise and Data-Driven Strategies

• October 12, 2022

DEI and Multicultural Tourism expert Yvonne Drayton named new Director of Operations

October 12, 2022 — Tourism Diversity Matters (TDM) today announced the expansion of its executive leadership team. Since its inception in 2020, TDM has solely dedicated its efforts to all dimensions of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), guiding the tourism industry forward with outstanding expertise to advance DEI excellence. Now, the organization will expand its capacity and capabilities to meet the growing demand for apprenticeships, organizational assessments and strategies as well as workforce development.

“The tourism industry is rebuilding and reenergizing, which is no easy task given the significant workforce shortage,” said Elliott Ferguson, chairman of the board at Tourism Diversity Matters and president and CEO of Destination D.C. “TDM serves as an expert resource to support organizations with urgent workforce development needs, as well as integrate new strategies to strengthen workplace culture. By embracing DEI, organizations can fuel innovation, grow their business and become an employer of choice. Given our team’s deep roots in tourism as well as academia, we pride ourselves on understanding both the macro and micro challenges tourism organizations are facing. This gives us the necessary perspective and passion to advance both the organizations and destinations we serve.” “There’s major momentum and demand in the tourism industry to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Greg DeShields, executive director of Tourism Diversity Matters. “Because our work at TDM is highly customized, allowing organizations to engage wherever they are in the process, it is essential for us to build capacity. Since you’ve first met us, we’ve expanded our staff and grown our consulting team to 10 members to meet the increased demand for DEI organizational culture assessments and strategy development. Today, we are thrilled to announce DEI and multicultural tourism expert, Yvonne Drayton, as director of operations, a newly created position to support these efforts.” “Joining TDM as the director of operations was an easy decision,” said Drayton.  “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a long-standing passion and I look forward to strengthening TDM by developing and executing strategies to evolve the organization as we increase our capacity to serve the hospitality and tourism industry as a valued resource.”

In her new role, Drayton will support the development and reach of TDM’s DEI organizational culture assessments, educational training, and workforce development, which includes the national apprenticeship program. Prior to joining TDM, Drayton was the lead principal of Drayton Cross Consulting, where she conducted culture analyses and devised data-driven strategies to build DEI competencies across organizations in the commercial and nonprofit sectors. Drayton also brings to the team extensive tourism and meetings knowledge as her firm provides multicultural marketing and tourism development; public relations; and large-scale meeting, conference and event planning services for national organizations. Prior to that, she served as president & CEO of Riscoe & Associates, Inc. for three years and executive vice president for eight years, where she honed her operations skills, along with business and strategic partnership development.

Also joining the team is Sofia Mendoza as Executive Assistant. Mendoza will support both communications and operations of the organization at a critical time of development. She brings office managerial and executive assistance experience from both agency and manufacturing settings at Torrid and Lucrescent Bearing Corporation, along with international marketing capabilities from her time at IBG America in El Salvador.

Since its founding in 2020, TDM has worked with numerous clients across the country, including the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, Visit Mesa and the San Diego Tourism Authority. The organization is also working toward its goal of supporting 30 apprentices in its national apprenticeship program across the tourism sector.

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What I’ve learned as a black traveler

Here’s why diverse perspectives make for better stories.

This year hundreds of African Americans will board flights to Ghana . For many it will be their first trip to the African continent. They’ll be answering a call issued by the West African country to come home. The ship believed to have carried the first enslaved Africans to what would become the United States of America set sail from Ghana. Four hundred years later, African Americans are yearning to understand better what and who was left behind. Ghana has declared 2019 as “ The Year of Return .” ( Learn about the last American slave ship discovered in Alabama. )

I’m not an African American, but as a black woman living in North America , I understand the attraction of the invitation. It’s no small thing to find a place in the world that wants to tell your story.

Travelers walk to Fort William, during a trip in Anomabo, Ghana, to explore a landmark of the colonial slave trade.

My history has always been impacted by race and travel. My parents emigrated from Jamaica to Canada in the ’70s. My childhood included annual trips to spots across Canada, the U.S ., and the Caribbean. Each time we ventured beyond our neighborhood, my parents—intentionally or not—drove home the idea that the world was mine to explore. My memories of travel focused on what I was seeing, not on how I was being seen. Warm welcomes were a luxury I took for granted. ( Visit these 13 destinations for African-American history and culture .)

As I got older I realized that for many before me—including my parents—that had not been the case. As children, they hadn’t had the opportunities to travel that I was being afforded. And when as adults they did venture out, their kids in tow and far from their black-majority homeland, they were often met with prejudices I was too young to recognize.

Years later, my own travels around the world as a journalist helped me understand that the color of my skin is an integral part of my experience. The stories I write don’t have to be overtly centered on race to share my perspectives as a racialized person.

Being a black traveler means that during a reporting stint in Ghana in my 20s a local leader could single me out to share how much I look like a member of a nearby tribe. It means that in Ethiopia , Rwanda , England , and Northern Canada I am called “sister” (and treated as such) by people who can find a connection in my skin color.

It can also lead to experiences that are jarring and to opportunities that provoke conversation. In China and India , my hair and skin have stopped curious crowds. ( Read what it’s like to travel while black in China .)

Developing a more inclusive travel perspective requires no sacrifice. It isn’t a charitable act; all travelers benefit when the fullest possible stories are told.

Showcasing our similarities allows for the possibility of challenging stereotypes that go beyond travel (we swim, we ski, we hike).

I embrace all of these opportunities and the platforms that have allowed me to tell my stories, because I recognize that there aren’t enough people who look like me who get the chance.

And that’s a problem.

When voices are missing from the mainstream narrative, their absence is normalized. After more than 16 years as a travel writer, I still struggle to find other black storytellers in mainstream outlets.

This despite a 2018 report that African-American travelers, who make up about 14 percent of the U.S. population, spend around $63 billion a year on travel.

Many who have grown used to being an afterthought to prevailing conversations have carved out spaces of their own. It’s how you get a Green Book —the printed annual handbook that, until its last issue in 1966, detailed the places that were safe for black road trippers to stop, eat, sleep, or stay out past dark. ( Take a Green Book-inspired road trip through Alabama’s civil rights history .)

It’s what leads to the creation of Evita Robinson’s Nomadness Travel Tribe , a lifestyle brand and community with a membership of 20,000 travelers of color. Or Outdoor Afro , founded by National Geographic Fellow Rue Mapp, which aims to reconnect African Americans with nature. It’s why Karen Akpan’s Black Kids Do Travel Facebook group exists—as a safe space for parents of color to share their travel triumphs and concerns. And although both Kellee Edwards and Oneika Raymond head up Travel Channel productions, the list of people of color as the face of any TV program in the industry is short.

Seeing and reading about people who look like us impacts how we travel because in those stories is the recognition that our lives—the accomplishments, hardships, history, and culture—matter.

But the stories of African-American travelers are essential for other reasons too. When mainstream travel pieces speak about safety, people of color know that we’ll still need to save our questions about our particular fears for the direct messages of black friends and colleagues. (“Yes, I know the place is safe, but is it safe for me? ”) It’s a system not unlike the ones friends in the LGBTQ community have developed. ( See the 10 best destinations for LGBTQ families .)

And so when I take my kids, two black boys, into the world, I do so with all of these questions, opportunities, and responsibilities in mind. We have traveled to dozens of countries together, snapping family photos in front of the Eiffel Tower , the pyramids of Giza , the Great Wall of China , and Niagara Falls . I take them to places where their skin color is a fascination and to places where everyone looks like them. I’ve forced them into the travel narrative because they have every right to be there, but I also do it because I know that other families of color read our stories and, in our photos, see the possibilities available for themselves.

More diverse voices are needed, but you don’t have to be a minority traveler to make a difference. Developing a more inclusive travel perspective requires no sacrifice. It isn’t a charitable act; all travelers benefit when the fullest possible stories are told. And when we aren’t getting the full narrative, we are all robbed of facts and experiences that could prove transformational in the way we see the world.

Related: 25 unique traditions around the world

Tourists, travel providers, outlets, and agents need only recognize the potential for tunnel vision and ask themselves whether there are perspectives missing in what we are reading and watching. And then, make every effort to seek them out.

As you consume travel, ask yourself: On whom is the camera focused? Whose story is absent from the historical tour? And those of us with a platform—be it blog, social media, TV show, or magazine—must offer more opportunities for people of color to hold the pen, the microphone, and the camera.

Inclusion is a recognition that the whole story—with its flaws and complexities—is far more beautiful than its individual pieces.

Travel makes us better, and multiple travel perspectives make us better still.

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Tourism Diversity Matters’ The Collective Experience Conference Brings DEI Leaders Together

General session at The Collective Experience conference. Credit: Wise Owl Multimedia.

Following a pandemic hiatus, Tourism Diversity Matters ’ (TDM) The Collective Experience: 2023 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Conference returned to Philadelphia, a city that prides itself on diversity as well as being first in a long line of accomplishments, including being the first DMO to launch a diversity-focused division.

When it began in 2011 as the Diversity Summit, the event focused on diversity in human resources and talent acquisition. It really started to draw C-level hospitality industry leaders when it was held in the Washington, D.C., area in 2013, drawing heavy hitters such as former Marriott International President & CEO Arne Sorenson. It was taken over this year by TDM after being run by the Philadelphia CVB in 2019 and 2020 (virtual meeting), and Temple University and Lodging Media before that.

While the in-person last conference was held in 2019—before the pandemic shutdown—the event’s ability to attract top hospitality industry leaders continues, with the heads of DMOs from the likes of Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and others participating in the October 23-24 event at Hilton Philadelphia Penn’s Landing.

“There was a nice standard set, and we’ve always said that it’s really targeted to decision makers and individuals who are leading their efforts and have the ability to take the insights that they gain at this conference and actually to go back and implement them,” said Greg DeShields , executive director of TDM. “And that’s what we want; to keep it at CEOs, chief diversity officers, presidents and deans and so forth of academic institutions. And we’re quite fortunate that we had at least five CVB leaders who attended along with industry associations [such as U.S. Travel Association and Brand USA].”

The roster of more than 260 attendees also represented at least 14 academic institutions, various marketing firms, a global keynote from the Copenhagen Institute of Future Studies and even Amtrak.

[Related:  Greg DeShields Brings a Career Dedicated to DEI to Tourism Diversity Matters ]

DEI Under Attack?

With certain states pushing back against DEI efforts and the teaching of history critical of the troubled past of the U.S.—with the recent NAACP advisory regarding travel to Florida as an example of the current state of affairs—DeShields believes it’s more important than ever to bring leaders together to share knowledge.

“If I were completely focused on what type of DEI articles I get from my Google feed, I would think that the world of DEI is over, and that’s just simply not the case,” he said. “I have to say that anytime you have a conversation about diversity, equity and inclusion, it begins with leaders being committed to this, and that it has to be focused as a business strategy. 

“It was clear with the leaders that were there that this is still a very relevant business strategy that needs a format,” DeShields continued. “It needs a platform where leaders can get together and discuss best practices to evolve the efforts around it.”

One interesting exchange during a panel discussion was between Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of U.S. Travel Association, and Leon W. Russell, chair of the NAACP Board of Directors, regarding the civil rights organization’s Florida travel advisory. And although a bit challenging, the two leaders agreed that ongoing dialogue and education about travel advisories and boycotts is essential. Freeman even extended an invitation to the NAACP to participate in its future programs and discussions regarding travel boycotts.

[Related:  DEI Update: Meetings Diversity Leaders Greg DeShields and Sheila Alexander-Reid Share Their Perspectives ]

“There are some real challenges associated with the suppression of people’s civil rights and concerns about how people were treated in certain states, and that conversation with the NAACP showed that there is a direct correlation to the efforts around maintaining people’s civil rights and their ability to live their lives in a way that is welcoming and inclusive, and that we have to have a discussion. We have to be friends before we need a friend,” DeShields said.

“That connection, that ability for them to shake hands and say that we are going to talk together about how we can work collaboratively around ensuring our industry’s growth and maintaining civil rights was just a pivotal period for us in our industry.” 

More Meetings Today DEI content

Tourism Diversity Matters

Tyler Davidson has covered the travel trade for nearly 30 years. In his current role with Meetings Today, Tyler leads the editorial team on its mission to provide the best meetings content in the industry.

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Diversity and Inclusion

Workplace Bullying Allegations Roil Tourism Diversity Matters

Andrea Doyle

March 13th, 2024 at 9:42 AM EDT

The nonprofit Tourism Diversity Matters faces a scandal involving workplace bullying – its executive director has been fired, and the organization's founder and president has stepped down.

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Greg DeShields, the former executive director of Tourism Diversity Matters (TDM), a nonprofit focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, was dismissed in February after seven women signed an open letter accusing him of workplace bullying. 

In the letter, the women claim a “pattern of abuse” that included berating, humiliating, and disparaging women both in private and in front of others for at least ten years while at the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau , where he headed its PHIL Diversity effort since 2014, and TDM, which he joined as executive director in 2021. 

In addition, TDM’s Founder and CEO, Mike Gamble, stepped down. Gamble is also the co-founder of executive recruitment firm SearchWide Global.

Skift Meetings contacted DeShields about his termination. He responded, “I appreciate your inquiry. I respect the decision of the board. However, as this concerns personnel matters, it would be inappropriate for me to further discuss specifics. My focus remains on our common goal of promoting tourism and attention to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. I am looking forward to continuing this important work in my future pursuits.”

As a result of the shakeup, the organization is not taking on new projects. “TDM is honoring all of its outstanding commitments but will not take on any new engagement,” said Adam Burke, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board and interim chair of TDM. He was elected chair for a full year at a TDM board meeting on Friday. “It’s time to take a step back. We are looking at this as an opportunity to learn, collaborate, and listen, ensuring we are providing the right work to support the DEI movement.”

No Leader Beyond Recourse

Chiriga “Zoe” Moore, a DEI consultant who has worked with TDM, is one of the women who signed the open letter against DeShields. “What you do in the dark will come out in the light,” said Moore during an interview with Skift Meetings. “To lead an organization in DEI, you have to be a person of principle and practice.”

She stresses that her intent in signing the letter was not for TDM’s DEI work to stop. Instead, she wants this behavior addressed and DeShields held accountable for the harm he caused. If the progress that has been made is reversed, everyone will get hurt, she said.

Elliott Ferguson, II, president and CEO of Destination DC and TDM’s first board chairman, was shocked when he learned about the accusations. “When I read the letter, it was a painful pill to swallow. To have this happen at an organization that is focused on making sure employees are empowered,” said Ferguson. “The key thing for us right now is to focus on the victims and to make sure that we as the board are having soul-searching conversations about what we need to focus on, what the missing links are, and how we move forward.”

The Work of Tourism Diversity Matters

TDM was founded in 2021 during a time of social unrest. In a statement to Skift Meetings, Gamble explains, “It was born out of a desire to do better and be better during a tragic and turbulent time. In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and the deep uncertainty of living through a global pandemic, a group of travel industry leaders came together to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion through a collective impact model.”

Founding partners included the ConferenceDirect Foundation, the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau , and SearchWide Global . Stakeholders and board members include the biggest organizations in the meetings and events industry. 

Since its inception, TDM has worked with many tourism organizations. An example is the San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA), which hired TDM to conduct a comprehensive evaluation, executed mainly through structured surveys and collaboration with senior leadership.

“Our work with TDM has been completed, and the insights have been instrumental in shaping our DEI initiatives, notably leading to the appointment of our first-ever director of DEI and community engagement,” said Julie Coker, president and CEO of SDTA.

In October 2023, TDM held its first DEI conference, “The Collective Experience.” It attracted approximately 260 attendees, including the heads of destination management organizations from cities like Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., as well as representatives from academic institutions.

Burke says there are no plans to hold a conference this year. Instead, TDM is looking to combine its events with those of other organizations in the DEI space. 

Women Speak Out

On January 15, 2024, Dr. Brandi Baldwin, TDM’s board chair, sent an open letter to the board detailing allegations regarding DeShields’s conduct. According to Burke, this was the first time the board was made aware of the situation. Included in Baldwin’s email were letters from a former TDM staff member and intern voicing similar concerns.

TDM hired Jaffe Dickerson , an employment and labor attorney, to investigate these allegations, and DeShields was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Dickerson did not respond to a request for comment from Skift Meetings.

“Greg yelled at me, was abrasive, cut me off when I tried to speak,” Baldwin explained to Skift Meetings. “When I decided to leave TDM, I knew I had to speak out to help those coming up behind me.”

Several others contacted Baldwin about their experiences, and on February 15, “An Open Letter to Leaders in the Tourism ​& Hospitality Industry was released by ten women, including a former TDM executive assistant, apprentice, and consultant, a former PHLDiversity Philadelphia CVB coordinator, and an intern. The letter details allegations regarding their interactions with DeShields. 

On February 16, TDM’s board of directors convened to review the results of Dickerson’s investigation and the additional allegations in the open letter. “During that meeting, the board voted unanimously to terminate DeShields’ employment with immediate effect,” Burke said. 

“I speak for the whole board when I say it is deeply disturbing that anyone would have these types of experiences with anyone at TDM,” says Burke. “A good reminder of why the work is so important is this instance, as it takes courage to come forward. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the women who have spoken out.”

Ferguson agrees. “There’s a lesson tied to making sure that if you’re in a work environment and you are feeling marginalized or you are — any of the things that were articulated in the correspondence — then you should feel very comfortable speaking up because we can’t respond to what we don’t know,” he said. 

Now that the investigation is complete, Burke says TDM reached out to the original three women who spoke out, hoping to engage in dialogue. “We are a learning organization and want to understand the root causes that allowed this to happen,” says Burke. “It’s our hope that Dr. Baldwin will re-engage with us as the only way to learn is by having open dialogue. That’s how you heal, reconcile, and move forward.”

Baldwin responded, “After witnessing the inner dynamics of TDM, board member alliances, and prioritization of fundraising over adding tangible value, I’ve come to the conclusion that re-engaging with them to assist in their progress might not be the most effective course of action. The seriousness of their commitment to DEI wasn’t evident to me; however, if they’re committed to moving forward with sincerity, I hope they will reflect on missteps and build a strong foundation for sustainable DEI work.”

The need for more progress in the DEI space has many frustrated. “Years ago, the industry’s Unity Team researched best corporate inclusion practices to serve as models. A book was produced from the research and left on shelves never to be used,” says Joan Eisenstodt, a hospitality and meetings industry consultant and trainer. “The cited incidents are too reminiscent of the sexism and ageism I experienced as an MPI delegate to the EIC ( Events Industry Council ). Though not a woman of color, the rephrasing of my comments and demeaning of my ideas stayed with me. The harm done to the signers is not fixed with an apology or ‘we didn’t know.’”

Solid Governance Needed

The Open Letter also criticizes TDM’s “absence of a formal governance structure, particularly an absent secretary, vice ​chair, or publicly listed treasurer on their website for years.” In addition, the letter states financial transparency ​remains elusive, with neither DeShields nor Gamble providing board members with a ​single financial report in 2023.

Burke explains that TDM was founded as a 501c3. An attorney advised a switch to a 501c6 the following year. “When we went to file, we learned the attorney apparently didn’t file them properly, and we are waiting for the IRS to reclassify,” says Burke. “We are awaiting a determination letter from the IRS and are 100 percent committed to financial transparency, and our tax returns are freely available.” TDM’s tax returns for 2021 and 2022 are available online.

Burke says the organization is financially solvent, but it’s important to remember it’s a start-up in its early stages. He recognizes that solid governance must be put in place as TDM becomes more established, so it is turning to the Association Governance Institute (AGI) for help. Launched by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), AGI is focused on navigating the complexities of governance. Achieving mission-related goals and maintaining transparency and trust with stakeholders are at the heart of AGI. 

In addition, the executive director role is being eliminated. A search committee is working on finding a new CEO.

At Friday’s board meeting, TDM’s 2024 officers and committee chairs were approved and include: 

• Chair – Adam Burke, President & CEO, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
• Vice Chair – Leah Smiley, President, The Society for Diversity & Institute for Diversity Certification
• Secretary – Lynette Montoya, President & CEO, Latino Hotel Association
• Treasurer – Stacy Ritter, President & CEO, Visit Lauderdale
• Governance Committee Chair – Sherrif Karamat, President & CEO, PCMA
• Finance Committee Chair – Stacy Ritter, President & CEO, Visit Lauderdale
• Search Committee Chair – Erika Broadwater, President & CEO, National Association of African Americans in Human Resources

Photo credit: WISE OWL MULTIMEDIA / Tourism Diversity Matters: The Collective Experience 2023

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