FITUR Woman, organised by FITUR in collaboration with Women Leading Tourism (WLT) and sponsored by Seville, is presented as a unique opportunity to discuss the role of women in the world of work in the tourism industry and to point out the key points that guarantee sustainable and inclusive tourism. The fourth edition of the section will take place within the framework of FITUR in Hall 10 of IFEMA MADRID.

With the help of national and international public and private sector leaders, this space will highlight aspects such as diversity, economic development, gender equality and female empowerment, which are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and help to strengthen this sector.

The section will include the participation of representatives from the governments of Quintana Roo, Puerto Rico and Peru to talk about the impact of tourism on female employment in Latin America, while diversity as a strategic lever and its tangible benefits will be the focus of debate in cities such as Valencia, Madrid and business associations.

 

In addition, the fourth edition of FITUR Woman, in line with its commitment to making female leadership visible, will feature business leaders from the Seville City Council who will share their experience and discuss their contribution to integration in the tourism value chain.

Three distinct blocks to guarantee an inclusive and sustainable future

FITUR Woman will focus on three aspects for the development of a more equitable tourism model in the field of employment: employment, diversity and sustainability.

Through the employment block, professionals will highlight the need to form inclusive teams in the workforce, based on the importance of minimising the prejudices present in selection processes, and will analyse the barriers that prevent the promotion of women and the strategies and good practices to reduce the gender gap in the workplace. This block will include the participation of national tourism companies from the world of aviation and hospitality.

The diversity block will focus on the development of equal opportunities for all. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of a culture of diversity, it will show how companies with diverse teams achieve better results and are more competitive. It will also highlight the importance of promoting women's participation at all levels, including management and leadership positions.

Finally, the third block will focus on sustainability, which will delve into the positive impact of committing to sustainable and inclusive tourism management and, in line with Spain's Sustainable Tourism Strategy 2030, will analyse the impact, challenges and trends of the pillars of sustainability in the sector: economic, environmental and social.

Women are increasingly present in society and in the performance of economic activities that contribute directly to the development of communities. An example of this is tourism, where, according to the World Tourism Organisation, women make up the majority of the workforce.

 

In the case of Seville, tourism is one of the activities with the highest contribution to GDP, close to 20%, and is key in the generation of direct and indirect jobs and in the economic, social and cultural development of the city, with a powerful multiplier effect on other industries.

"From Seville, we want to promote female leadership and promote true inclusion and equality of women in the tourism industry. To this end, in addition to tourism policies, we are developing projects that put women at the centre, such as the 'Woman Friendly Destination' seal, a quality label that focuses on the added value that Seville brings to women.

 

We are a city with exceptional safety conditions as endorsed by the seal awarded to us in 2021 by WLT awarded by Women Leading Tourism and we work every day to be an inclusive and safe destination for women, making our visitors feel part of the idiosyncrasy of the city thanks to the open and welcoming character that characterises the people of Seville," said Ángela Moreno, Tourism Delegate of the Seville City Council.

Agenda for FITUR Woman 2024

24th January

11:30 Reception

11:45 Welcome and opening address by the President of Women Leading Tourism

12:00 The impact of female employment in Latin America. The experience of public authorities

12:30 Seville, a successful case of integration. Business experiences in different segments

13:00 Panel I. Forming inclusive teams. The vision of companies

13:30 About diversity

13:35 Panel II. Diversity, a strategic lever with tangible benefits. The vision of cities

14:00 About sustainability

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14:05 Panel III Social Impact of Tourism

14:25 Institutional closing

Cocktail

The FITUR Woman section will become a meeting point during FITUR for professionals to share their best practices, knowledge and proposals for improvement to increase the presence and projection of women in the tourism sector.

About Women Leading Tourism

Women Leading Tourism promotes and encourages the inclusion of women in the highest corporate governance bodies in tourism and addresses the challenges resulting from the deficit of female presence in senior management in the tourism industry. It also aims to mentor a new generation of women who have an important role to play in the tourism sector.