Webinar and resources: How Airbnb and Intrepid are empowering women through Indian Ocean tourism

An IORA-UN Women webinar on 28 May 2021 showcased how Airbnb and Intrepid are taking proactive steps to empower women in Indian Ocean tourism to access economic opportunity, and help communities #buildbackbetter from COVID-19. 

It is estimated that women comprise the majority of the global tourism workforce (54%). This trend is also evident in the Indian Ocean Rim region. Unfortunately, women in this sector have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, given their majority in the workforce and the fact that they are often concentrated in low-skilled or informal work with less access to social protection. Nevertheless, the sector continues to offer significant potential for advancing women’s economic empowerment.

This webinar showcased best practices amongst companies in the tourism sector in the Indian Ocean Rim region in promoting women's economic empowerment and gender equality. Guest speakers included Velma Corcoran, Regional Lead for Middle East Africa at Airbnb in South Africa and Sara King, the General Manager of Purpose at Intrepid Travel in Australia.

Resources on women’s empowerment in tourism

1. Webinar recording. A recording of this webinar is available here.

2. Training resources and recordings. The webinar summarised training materials and recommendations provided in earlier virtual training on women in tourism, available here. 

This webinar is part of the Australian Government funded project on Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Indian Ocean Rim, and in collaboration with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), UN Women is producing a series of webinars on the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). The WEPs are a set of seven principles that offer guidance to businesses on how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community. Read more about the project here.

The full list of activities under the IORA-UN Women partnership, supported by the Government of Australia, is available here.

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