CONTINUED FROM BACK COVER
although he felt empowered as a gay person working in the travel industry, he had heard from many others who did not feel as able to express their true selves in the workplace. He quoted from an email he had
received from an anonymous senior travel professional after Travel Weekly published an article he wrote in April entitled ‘Why a tolerant workplace is a better environment to do business’. It read: “I wanted to congratulate you on speaking up on behalf of the gay community. As you can see, I am a senior travel professional, but haven’t been able to come out to my colleagues at work. “You mention that the travel industry is leaps and bounds ahead of other industries when it comes to embracing diversity. Is it really, or is it still dominated by alpha, beer-drinking, football-playing males? “I applaud your courage for standing
up for what you believe in, but spare a thought for those of us not so lucky to work in forward-thinking organisations such as yours.
“I hope this is the beginning of something new for this industry.” Altham said he had been carrying out coaching sessions with some of the people who contacted him. “My article was really driven by
wanting to celebrate what I believe is a great industry for gay people to work in,” he said.
“I think this should be a wake-up call to
everybody that there are still people who struggle in the workplace.” Matthew Todd, editor of Attitude,
Europe’s largest gay-lifestyle magazine, added: “I think it’s one of those industries where people presume, because it looks so gay-friendly, with so many gay people working in it, that everything is cool.”
Anderson and Altham agreed that
creating an inclusive environment at work could make a company more successful. “It’s not about a political or any sort of personal view,” said Altham. “Business leaders should want their
staff to be comfortable regardless of race, gender, ethnic background or anything else. “We’ve all got a responsibility as business leaders to ensure people come to work and they’re happy at work, because essentially that will help the bottom line.” ❯ Business Breakfast photos, page 68
70 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 25 June 2015
ELDERLY PEOPLE: ‘A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR A SPECIALIST’
There is a “huge” opportunity in the market for a tour operator specialising in providing for elderly people, according to the managing director of Enable Holidays. Lynne Kirby said elderly people “sit between disabled people and the under-50s”. Fiona Jeffery, who is a member of the UN
world ethics committee for tourism, asked the panel how tour operators were dealing with the UK’s ageing population. “I try to incorporate the elderly market into
our offering,” replied Kirby. “I did a presentation at one of our senior-living local homes. There were all these people with walking frames and sticks, but they were saying: ‘We don’t need you, we’re not disabled’.
travelweekly businessbreakfast EQUALITY IN TRAVEL: Operators and hotels are urged to improve h
MARKETING: BROCHURE IMAGES NEED TO BE MORE REPRESENTATIVE OF UK POPULATION
Marketing in the travel industry needs to be more representative of the British population and business leaders should challenge those who claim they do not want to ‘alienate core audiences’.
Simon Altham, managing director of Hoseasons, said the imagery used to market travel companies was largely “still very white, middle-class families”.
“That’s something that a lot of businesses
are missing out on in terms of representing what is a very diverse society, and how that then relates to brand authenticity,” he added. Altham described as “impactful” an experience recently when a black family told
Simon Altham
him they booked with Hoseasons because they saw black families photographed in the company’s brochures. “We have got to work hard on ensuring our
marketing is reflective of Britain,” he said. “When I see a company like Sky Television
representing a mixed-race family or a black family, it makes me feel that the brand is inclusive, and I want to buy from that brand.” He continued: “What I hear from marketing
professionals across the industry is ‘we don’t want to alienate our core audience’. “The brave organisations need to turn round
and say ‘if someone is going to be put off by the fact we have a black family in our brochure, or our new TV advert has a gay couple walking on a beach, then I don’t want those customers’.” Matthew Todd, editor of Attitude magazine, applauded Virgin Holidays’ work in this field. “They sponsor our awards and have sent a message to our readership, as do other brands that advertise in the gay press, that they’re inclusive,” he said. “There’s nothing against families. It’s just
showing the country as it is and reflecting that.”
Altham questioned the definition of a family. “Within the travel industry, we all need to recognise that families are changing,” he said.
“It is a difficult one but there is a huge opportunity for anybody looking to provide that specialism. “It is again about designing your marketing so it doesn’t make them feel that they are not able to look after themselves – looking after them behind the scenes.”
Lynne Kirby
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