industry come from such similar backgrounds. We need new people in the industry to lead and inspire, bringing increasingly rich experiences into play.” This year, social enterprise
Women in Travel CIC added a category to its annual awards event to recognise the businesses and individuals that have made progress in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). But Women in Travel founder and managing director Alessandra Alonso says the travel industry is still “woefully underprepared” when it comes to catering for the needs of neurodivergent staff, and a greater focus must be put on harnessing the amazing skills and abilities neurodivergent candidates can offer. She says: “Neurodivergent
people are often very creative, out-of-the-box thinkers, so there is a fantastic opportunity for the industry to utilise those qualities, and it’s important for employers to value and highlight them.”
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AI is increasingly present in our day-to-day lives, with more and more companies implementing new technologies every day. High street agency Barrhead
Travel, which employs more than 500 people, has incorporated AI within its telephone system. The move aims to improve the company’s customer-facing
takeoffintravel.co.uk
and back-office functions, as well as offering a way to better direct customer enquiries to agents with the relevant expertise to help them. Barrhead isn’t the only company using AI to help save time. Expedia has launched a travel planning service powered by ChatGPT, enabling users to start a conversation to get recommendations about places to go, where to stay and what to see and do. Any hotels mentioned in the chat are automatically saved to make it easier for users to pick dates and add on flights, car hire and activities. Tui also uses ChatGPT on its mobile app, and is training its employees on how to work with the new systems. AI is even being used to
protect travel workers. Hays Travel, the UK agency with the most high street stores, uses AI to safeguard its apprentices by identifying key words that might indicate a problem. It could be easy to think AI might pose a threat to jobs in the future, but experts are convinced technological advancements will in fact lead to further employment in the travel sector. Simon Ferguson, senior vice-president at tech company collective Modaxo, says: “History has shown that technology creates more jobs than it destroys.” For those coming into the industry, there’s no doubt it will shape the way we work.
PHIL THEBRIDGE is a champion of accessible tourism and recently graduated with a master’s degree in aviation management at University College Birmingham. He also earnt recognition from the Institute of Travel & Tourism
as part of its Future You programme. Here he tells us about accessibility in the travel industry.
Q. How accessible is the travel industry for someone with a disability? A. The travel industry as a whole isn’t accessible yet. Having said that, parts of the sector, such as airports, airlines and visitor attractions, are increasingly consulting with travellers with disabilities to make their facilities and services more accessible, and specialist tour operators continue to provide holiday offerings to specific impairment types.
Q. How can the industry be fully accessible? A. The real global challenge for the industry is trying to make the infrastructure across all parts of the tourist’s journey accessible – from ground transport to transport hubs and then the destination itself. In my opinion, the industry can only be accessible if all tourism providers take action across all facilities and operations to make them more welcoming to the varied needs tourists with disabilities have.
Q. What advice would you give someone with a disability considering a career in the travel industry? A. The travel industry is huge, with a diverse range of roles across the world, so you should definitely find a role that fits your career aspirations, alongside your everyday experience of living with your disability. These opportunities are sometimes hard to find and often involve proactively networking and looking for them – but they are out there, so don’t give up!
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