CANCUN -- The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) closed its 2021 Global Summit Tuesday with a commitment to work toward women's equality and boost female representation in leadership roles in the industry.
"As the first female president and CEO of WTTC, it is an honor to champion this important initiative," WTTC head Gloria Guevara said.
Gloria Guevara
While women make up 54% of the industry's workforce, "globally, women have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, which has exacerbated the pay gap, the opportunity gap and the shocking lack of senior positions and leadership roles across the travel and tourism sector," Guevara said. "This needs to be changed."
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Tennis star Martina Navratilova joined the closing event to launch the women empowerment initiative.
"Women have always had to outperform men, and whilst things are changing for the better, it is still a fight and a constant battle," Navratilova said.
In closing the event, Guevara also announced that the WTTC, which over the past three days hosted the first major global gathering of travel leaders since the start of the pandemic, plans to hold next year's global summit in the Philippines.
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