Despite the significant contribution of women, who make up 54% of the global tourism workforce, there remains a persistent gender pay gap, coupled with a lack of representation in senior roles.

A recent Tourism Update poll also revealed that ‘a lack of female role models and mentors’ was voted joint second (alongside ‘gender stereotyping’) as the biggest barrier for women entering the tourism industry and securing leadership positions.

Nasreen Tisaker, who conducted a Master’s study titled ‘Investigating Barriers to Career Advancement for Women in the South African tourism sector’, found that women in the sector exhibited a strong desire to ascend to management and leadership positions.

“However, they lament the scarcity of female role models within the tourism and hospitality sectors. Access to mentors is perceived as crucial for career advancement, with mentorship programmes seen as instrumental in addressing workplace inequalities,” Tisaker told Tourism Update.

Efforts made to empower and advance women

Efforts are, however, being made across the industry to address this issue, with various organisations implementing initiatives to empower and advance women.

One notable example is the Khulanathi Leadership Development programme, a 12-month course designed to fast-track talented individuals into leadership roles and bridge the gender gap in the tourism sector.

Khulanathi, which means ‘grow with us’, affords candidates the opportunity to take on a five-month Management Development Programme, run through the University of Stellenbosch Business School Executive Development (Pty) Ltd.

Marriott International grants participants the required study leave, and provides full bursaries for the duration of the course. For the remaining months candidates take on an internal curriculum that includes formal education, cross-exposure and job shadowing. 

Its primary objective is to address the prevailing gender disparities by providing comprehensive training and educational opportunities to women.

Benjamin Memani, Marriott International Area Director of HR, Sub-Saharan Africa, highlights Khulanathi as a powerful tool for propelling female leadership forward. The programme extends its support by offering full bursaries for participants at the Stellenbosch Business School.

Khulanathi success stories

The success stories emerging from Khulanathi are inspiring narratives of resilience and achievement.

Jeanette Moloto, now Director of Global Sales, Sub-Saharan Africa and West Africa, began her journey with a Protea Hotels scholarship and has ascended to a global sales director role.

Talya French, Director of Lodging Development, joined Marriott in 2014, underscoring the importance of empowering women in hospitality, especially in the post-pandemic era.

Rowena Lakay, Director of Revenue Management, made a significant career transition from insurance to hospitality, earning acclaim for her leadership skills and commitment to mentoring diverse teams.

Local progress made

Progress has been made in South Africa’s tourism industry to support the development and empowerment of women in the tourism sector.

The National Department of Tourism, through its Women in Tourism (WiT) Programmes, aims for inclusion of women’s engagement within the tourism sector by addressing the skill gap through development programmes.

The platform recognised the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs who are often found at the bottom end of the tourism economic value chain, and identified interventions that would assist in realising the WiT agenda.

Its focus areas include personal development, supporting women to develop a competitive advantage in their businesses, and provision of capacity-building initiatives.

Click here to read more on the local progress that has been made thus far, and here for the challenges that still exist for women in the tourism industry.