State of Women in Tourism and Hospitality in Tasmania report

In 2021, I was awarded the inaugural Women in Tourism and Hospitality (WITH) scholarship to complete the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Company Director Course. It was an honour and a privielge to be trusted by WITH to make the most of the opportunity and improve representation of women in our industry.

One thing I realised in this process was that although we know women are not represented at the very top end of the tourism industry (even though they are overrepresented in it generally), we don’t really know why or how to best change this situation in Tasmania.

It has been proven in research across many industries that diversity in leadership is critical for resilience and effectiveness. As we head into this period of renewal for the industry at a global scale, we have the opportunity to revisit our basic assumptions about how the industry is shaped. What better time to question the strucutre of the industry and how we can increase diversity?

My sphere is bursting with inspiring, loving and delightful humans, male and female. I have had the pleasure of partnering with some of them through WITH to develop a project aimed at better understanding the state of women in tourism and hospitality in Tasmania. This is aimed at providing a platform of solid data for WITH, Tourism Industry Council Tasmania (TICT) and the Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA) as well as other leaders in the industry (such as Tourism Tasmania and the Regional Tourism Organisations) to argue for real change in our state, with the aim of building real resilience and strength.