NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 8 – As the world marks International Women’s Day, Capital Business sort to find out the place of women in Kenya’s tourism industry.
The industry remains one of Kenya’s top foreign exchange earners, with revenues rising by 83 per cent in 2022 to Sh268.09 billion, compared to Sh146.51 billion in 2021, amid an ongoing rebound.
The Ministry of Tourism attributed the improved performance to the ongoing global recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and government marketing efforts in the international market, among other factors.
Capital Business spoke to Farzana Zahir, the Group Sales and Marketing Director of PrideInn Hotels, Resorts and Camps, to find out the contribution of women in the country’s critical sector.
What is the state of women in tourism?
The Tourism industry is one of the few sectors around the world that really supports the empowerment of women. Data by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) shows that the industry hires more women than men.
A recent finding by UNWTO shows that women account for 54 per cent of employees in the sector globally, compared to 46 per cent of men. Additional data by the International Labour Organization found that women make up between 60-70 per cent of the labour force in the hotel sector, though significant regional variation exists.
The Global Report on Women in Tourism found that the percentage of women employed by tourism is 69 per cent in Africa.
What is the case at PrideInn Hotels, Resorts and Camps?
I am happy to note that the statistics are encouraging at PrideInn. We hire more women than men, with women accounting for 58 per cent of the workforce.
PrideInn is conscious of the contribution of women in society, which makes it really important to have more women in the company. Hiring more women also means that we can support hundreds of families through these women.
How about top management levels at PrideInn?
PrideInn is working hard towards bridging the gender gap in the workplace. By hiring more women in the company, we are ensuring that they remain empowered to also take up top leadership positions.
Through the kind of opportunities that we offer our staff, we have women in key positions that include the corporate communications docket, as well as the legal advisory position among many others.
What should the government do to support the role of women in tourism?
It is commendable to see the work that the government is doing to support women in this industry. As you are aware, the new Cabinet Secretary of Tourism and Wildlife Peninah Malonza is a woman. Women are also holding some key positions currently, including in the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) where the Chairperson, Joanne Mwangi-Yelbert is a woman. This, in my opinion, is great progress.
How else should the government support women in the sector?
There are several ways that the government could support women in the sector. For starters, the government should create a conducive environment to allow women to work in the sector. UNWTO data shows that tourism has almost twice as many women employers in the sector. The case is likely the same in Kenya. By offering an environment that supports work, they will be able to do more in the sector. By creating a conducive legal environment for women’s entrepreneurship, the performance of the tourism sector and the broader economy will significantly improve.
The government should also support the sector by offering policies that allow equal pay. According to the Global Report on Women in Tourism, despite women taking up more employment numbers, they are paid 14.7 per cent less than men in the industry.
The government should also implement strategies that promote decent work for women across all aspects of the tourism sector in the country. It should also develop skills and leadership training for women in the sector, as well as gender equality training programmes for tourism representatives in the public and private sectors.
Why is it beneficial to have women in leadership in the tourism sector?
Seeing that women make up the majority of the workforce in the tourism sector, it only makes sense to also include them in top leadership positions as they understand first-hand how the sector works.
Studies have also shown that greater gender diversity on the senior executive team leads to higher performance of the company. A study by McKinsey & Company done in the UK found that for every 10 per cent increase in gender diversity, earnings before interest and taxes rose by a glaring 3.5 per cent.
From this data, we can uncover that women leaders have a key measurable impact on an organisation’s bottom line and the case is not different for the tourism sector.
