Gender Equality - The Foundation for Sustainable Tourism
According to the global economic model, tourism is a service industry with a high proportion of female workers. In many countries, women account for 50-55% of the workforce in the industry, especially concentrated in front-line jobs such as reception, housekeeping, restaurant service, souvenir sales, customer care or spa services. They are the ones who create direct experiences for tourists every day. However, there is a paradox: although there are many women present in the operational line, they are much less present in decision-making, management, product planning, finance or strategy positions. The gender gap in “leadership - service positions” reflects an inherent structure of the global tourism industry: women take on more service roles, while men have a high proportion of executive roles.
In Vietnam, many surveys by UN Women, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the World Bank have noted that women in Vietnam tourism are concentrated in simple, low-income jobs that require little digital or foreign language skills and often lack advanced training opportunities. Even in community tourism models, women's decision-making power is still very limited. In the Northwest, Central Highlands or South Central Coast, women contribute greatly to community activities, such as brocade weaving, cooking, homestays, cultural storytelling, experience guides... but they rarely appear in the management and strategy building stages. In cultural tourism products, we can see many successful tourism models based on "soft values" created by women such as traditional culinary spaces, indigenous crafts, performing arts, family cultural stories, indigenous knowledge about nature. Many green homestays in Moc Chau, Sa Pa, Cat Cat, Hoi An or the Central Highlands are operated by local women, with meticulousness, harmony with nature and authenticity - factors that international tourists highly appreciate.
International organizations affirm that when women are involved in the design and decision-making process, tourism products are often more humane, more unique and more sustainable. Women have a deep understanding of community life, how to preserve culture, lifestyles and intangible values that today's tourists are especially looking for. They are also good community connectors, take care of detailed experiences and are more flexible in dealing with tourists. Therefore, enhancing the role of women, not only as service providers, but also as product creators and decision-makers, is the "key" for Vietnam's tourism to develop in a more civilized, quality and sustainable direction.
Gender Safety - A Prerequisite for Women to Participate in Tourism
One of the less mentioned but crucial pillars for the sustainable development of the tourism industry is gender safety. This is not only the concept of protecting women from the risk of harassment or violence, but also the conditions for female tourists and female workers to be able to confidently move, explore, work and develop their careers in the service - tourism industry. In many countries, women still face the risk of harassment in public spaces, hotels, transportation, or when working in positions that require shift work or night work. These risks, if left unchecked, will significantly reduce the level of participation of women in the tourism labor market.
The tourism industry is only truly equal when women can travel and work without fear of threats or harm; requiring accommodation establishments, travel companies, destinations and local authorities to have a clear system of safety regulations, incident handling procedures, camera monitoring, staff training to identify and prevent harassment. Many international models have proven effective such as Japan has train cars reserved for women during rush hour; South Korea deploys a rapid response system for night travel; Europe recommends the model of "Safe Tourism Zones" for female travelers traveling alone.
In Vietnam, this issue has begun to receive more attention in recent years. Along with the completion of the legal framework on tourism safety, many localities have taken the lead in building destinations that are friendly to women and children. Typically, Da Nang, Hoi An, Sa Pa and Quang Ninh have all implemented the model of "safe - friendly tourism for women and children", focusing on important pillars. These are improving the capacity of service staff, building civilized codes of conduct at destinations, increasing public lighting and security cameras, building safe streets for pedestrians, and improving accommodation standards according to gender-friendly criteria. These efforts not only help create a safer environment for women, but also improve the quality of destinations, increasing the satisfaction of international tourists when the need for safety and equality is gradually becoming the main criteria for choosing a place to travel.
Vietnam tourism is shifting towards “inclusiveness”
Over the past decade, “inclusive tourism” has become a major international trend, especially supported and promoted by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Notably, tourism must create livelihoods for disadvantaged communities, including women, the poor, and ethnic minorities. Although influenced by international trends, Vietnamese tourism still has its own characteristics, especially in transforming governance models and enhancing the role of women in the local tourism economy.
In fact, the “inclusive tourism” model is gradually being properly recognized. Evidence is provided by projects supporting livelihoods for Mong, Dao, Ede women through developing homestays and indigenous products. Many provinces have implemented digital skills training programs for women working in tourism. Non-governmental organizations support women to start businesses in the green tourism supply chain. These programs not only help women increase their income but also expand their participation in community decision-making processes.
Technology is also opening up unprecedented opportunities for women in the tourism business. Women who run homestays can manage their own bookings, payments, and customer feedback without the need for intermediaries. Platforms like Airbnb, Booking, Facebook, and TikTok enable women to directly introduce their products to international markets. Online learning tools help them master marketing, customer service, and financial management. This “decentralization” helps women in remote areas access the market on par with large businesses – something they could hardly do before.
In addition, the trend of green and sustainable tourism, emission reduction and cultural preservation is also opening up new spaces for women. In many regions of Vietnam, women are the ones who maintain traditional handicrafts, produce clean agricultural products for tourism, preserve local cuisine, and manage small and medium-sized community tourism models. Empowering women can help them benefit more from these trends and at the same time motivate them to contribute more.
Beyond just a social issue, gender equality brings tangible economic benefits. UNWTO research shows that tourism businesses with women in leadership tend to have more consistent service quality and higher visitor satisfaction. Businesses with gender diversity on their boards are more likely to increase profits than those with a purely male or female leadership.
Source: https://baophapluat.vn/thuc-day-xu-huong-du-lich-binh-dang-gioi.html
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