One week into Pride Month 2022 and new data from a poll of 229 European travel managers conducted by Business Travel Show Europe has revealed that two thirds (66 per cent) of travel programmes do not provide special consideration for LGBTQ+ travellers.
Over one quarter (26 per cent) of programmes do make provision for the LGBTQ+ community and a further 8 per cent plan to before the year is out but, when compared to other historically underrepresented groups, the LGBTQ+ community is the least well provided for.
| Has your travel policy/programme been built with special consideration for the following travellers? | ||||
| Yes | No | We plan to this year | It’s too expensive | |
| LGBTQ+ | 26 | 66 | 8 | 0 |
| Solo women | 42 | 51 | 8 | 0 |
| Marginalised communities (faith, race, religion) | 31 | 62 | 7 | 0 |
| People with accessibility requirements | 47 | 41 | 10 | 1 1 |
| Younger people | 30 | 65 | 3 | 1 1 |
| Older people | 31 | 61 | 8 | 0 |
“According to the ONS, an estimated 2.7% of British people over 16 identified as LGB in 2019, an increase of 2.2% year on year. It’s estimated a further 200,000-500,000 people in the UK are trans. Yet, these communities are subject to a disproportionate amount of abuse and hate crime,” said BTN Group Executive Vice President Louis Magliaro.
“Last month, Asher & Lyric Fergusson conducted 350 hours of research to create the LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index, which rates the best and worst 203 countries for LGBTQ+ travel in 2022. Many African, Middle Eastern and Caribbean countries feature among the worst, but you may be shocked to see the United States rates just 24th. This is why it’s so important that any company with travellers among the LGBTQ+ community is proactively protecting them and ensuring their duty of care for every second they are travelling under their watch.”
Business Travel Show Europe is hosting a masterclass – open to all – called Making diversity, equity and inclusion a reality in business travel. It runs Thursday 30 June at 11:30 and will be hosted by Carol Fergus, Director of Global Travel, Events and Ground Transportation – Fidelity International, and Steve Geneux, General Manager/Vice President Account Management & Operations – BCD Travel.
“DEI is finally getting the attention it needs in corporate travel and now there are some fantastic examples of buyers and suppliers working together to achieve real change,” added Magliaro.
“In this highly interactive session, let’s share what we can all do to make travel management professionals more diverse, plug talent gaps in the supply chain, and do right by our travellers from diverse backgrounds.”
Business Travel Show Europe takes place between 29-30 June 2022 at ExCeL London with complimentary entry, conference programme and networking opportunities to qualified travel managers, buyers and bookers. The hosted buyer programme is also accepting applications.
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