Travel and hospitality experts say pandemic-battered businesses are increasingly recognizing a longstanding blindspot that if addressed could help them rebound this summer: the BIPOC traveller.
Interest in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives has exploded over the past year or so among operators keen to repair relationships and expand their reach, says the head of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, which launched monthly webinars in January for those eager to better welcome visitors who are Black, Indigenous and other people of colour.
91裸聊视频淧eople are starting to ask questions and people are starting to say: What can we do better? How can we be better on this?91裸聊视频� says TIAO president Christopher Bloore.
91裸聊视频淎nd I91裸聊视频檓 seeing that not just on an association level like us, but I91裸聊视频檓 seeing individual businesses put together their own DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) packages, or bring in experts or consultants to help them build their businesses to make their workplaces more inclusive.91裸聊视频�
Oakville, Ont.-travel agent and consultant Shalene Dudley points to shifting travel patterns that emerged after pandemic measures closed airports. Unable to hop on a plane, more city dwellers hit the road to explore the charms of their rural surroundings, she says.
In some cases, that brought BIPOC travellers into relatively homogenous communities unaccustomed to catering to a diverse clientele, giving rise to misunderstandings, and racially charged conflicts, Dudley says.
She co-founded the group Let91裸聊视频檚 Get Uncomfortable to address equity issues in the travel and tourism industry, and co-founder Britney Hope pointed to multiple Ontario counties that have requested anti-Black and anti-racism training ahead of tourist season.
91裸聊视频淭here are destinations now that are, as a result of COVID, seeing way more Black, Indigenous, people of colour coming into their communities to enjoy their spaces, and they91裸聊视频檙e not prepared,91裸聊视频� says Hope.
91裸聊视频淭hey91裸聊视频檙e not prepared to be a safe space for these groups, they are not prepared to welcome them in a way that makes them feel welcome. It goes way beyond meeting cultural needs.91裸聊视频�
Prince Edward County resident Judith Burfoot recalls a general flood of day trippers descending on her southern Ontario community after pandemic restrictions closed airports, overrunning an already popular provincial park and raising the ire of some locals alarmed by litter and sanitation issues.
If there were dust-ups between residents and visitors, it would be unfair to pin it solely on bigotry, she says.
Burfoot, who is Black and moved to the county 12 years ago from Toronto, doesn91裸聊视频檛 believe rural residents are any less tolerant than urban residents: 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e certainly had racist garbage happen to me in Toronto,91裸聊视频� she says.
But experiencing racism in a small town with few other BIPOC residents is a different feeling than experiencing it in a city where 91裸聊视频渢here91裸聊视频檚 hundreds of (people like) you,91裸聊视频� she says.
The COVID-19 pandemic seemed to bring out the worst in people, she adds, noting she heard accounts of county residents of Asian descent being told they caused the virus and to 91裸聊视频済o back home.91裸聊视频�
She founded the group All Welcome Here in 2019 to help BIPOC residents connect and network, and in June 2020 they held a Black Lives Matter demonstration after George Floyd91裸聊视频檚 murder. The largely white community displayed a strong willingness to address racism.
91裸聊视频淧icton is a town of 4,000 people. And our OPP stopped counting after 1,000 people on Main Street. They just couldn91裸聊视频檛 count anymore,91裸聊视频� says Burfoot.
91裸聊视频淥ur Main Street was full of people and again, our community is 95 per cent white and they are the people that came out.91裸聊视频�
The head of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada says she91裸聊视频檚 seen a significant push towards diversifying the workforce, a key step to addressing labour equity and improving service.
91裸聊视频淭his is where the big shift is happening within the tourism industry,91裸聊视频� says president Beth Potter.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e always welcomed all the visitors but now it91裸聊视频檚 a matter of making sure that the visitors see themselves within our workforce as well.91裸聊视频�
Representation has long been an issue in the tourism sector, says the founder of Vancouver-based consulting group Black in Hospitality.
Tolu Aladejebi says she started her organization when she noticed relatively few Black people in hotel management, and the impact that seemed to have on some visitors.
91裸聊视频淚f I91裸聊视频檓 welcoming a Black traveller, they would specifically wait for me to check them in, or wait to even just say, 91裸聊视频楬ello,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� says Aladejebi, who has about 14 years of hospitality experience.
91裸聊视频淎 lot of organizers just need to recognize that representation really does matter, and really does go a long way.91裸聊视频�
That includes making BIPOC staff feel safe and supported, especially if they report being subjected to racism themselves while on the job, she adds.
Recognizing that many outlets are also grappling with a labour shortage and soaring inflation, observers point to various ways operators can address diversity goals.
Aside from hiring and fairly compensating experts for advice, Hope urges honest personal reflection, actively practicing allyship and assessing whether local information shared with visitors acknowledges Indigenous neighbours and history.
Potter touts the benefits of featuring models from different ethnic backgrounds in marketing campaigns, while Aladejebi suggests choosing Black-owned businesses to source housekeeping products or promoting BIPOC wines, spirits and chefs to guests.
91裸聊视频淛ust aside from treating people how you want to be treated, you91裸聊视频檙e missing out on a huge chunk of the pie when you don91裸聊视频檛 create a safe and inclusive space for BIPOC travellers,91裸聊视频� says Aladejebi.
91裸聊视频擟assandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press
