Tourism for Inclusive Growth
September 28, 2021 – An international panel of industry leaders discussed the theme of Tourism for Inclusive Growth as part of World Tourism Day. The virtual discussion highlighted how tourism should and will be available for everyone to enjoy. The webinar, hosted by Capilano University’s School of Tourism Management and its student associations, PATA Canada Vancouver Student Chapter and the Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Student Association (TRECSA) attracted nearly 150 attendees during the session.
World Tourism Day 2021 is a day to focus on Tourism for Inclusive Growth. Four industry experts from different backgrounds shared their experiences and thoughts on inclusivity in tourism. A variety of personal experiences and best practices pursued by their companies were discussed and evolved around this year’s theme – inclusive growth. The theme “celebrate tourism’s unique ability to ensure that nobody is left behind as the world begins to open up again and look to the future.” (UNWTO.org). With the industry starting to recover from the massive social and economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is essential to ensure that everyone widely and fairly benefits from this recovery and growth.
Panelists included Mary Point (Manager of Indigenous Relations at Vancouver International Airport), Kendall Clancy (Hotel Operations Leader with Fairmont Hotel Vancouver), Rick Hurlbut (LGBTQ+ Travel Consultant), and Judy Kasiama (Founder of Colour the Trails).
The panelists shared their real-world experience with insightful perspectives stemming from the connections forged from years of working in the industry. Particularly, Mary Point stated that inclusion is the sense of belonging; therefore, tourism activities should be designed and built based on the question of “how to bring everyone to this event?”. Judy Kasiama agreed on this opinion as she shared “Colour the Trails was meant to promote diversity by listening and working with the community, to deliver the sense of belonging to everyone.” Rick and Kendall also commented that “one of the best ways to spread a sense of belonging to the community is being able to listen to their narrative.” Judy added how “people need to be uncomfortable with the discomfort and be able to reclaim themselves.”
Attendees also learned from the panel discussion about a new trend in tourism where people want to learn and connect with the land now more than ever. Mary shared that “Indigenous tourism was the fastest-growing sector before the event of Covid-19. Therefore, now that the industry is starting to pick up again, everyone believes that getting tourists involved in this new trend will generate many immersive values.”
Students and attendees were then able to ask direct questions to the panelists through the Q&A session. The event has successfully honored the 2021 World Tourism Day. Capilano University students, as well as guests, valued the chance to engage in insightful tourism-related discussions.
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About PATA Canada Vancouver Capilano University Student Chapter
The School of Tourism Management Capilano University has been a leader in tourism education for more than 40 years and supports the PATA Canada Vancouver Student Chapter and Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Student Association (TRECSA) student groups in engaging with a broad range of initiatives that build student networks, leadership, community, and global citizenship.
Learn more about PATA Canada Vancouver Capilano University Student Chapter
School of Tourism Management: www.capilanou.ca/tourism
PATA Canada Vancouver Student Chapter: www.patacapu.com
To learn more about TRECSA and PATA, visit our social media pages:
@capu.trecsa and @pata.capu.studentchapter
For more information, please contact:
Capilano University School of Tourism Management
Student Associations (TRECSA and PATA)
Director of Communications: Gia Minh Phan giaphan@my.capilanou.ca