Behind every job in Travel & Tourism, there is a face, a story, a family and sometimes a whole community’s livelihood.
Share your story:
#ONEin330million
When the COVID-19 pandemic finally hit the island, I remember thinking it would all be gone by August. When reality hit and I had to begin the formal process of terminating 95% of employees, I realised this was far beyond any stretch of my imagination.
Jamilia A Samuel, General Manager at Romney Manor, St Kitts.
I have always wanted to meet people from all over the world, to be able to tell stories, to show my hometown Bellagio and the surroundings and to share my passion for all that is local, traditional, and our culture.
Rita Annunziata, IC Bellagio, Lake Como Head Guide
In 2019, Travel & Tourism supported 330 million jobs globally.
COVID-19 changed everything.
This is a diverse, inclusive and vibrant workforce - many of whom are women* (almost 50%), young people* (up to 30%), minorities, the LGBTQ communities and people with disabilities. We want to share the stories of the people and communities behind the data. Your support and solidarity are needed now more than ever before because a job in Travel & Tourism is so much more than just a job.
Finally, the industry as a whole has acknowledged the importance of sustainability and associated the use of clean mechanisms in Tourism growth.
Paras Loomba, Founder, Global Himalayan Expedition
“We raise funds for our community projects via our tours. Somehow, we are managing to keep our community projects running at the moment, though many of us have lost our jobs.”
Krishna Pujari, Reality Tours & Travel, Mumbai, India
“Due to the virus, we haven’t had tours since March so we have no income. Some of our husbands also work in tourism and they have lost their jobs as well.”
Virginia Huaman, Comunidad de Huilloc Alto, Cooperativa de Turismo Sostenible Puskaritika
“My job has taught me to live and make the people who visit us live, to enjoy and value our forest, waterfalls, all the nature that we have in the communities in Oaxaca and Mexico and mainly to appreciate and value our people.”
María García Santiago, Expediciones Sierra Norte Pueblos Mancomunados, Oaxaca, Mexico
“Unfortunately, COVID-19 has hit both my industries and myself very hard. There is a reliance on the interaction of people and the coming together to share in a creative moment that has not been possible in 2020.”
Chris Blackburn, London, UK