Destinations International Announces DEI Pilot Program

Destinations International has created a diversity, equity and inclusion program, called "Tourism for All," in partnership with the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau in Virginia and Tripadvisor. The initiative is designed to help CVBs be more inclusive to both visitors and tourism businesses. 

"Tourism for All" will focus on engaging an array of community members and tourism professionals and businesses within Charlottesville, Va.; developing materials that tell the stories of historically excluded populations; and educating businesses on how to participate in and benefit from the tourism industry.

Studies have highlighted the economic benefit in having a diverse demographic of visitors: Black travelers spent nearly $130 billion on travel in 2019, and Hispanic travelers spent $113 billion. People with disabilities — who accounted for 25 percent of people in the United States in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control Prevention — spend $95 billion on travel annually, an amount that is expected to grow as destinations become more accessible.

The Charlottesville Albemarle CVB began addressing DEI when executive director Courtney Cacatian joined the organization in 2019, just two years after racial violence put the destination in the headlines.

"I'm so pleased to see our community's work over the past couple of years be formalized into a usable model for other destinations," Cacatian said. "Building on the success of our Destiny Award-winning 'Discover Black Cville' and 'Tourism for All' efforts, I look forward to seeing how broadening our scope of creating a welcoming space for everyone will bring positive impact to our community, residents, businesses and visitors."

To help both the CVB and the community as a whole, Cacatian turned to Talia Salem, a tourism marketing strategist, and Sophia Hyder Hock, a former DEI consultant and now Destination International's chief diversity officer. 

"DI is committed to bringing intentional DEI practices to destinations around the world," said Hyder Hock. "What sets this initiative apart is its focus on destination and partner accountability. This work is essential to our roles as CVBs and building trust in our communities."

The team has partnered with Tripadvisor to track metrics by identifying trends among participating tourism partners and DEI terms within traveler-generated content.

"Everyone should be able to travel anywhere and have an enjoyable travel experience. However, our studies with MMGY Global focusing on Black and Hispanic travelers, and travelers with mobility issues, highlight a commonality: Our industry has more work to do," said Steven Paganelli, Tripadvisor's director of destinations, hotels and OTAs in the Americas. "The program will rely on actual user testimonials through both reviews and discussions within Tripadvisor's forums to track how service levels for underserved travelers change and improve as a result of 'Tourism for All.'"

The pilot program will first take place in Charlottesville and then will be launched in early 2024 to all destination organizations that are interested in participating.