The challenges of a speedy recovery

Destinations International’s president and CEO Don Welsh (pictured below) shares his future development vision, with an accent on job opportunity Regenerative travel along with social, environmental and governance standards are beginning to become a priority globally. We expect these efforts to continue to grow along with sharing best practices. Our work with our European Pathfinders Programme is uncovering the key areas of importance when it comes to the role of the convention bureau. Our community has a global commitment to be part of the solution when it comes to creating sustainable, safe and livable destinations. Of the many fluid challenges destination organisations are facing around the world, workforce development is one that we are seeing leaders increasingly faced across the industry. Changing and challenging economic times are forcing good employees to seek new positions. Finding new ways to retain the best talent is always top of mind for the entire hospitality industry. And as we continue to see recovery in the meetings and events segments and the initial return of the business traveller, further demands will be placed on hotels, restaurants, attractions and other venues that make up the tourism sector. During our Marketing and Communications Summit in Norfolk, VA, USA, we hosted a workshop with 250 marketing and communications leaders where we discussed recruitment opportunities from inside and outside the industry. It was noted that there are over two million available job opportunities within our industry just within the United States alone according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics January employment report. Attracting talent and keeping them engaged in the industry is something many destination leaders say keeps them up at night. In destinations where workforce challenges are throttling recovery, destination organisations are introducing programmes to attract workers and help fill vacancies. Some destination organisations have introduced job portals for their local partners, held job fairs for the tourism industry, or developed partnerships with local universities to provide career training for job seekers. At Destinations International, the global trade association for convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) and tourism boards, we are committed to investing in and preparing the leaders of tomorrow and developing future industry leaders that represent a diverse set of backgrounds and perspectives. We continue to educate our members on best practices for workforce development and also provide opportunities through our 30 Under 30 Programme which brings young industry leaders together for education and increased thought leadership throughout the year. Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Studies on Destination Organisations highlight the need to cultivate underrepresented identities into leadership roles. We recognise that underrepresented students have many barriers to enrolling, attending, and graduating from college or universities. Student loans pose another obstacle to gaining financial security after graduation. Because of these challenges, we have partnered with our members and partners on our Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Scholarship Initiative. The vision for this scholarship is to strengthen our workforce by providing financial support and apprenticeship opportunities. We look forward to continuing to raise critical funds for these scholarship opportunities and look forward to announcing the scholarship winners at our Annual Convention in Dallas, Texas, USA 18-20 July, 2023. For more information visit destinationsinternational.org