2020 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Study on Destination Organizations
At a glance
- Destinations International collected baseline data from 718 respondents across member organizations in August 2020.
- Study examined demographics including age, gender, title, racial ethnicity, sexual identity, religion, ability and military veteran status.
- Nearly 20 statements assessed how destination organizations embrace equity, diversity and inclusion principles.
- First comprehensive benchmarking of diversity across destination organization board and executive leadership conducted in 2019.
What the report covers
Destinations International's 2020 study establishes baseline workforce demographics and EDI perceptions across its member destination organizations globally. Building on 2019 board and executive leadership analysis, the August 2020 survey gathered direct responses from 718 individuals to document overall staff demographics and attitudes towards equity, diversity and inclusion. Published during COVID-19, the research aims to support destination leaders in embedding EDI principles as the industry recovers.
Key findings
The study gathered responses from 718 individuals working within Destinations International member organizations, according to the report. This represents the first comprehensive workforce-wide snapshot addressing demographics across multiple dimensions: age, gender, professional title, racial ethnicity, sexual identity, religion, ability status and military veteran background.
Destinations International developed nearly 20 statements to measure perceptions and implementation of equity, diversity and inclusion within destination organizations, the survey finds. These statements assessed organizational culture, policy adoption and staff attitudes towards EDI principles, establishing baseline understanding of how member organizations currently approach these issues.
The 2020 survey extended earlier 2019 research that had focused specifically on board and executive leadership demographics, according to the report. The expanded August 2020 effort documents broader workforce composition and perceptions, moving from leadership-level analysis to organizational-wide assessment.
The research was conducted against the backdrop of COVID-19's severe impact on the travel industry, the report notes. Destinations International emphasizes that destination organization leaders must embrace EDI principles during this recovery period to strengthen industry resilience and community benefit.
Key numbers
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Survey respondents | 718 |
| EDI measurement statements | nearly 20 |
| Demographic dimensions tracked | 8 |
Figures as published in the source; forecasts and survey results are labelled as such in the note.
Why it matters
DMOs & destinations
This study provides the first comprehensive baseline of workforce diversity across destination organizations globally, enabling DMOs to benchmark their own EDI performance against peer organizations. Understanding current demographics and staff perceptions on inclusion practices helps destination leaders identify gaps and prioritize equity initiatives during industry recovery from COVID-19 disruption.
Hotels & hospitality
Destination-level EDI initiatives directly influence hospitality workforce culture and opportunity. Hotels benefit from understanding how destination organizations—their key marketing and visitor management partners—are approaching diversity and inclusion, informing collaborative efforts to create inclusive visitor experiences and equitable employment across the destination ecosystem.
Travel tech & distribution
As destinations emphasize equity and inclusion, travel distribution platforms and tourism technology providers must align their solutions with these values. Understanding baseline EDI data across destination organizations helps tech companies identify opportunities to build accessibility features, diverse representation in content and inclusive customer experience tools into their products.
Methodology and limits
The study surveyed 718 individuals from Destinations International member destination organizations in August 2020, according to the report. Respondents provided demographic data across eight dimensions and rated nearly 20 statements measuring organizational EDI practices and culture. This brief is based on the publicly available summary page; detailed findings require downloading the full PDF report. The survey represents observed baseline data rather than forecasts.
Official source
The report is © Destinations International. This brief is an original editorial summary by TourismIntel — it quotes only figures published in the source and never reproduces the document.
Check the official statistics on Pulse
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