Assessing Human Rights Impacts 

In its human rights impact assessment in India, Kuoni identified various labour issues in its own operations, including its destination management office in India. It found a lack of a well-functioning grievance mechanisms, high stress levels during peak season, and some dissatisfaction with wage levels.

Black market in Iceland

As tourist numbers have been rising in Iceland for the past number of years, thousands of new jobs are being created. Many of them are filled by foreign employees, especially from Eastern Europe but also by young volunteers from Western Europe. The new employees often do not know their rights in the Icelandic labour market. Working in the black market without necessary documentation and personal identification number, employees risk receiving wages below the minimum wages fixed in the Icelandic collective agreement. Foreign workers often do not know where to report unfair treatment at work. Moreover, the black market leads to unfair competition.

Melbourne travel agency lands in court for alleged cashback schemes, underpayment and false records

A Melbourne travel agency and one of its directors faced court for allegedly requiring an overseas worker to pay back more than $20,000 of her wages and for proposing to enter into a similar cashback scheme with a second worker. The company told the workers who are of foreign nationality that the arrangements were a condition for their visa support. Furthermore, the company underpaid their workers and provided misleading information to the investigating ombudsperson.

Mental Health of Tourism Employees in Mexico

First destination for tourism in Mexico, the state of Quintana Roo shows itself to face acute issues in mental health. Although Quintana Roo enjoys an international reputation for its fine sandy beaches and seaside resorts popular with tourists, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) this south-east Mexican state also stands out for having one of the highest suicide rates in the country. 

BAME community ‘still underrepresented’ in travel industry

Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) staff are still underrepresented at a senior level and the lack of BAME role models in travel urges the travel industry to do more to promote the sector as a career choice to people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. Called Engaging New Travel Audiences: Understanding the UK BAME Travellers’ Decision-making Process, a collaborative report by the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Surrey and the social enterprise Women in Travel (WiT) CIC provides an insight into the travel characteristics, decision-making processes and motivations of the BAME travellers' segment. It found not only evidence of a lack of equality, diversity and inclusion in the travel industry, but also a tendency to treat all BAME travellers as a homogeneous segment with little understanding of diversity within the different communities. The report revealed instances of racial harassment, microaggresions and/or discrimination while travelling and called for issue-specific training for staff as well as a diversity, equality and inclusion accreditation for travel businesses.