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Travel Needs Women at the Top: Julia Simpson on Merit, Money, and Momentum
- Emily Goldfischer
- 9 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Julia Simpson, President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), took the stage at IWTTF with a message that was part data drop, part personal call to arms. Blending her own experience with global insights, she made one thing very clear: when it comes to gender equity in travel, the promises still don’t match the power.
Simpson opened by crediting her mother as the source of her courage. A lowly civil servant who once worked on the development of the Harrier Jump Jet, her mum had been taken out of school at 13 and forced to work in a glue factory. “She was frightened, physically frightened, at home,” Simpson said. “But she didn’t pass the fear on to me. She passed the courage.” That courage led Simpson from a strong education into a trailblazing career, first in the airline industry, then in government, and now at the helm of one of the most powerful travel associations in the world.
From there, Simpson got right to the numbers. Despite making up around 40% of the travel and tourism workforce, and up to 50–60% in hospitality, women still face significant barriers to leadership. “Women are still not a majority in boardrooms,” she said, adding that despite this gender imbalance, “too many of us still face barriers.”
But it’s not a pipeline problem—it’s a systems problem. “If you believe in meritocracy, then you have to build the systems that make it possible,” Simpson argued, recounting a time she was handed an all-male shortlist for a senior hire. She pushed back and suddenly a 50/50 gender split appeared.
Dropping the data:
For every $1 men earn, women in tourism earn 82 cents.
65% of travelers today are women.
85% of travel decisions are made by women.
The most valuable traveler in luxury today is a 65-year-old woman traveling solo, according to Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch.
Women make up 85% of travel decisions and 65% of travelers, yet they’re still missing from the boardrooms shaping the industry. “You might think with all those statistics that we would naturally be leaders in our sector,” she said. “But women are still not a majority in boardrooms.”
She laid out a call to action: not just mentorship but sponsorship. Not just interest in DEI but real investment. She highlighted WTTC members like Intrepid Travel, which runs women-only expeditions and supports the Black Mambas, a group of female anti-poaching rangers in South Africa. She praised the Indian Hotels Company for helping women return to work after career breaks and spotlighted Google for offering equity-free funding and support for women-led tech start-ups.
Simpson also addressed the growing backlash against DEI, citing Walmart, Amazon and Barclays as examples of companies walking back progress. But she urged resilience. “This is a long game, and women are good at long games,” she said. “Because we have to be.”
She closed with the story of 19th-century solo traveler Ida Pfeiffer, who defied expectations, circled the globe and climbed pyramids in a corset. “All we need is a bit of Ida’s determination,” Simpson said. “And today, together, I know you can find some.”
Her keynote was a powerful reminder that real change takes stamina. And in travel, an industry built on human connection and bold exploration, women must keep pushing boundaries and claiming space at the top.
As someone who has long admired Julia Simpson’s career, it was especially meaningful to hear her speak in person. And yes, I had a total fangirl moment and nabbed a selfie!
