Almaty, Kazakhstan, Leads the Way in Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality in Tourism – Travel And Tour World

Report on the First Regional Conference on the Empowerment of Women in Tourism and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Advancing the 2030 Agenda in Almaty

In October 2025, Almaty, Kazakhstan, hosted the First Regional Conference on the Empowerment of Women in Tourism in Europe, organized by UN Tourism. The conference convened approximately 400 participants from governments, international bodies, and the private sector to address gender inequality within the tourism industry. The primary outcome was the adoption of the Almaty Call to Action, a strategic framework designed to accelerate progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

The Almaty Call to Action: A Framework for SDG 5

The Almaty Call to Action provides a comprehensive roadmap to dismantle systemic barriers faced by women in the tourism sector. While women constitute 54% of the global tourism workforce, they are disproportionately concentrated in low-paid and informal roles, with limited access to leadership positions. This initiative directly addresses these disparities, aligning with the core targets of SDG 5 by promoting women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making.

Core Focus Areas and Linkages to Sustainable Development Goals

The Call to Action is structured around six key pillars, each directly contributing to multiple SDGs:

1. Employment: Focuses on creating equitable opportunities for women in high-skilled and leadership roles. This directly supports SDG 8 by promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all, and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) by targeting the gender pay gap.
2. Entrepreneurship: Aims to enhance support for women-owned businesses through improved access to finance, markets, and training. This fosters economic empowerment, contributing to SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 5.
3. Leadership and Policy: Advocates for increased representation of women in decision-making bodies to ensure the formulation of gender-responsive tourism policies. This is a fundamental component of achieving SDG 5.
4. Education and Training: Promotes educational pathways for women, particularly in STEM fields, to facilitate access to higher-value technical roles in the tourism sector. This aligns with SDG 4 (Quality Education) and its target for equal access to technical and vocational training.
5. Community Engagement: Empowers women at the grassroots level through cooperatives, mentorship, and networks, enhancing their economic independence and leadership capacity within local communities. This supports the localization of SDGs 5 and 8.
6. Gender-Disaggregated Data: Calls for systematic data collection broken down by gender to enable evidence-based policymaking. This is crucial for monitoring progress on SDG 5 and ensuring that tourism development is inclusive and equitable.

Global Partnerships for Sustainable Development (SDG 17)

The Almaty conference exemplifies SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by fostering a multi-stakeholder partnership to advance gender equality. This initiative is part of a broader global movement led by UN Tourism, which includes:

• The Centre Stage project, implementing action plans for women’s empowerment in Jordan, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.
• A free online course on gender equality in tourism, promoting widespread education in line with SDG 4.
• The Women in Tech Startup Competition, which encourages female entrepreneurship and innovation, contributing to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure).

Kazakhstan’s National Strategy: Localizing SDGs through Sustainable Tourism

Kazakhstan is leveraging tourism as a vehicle for economic diversification and sustainable development, as outlined in its Tourism Development Concept through 2029. By hosting the conference, Almaty has positioned itself as a regional hub for sustainable tourism practices that integrate gender equality. The government’s commitment to enhancing its global tourism standing while promoting women’s empowerment demonstrates a national strategy to localize and implement the SDGs, particularly SDG 5 and SDG 8, within a key economic sector.

Conclusion: Integrating Gender Equality for a Resilient and Sustainable Tourism Sector

The Almaty Call to Action reinforces the principle that gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but also a prerequisite for a sustainable, resilient, and innovative tourism industry. By investing in women’s empowerment, the sector can unlock significant potential for inclusive growth, aligning with the overarching vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The collaborative efforts initiated in Almaty are a critical step toward ensuring that the future of global tourism is equitable and contributes positively to all facets of sustainable development.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article on the Almaty conference and the “Call to Action” for women in tourism directly addresses and connects to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary focus is on gender equality, but this is intrinsically linked to economic growth, education, and reducing inequalities.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  This is the central theme of the article. The entire conference, the “Almaty Call to Action,” and the initiatives mentioned are aimed at achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. The text explicitly discusses “promoting gender equality,” “women’s empowerment,” addressing “gender disparities,” closing the “gender pay gap,” and ensuring women have equal opportunities in employment, leadership, and entrepreneurship within the tourism sector.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article highlights tourism as a “critical economic sector” and a “major economic driver.” It addresses the quality of work within this sector, noting that women are often in “lower-paid, informal roles.” The “Call to Action” aims to improve this by creating “more opportunities for women in high-skilled and leadership positions” and supporting “women-owned businesses,” which directly contributes to promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The article emphasizes the importance of education and training as a means to empower women in tourism. One of the six focus areas of the “Almaty Call to Action” is “Education and Training,” which specifically aims to promote “education, especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), to help women secure higher-paying, technical roles.” The mention of a “free, online gender-equality course” further reinforces the connection to ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  The core issue discussed is the inequality between men and women within the tourism industry. The article points out that despite making up 54% of the workforce, women “face significant barriers to accessing leadership positions” and are concentrated in lower-paying jobs. The initiatives described are designed to reduce these inequalities by promoting the social and economic inclusion of women.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article showcases a multi-stakeholder partnership to achieve these goals. The conference itself brought together “nearly 400 participants from international organizations, governments, businesses, and experts.” This collaboration, under the leadership of UN Tourism, is a clear example of the global partnership required to implement the Sustainable Development Agenda.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the specific actions and goals mentioned in the article, several SDG targets can be identified:

1. Under SDG 5 (Gender Equality):
   • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.

     Explanation: The “Almaty Call to Action” explicitly focuses on “Leadership and Policy” with the goal of “Ensuring women’s representation in decision-making roles, particularly in policy formulation and leadership positions within the tourism sector.”

   • Target 5.c: Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels.

     Explanation: The article mentions the need for “strengthening policies that promote gender equality” and using gender-disaggregated data for “informed policymaking” and the development of “effective, gender-responsive tourism policies.”

2. Under SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth):
   • Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value.

     Explanation: The initiative’s focus on “closing the gender pay gap” and moving women from “lower-paid, informal roles” to “high-skilled and leadership positions” directly aligns with this target.

   • Target 8.9: By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.

     Explanation: The article frames the entire discussion within the context of sustainable tourism. It mentions Kazakhstan’s “Tourism Development Concept” and Almaty’s goal to be a “hub for sustainable tourism,” linking women’s empowerment to the sector’s overall sustainability and growth.

3. Under SDG 4 (Quality Education):
   • Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

     Explanation: The call to action includes “Education and Training” to help women secure “higher-paying, technical roles” through STEM education and providing “entrepreneurial training.” The “Women in Tech Startup Competition” also supports this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions and implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Gender-Disaggregated Data:

  The article explicitly states that a key focus of the “Almaty Call to Action” is “Gender-Disaggregated Data.” It calls on governments and businesses to “improve data collection that is broken down by gender.” This is a foundational indicator needed to measure progress on almost all other targets, as it allows for the tracking of women’s participation, pay, and leadership roles compared to men’s.

• Proportion of Women in Leadership/Managerial Positions (Implied Indicator for Target 5.5):

  The article’s repeated emphasis on increasing women’s representation in “leadership positions” and “decision-making roles” implies that a key metric for success would be the percentage of women holding these positions within tourism businesses and government bodies.

• Gender Pay Gap (Implied Indicator for Target 8.5):

  The goal of “closing the gender pay gap” directly implies that the measurement of the average wage difference between men and women in the tourism sector is a critical indicator of progress.

• Number of Women-Owned Businesses (Implied Indicator):

  The focus on “Entrepreneurship” and “Supporting women-owned businesses” suggests that tracking the number and success rate of tourism enterprises owned by women would be a relevant indicator.

• Participation in Education and Training Programs (Implied Indicator for Target 4.4):

  The promotion of education, training, and a “free, online gender-equality course” implies that progress could be measured by the number of women enrolling in and completing these programs, particularly in technical (STEM) and entrepreneurial fields.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: travelandtourworld.com