Webinar 15 May 2025: Breaking barriers through equality, diversity and inclusion in the tourism and hospitality sectors

Breaking barriers through Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the tourism and hospitality sectors

Outline of the webinar

The tourism and hospitality industry’s recovery from the recent pandemic has demonstrated its resilience. This experience has underscored the critical need for ongoing skilling and training to support workforce well-being and build resilience across the sector. The PANTOUR project places a strong emphasis on training, with a particular focus on equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).

Developing a resilient, skilled, and diverse workforce is essential to the long-term sustainability of tourism and hospitality. In this context, EDI-focused training is not just a value-driven initiative: it is a strategic imperative to attract and retain talent.

This webinar will explore the vital role of EDI in shaping the future of the industry. It will highlight how inclusive workforce practices enhance employee well-being, engagement, and retention. Featuring speakers from European organisations actively involved in EDI skill development, the session will:

• Showcase current initiatives addressing workforce challenges
• Share best practices in embedding EDI across organisations
• Identify barriers and enablers to inclusion
• Discuss strategies for creating fairer, more inclusive workplaces

Join us for an engaging discussion on how EDI can drive positive change in the tourism and hospitality sectors, shared by best practices from:

• Pão a Pão
• Trigon Hotel Group
• Rijksmuseum
• Albergo Etico Roma

Program details

📅 15 May 2025
🕒 16:00 – 17:30 CET
📍 The webinar is hosted on Zoom, subscribers receive a link.

Registration

Regular registration closed on 13 May. If you still wish to attend, please email us at info@nexttourismgeneration.eu to receive the access link.

Set-up and webinar flow

16:00 – 16:10 Welcome and introduction

16:10 – 16:30 An overview of current European insights into EDI training in tourism and hospitality, presented by Pantour

16:30 – 16:40 Best practice presentation by Pão a Pão (Portugal)

16:40 – 16:50 Best practice presentation by Trigon Hotel Group (Ireland)

16:50 – 17:00 Best practice presentation by the Rijksmuseum (The Netherlands)

17:00 – 17:10 Best practice presentation by Albergo Etico Roma (Italy)

17:10 – 17:30 Discussion and final remarks

Speakers

We proudly introduce our speakers:

Diana Lourenço, click here to go to their LinkedIn page

Kathleen Linehan, click here to go to their LinkedIn page

Shivan Shazad, click here to go to their LinkedIn page

Antonio Pelosi

Fernanda Rabelo, click here to go to their LinkedIn page

Diana Lourenço

Diana joined Pão a Pão (PAP) in 2017, initially supporting its financial and HR processes and later on as a Board member. She is passionate about social entrepreneurship and working with people. PAP is a pioneering association that has become a national reference for the integration of refugees and migrants in Portugal. Pão a Pão’s flagship project is Mezze Restaurant, known not only for its exceptional hummus and babaganoush, but above all for its strong social impact. In 2021, they launched Mezze Escola, a training and integration program that reflects their ongoing commitment to building inclusive and sustainable solutions in Portugal.

Kathleen Linehan

Kathleen has 20 years’ experience in Human Resources in both manufacturing and hospitality industries. At Trigon hotels Kathleen is responsible for driving the HR strategy across its business units to include attracting and retaining talent, L&D, Diversity, inclusion and equity, employment law and compliance. In an ever-evolving workplace Kathleen helps drive change across the organization with a key focus on ‘equity for all’ and creating a culture of acceptance, engagement, and transformation. In her current role she has let her team to successfully winning IHF QEP Award of Excellence, GPTW Certification, HR team of the Year and best HR Diversity & Inclusion Strategy , GPTW Menopause Award and accreditation as a silver investor in Diversity by ICDI.

Shivan Shazad

Shivan Shazad is Diversity & Inclusion manager at the Rijksmuseum. Before his current job, Shazad worked at the Social and Economic Council (SER) where he advised public and semi-public sector organizations on diversity and inclusion policies. He studied sociology in Amsterdam, followed by a master’s in film & photography and  in Gender and Diversity. He previously worked at the Rijksmuseum as a service & security and public relations officer. He also conducted research into new and different perspectives in the presentation of the 20th century collection. As a full-time manager Shazad advises on Diversity & Inclusion policies for staff, audiences, programs and partners. The Rijksmuseum is part of the Museums Acknowledge Color network and signed the Diversity Charter, an initiative of the SER Diversity in Business.

Antonio Pelosi

Antonio is an engineer with an MBA and an entrepreneur from Rome. In 2007, he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that left him in a coma for three weeks. This experience marked a turning point in his life. The long and demanding rehabilitation that followed gave him the opportunity to reflect deeply on the importance of supporting individuals who face challenging circumstances, so they too can lead full and dignified lives. It also strengthened his belief in the value of work, not merely as a destination, but as a powerful means of personal growth and social inclusion. With this vision, he founded Albergo Etico Roma, a hotel that employs young people with various disabilities. It offers them the opportunity to discover and develop their talents and abilities that are too often overlooked by society. Through professional training and hands-on experience, they acquire practical skills and the confidence to eventually thrive in the many hotels throughout Rome.

Fernanda Rabelo

Fernanda Rabelo currently works at Technological University Dublin, developing research on sustainable education for the tourism and hospitality sector at the PANTOUR project. Her research explores sustainable skills, including curriculum and module design and analysis of educational policies, focusing on equality, diversity, and inclusion in tourism and hospitality.

With 15+ years of experience working as a researcher and in teaching, her most recent work with research projects were the Next Tourism Generation (NTG), an Erasmus + funded project, Diversity and Intercultural Awareness and Inclusion in Hospitality (D&ICIH), a TU Dublin funded project, and the Sustainable Agenda for Gender Equality in Tourism and Hospitality, in collaboration with Hue University in Vietnam, funded by the Irish Research Council. She has also worked as a lecturer in different educational organisations in Brazil, teaching Education and Culture, Research Methodology and Contemporary History.