Credit: Current Issues in Tourism (2024). DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2024.2398071
Sexual harassment is unfortunately prevalent within the hospitality and tourism industries. Shockingly, nearly half of Australian survey respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment, a higher rate compared to other workplaces.
The nature of hospitality and tourism involves close interactions, often leading to dismissive behavior from customers such as verbal abuse, physical aggression, bullying, and inappropriate advances.
Individuals who are young, female, low-wage earners, or work on a casual basis are particularly at risk.
Recent scandals at establishments like the Merivale Hospitality Group and Sydney’s Swillhouse restaurant highlight ongoing issues.
The common belief that “the customer is always right” further empowers customers over workers, especially when tipping plays a significant role in employee earnings.
An analysis of over 2,000 newspaper articles from various countries between 2017 and 2022 focused on the treatment of hotel staff members, flight attendants, and massage therapists revealed concerning patterns of reporting on sexual harassment incidents within these sectors.
Published on: 2024-10-11 at 07:15:02
Link to article on phys.org