Abstract
This editorial introduces the Special Issue “Gender and Sexual (In)Equalities in Tourism, Hospitality, and Events” and positions gender and sexual (in)equalities as systemic and enduring features of tourism, hospitality, and events. While these industries are frequently framed as engines of social inclusion, cultural exchange, and economic opportunity, the editorial argues that patriarchal, heteronormative, and neoliberal logics continue to shape organisational cultures, labour regimes, and destination practices in ways that reproduce inequality. The editorial conceptualises gender and sexual (in)equalities not as residual or individualised problems, but as structurally embedded outcomes of power relations operating across workplaces, markets, and governance structures. The Special Issue brings together nine contributions that critically examine diversity, equity, and inclusion discourses and practices, women's empowerment and LGBTQI+ identities, and gendered labour markets across tourism, hospitality, and events. The articles demonstrate the limitations of symbolic and market-oriented inclusion initiatives, highlighting equity as a necessary condition for meaningful transformation.
•Gender and sexual inequalities in tourism, hospitality and events stem from organisational, labour and destination structures.•Diversity and inclusion initiatives often prioritise visibility over equity, leaving power relations and barriers intact.•The Special Issue uses feminist and queer perspectives to explain how heteronormativity and patriarchy reproduce inequality.•Studies show women's empowerment and LGBTQI+ inclusion are uneven, shaped by precarity, segregation and workplace cultures.•The collection calls for research to examine structural power, organisational responsibility and pathways for change.