What is it like to be an Asian traveler exploring the world today? This broad question has very personal and varied answers, but it is an important one to ask as the travel industry examines issues of diversity, representation, racism, cultural appropriation and responsibility.
It was also the theme of a recent virtual discussion hosted by Wanderful, a women’s travel community that works to make the travel industry more equitable. “How We Travel: Asian + AAPI Travelers” brought together a panel of female Asian and Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) travel experts on the heels of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which took place in May.
During the discussion, panelists shared their personal experiences — both good and bad — while traveling, and spoke about how the industry, as well as travelers themselves, can be better advocates and allies for diverse communities.
Panelists included Marjorie Perlas, founder of Scapade (a mobile app that helps travelers and locals connect in a meaningful way); Justine Abigail Yu, founder of Living Hyphen and head of communications for Wanderful; Preethi Chandrasekhar, an award-winning travel photographer, writer and speaker; Jiyeon Juno Kim, an award-winning travel blogger and photographer; and moderator Karisma Shackelford, founder of Color Me World and business development manager for Wanderful.
While many of the women shared fond memories of being welcomed into local communities during their travels, each also detailed more difficult moments; for instance, when Chandrasekhar was refused service at a restaurant in Austria, or Kim’s experience being ignored at a hostel because the other travelers assumed she couldn’t speak English.
Kim also spoke of the exhaustion associated with constantly having to be an advocate or educator when facing microaggressions and racism, leading to a common theme of the discussion: the need for greater allyship among other travelers, and even from within the Asian and AAPI community itself, which represents a huge range of countries and cultures.
Pointing out that we all need to “challenge our own assumptions on a regular basis,” Yu asked the audience to think critically about stereotypes, where they come from and why they might be hurtful, even if they don’t seem malicious.
The group also discussed the ways in which travel brands profit from — and in some cases, exploit — Asian communities and cultures, highlighting the way in which companies often have only a superficial understanding of the history and heritage they are commodifying. Perlas advised companies to do deeper research on these topics, as well as to talk with the people affected by their practices. She and Kim also pointed out the need to contribute positively to the community, such as by using local tour companies or guides and other efforts that will put income back into the local economy.
In addition to calling out the need for better representation of Asian travelers and a more nuanced portrayal of the diverse cultures represented under that umbrella term, the panelists also talked about the lack of Asian and AAPI people in leadership roles within the travel industry.
“We talk a lot about representation in terms of marketing and television and the things that we see on screen, but what I’m really interested in is representation on the back end of things, in leadership positions,” Yu said.
The conversation feels especially timely as the COVID-19 pandemic begins to ease and many parts of the world start reopening to tourism, creating a prime opportunity for travelers and travel companies alike to consider how they want to operate moving forward.
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