Organisational change towards LGBTQ+ inclusion in hospitality and tourism: Managerial perspectives

The economic significance of LGBTQ+ inclusion has been globally recognised by the hospitality and tourism sectors. This study aimed to explore how hospitality and tourism businesses promote LGBTQ+ inclusion and identify challenges in implementing LGBTQ+ inclusive strategies in Asia. By using a qualitative approach with pragmatic paradigm, this study conducted in-depth interviews with 10 senior-level executives in corporations that play a prominent role in promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion across hospitality and tourism sectors. An LGBTQ+ inclusion model was also developed based on ‘unfreeze-change-(re)freeze’ theory to further understand organisational change with nonlinear, interconnected, interactive and iterative orientations. Thematic and document analyses identified four essential elements of change, namely, policies and structures, internal communication, learning and development and public engagement. Management support was also identified as an effective moderator for improving the operationalisation of the model.