Mobility, Belonging, and Access: Rethinking Inclusion In Tourism and Hospitality

Mobility is not experienced equally (Le Ha, 2025; Mazzucatto & Ogden, 2025). This session examines how social identities, institutional structures, and organizational practices shape access to tourism and hospitality (T&H), travel, work, and leadership opportunities. Scholarship on T&H, mobility, and cosmopolitanism increasingly highlights that opportunities for participation, movement, and cross-cultural engagement are unevenly distributed across individuals and communities, reflecting broader inequalities in access to resources, rights, and power (Devis-Rozental et al., 2026; Rastegar, 2026). Examining mobility through the lenses of human rights and global justice draws attention to questions of representation, belonging, participation, and dignity, as well as societal consequences of exclusion and marginalization (Sheller, 2018).

We invite qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods research exploring barriers and facilitators to mobility, belonging, accessibility, and participation among diverse populations. Topics may include workforce mobility, career advancement, accessible tourism, migrant workers, gender and racial inequalities, leadership pathways, identity-based experiences, and inclusive destination development. Papers that challenge traditional understandings of mobility and examine who benefits from T&H systems are particularly encouraged. By bringing together diverse perspectives and methodological approaches, this session seeks to advance understanding of how T&H can contribute to more equitable and inclusive futures.