Media discourse analysis of sexual harassment in the airline, hotel and spa sectors

Numerous people are employed in tourism and hospitality worldwide, but sexual harassment (SH) is a common problem that management fails to address. Informed by framing theory, this study examines how SH is portrayed in media coverage of tourism and hospitality workplaces, exploring frames used to shape public perceptions and societal dialogues. We conducted a computer-assisted thematic analysis of articles published around and after the #MeToo movement, which gained widespread attention in 2017, empowering survivors to share experiences of sexual harassment and assault. We used multiple tools to examine reported SH incidents within the airline, hotel and spa sectors. Our results reveal a deep and broad under-reporting of incidents and a need for more management awareness and proactive strategies to improve the situation. Although some efforts have been made, SH remains a problem in our social construct of patriarchal dominance, as evidenced by the normalisation of coercive control and persistent sexualization of tourism and hospitality workers in media discourses. As such, our analysis has the following implications: regulators must establish clear boundaries, managers need to acknowledge that SH is an issue and further research in specific areas is needed to ascertain the depth and range of SH within the tourism industry.