The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more.In most of the world, women are the majority of tourisms workforce. Hotels, for example, employ a large number of local people, offering economic access and opportunity for communities and often underrepresented groups, particularly women. These jobs and incomes directly affect the communities where the properties are based. There are ripple effects on broader social issues such as health, education, and social equity. When tourism represents 10% of global GDP, the opportunity to drive positive social change is enormous.As I learn more about the travel and tourism sector in my new role at Travalyst, Ive come across some incredible examples of tourism as a force for good such as SASANE in Nepal. SASANE is a social company that trains female survivors of human trafficking to become certified tour and trekking guides. Similarly, theres Amba Yaalu at Kandalama, Sri Lankas first hotel run entirely by women. From resort manager to gardener, the hotel has 80 staffall women. This groundbreaking commitment to female empowerment is what is possible when business is viewed not just to make money, but to also give back to the people and places it serves.A double-edged swordHowever, we know all too well that tourism can be a double-edged sword. And on the flip side, unethical and unfair practices are impacting women employed by the travel and tourism industry. For example:Economic vulnerability: Women have historically been concentrated in assistance roles, occupying positions that are often both undervalued and underpaid. In tourism, they are the cleaners working tirelessly in your B&Bs, the waitresses serving delicious local cuisine in the restaurant, and the receptionists dealing with your questions at the front desk.According to the International Labour Organization, women earn on average about 20% less than men. Women tend to perform a large amount of unpaid work in family-run tourism businesses too. Furthermore, these roles are often seasonal, involve long hours, and little job security, leaving workers exposed and unprotected.Women as spectacles: Overtourism often leads to increased risks of sexual harassment, particularly for women working in customer-facing roles. Tourism environments have been described as hot climates, where women are often positioned as the site of spectacle, display, and consumption. Think flight attendants, nightclub promoters, and dancers. Tourism practices can amplify this issue by commodifying local cultures and appropriating womens traditional roles or attire for photo opportunities, such as the Geishas in Japan.Climate change: Extreme weather events are contributing to an increasing number of natural disasters, many of which are in tourism hotspots such as the recent fires in Los Angeles. These destinations, that rely so heavily on tourism, employ a large number of women, and its these women that will be looking for work if tourists are put off by the apocalyptic sights of billowing clouds of smoke and the golden-orange glow of flames against the familiar Hollywood backdrop.Tourism can bring economic and social benefits to women, but the lack of fair and equitable systems often results in exploitation and degradation to local communities. According to UN Tourism, by 2030, were expecting 1.8 billion international arrivals each yearnearly double the numbers we saw just two decades ago. Accommodating those kinds of numbers can only be sustainable if we focus beyond profit, prioritizing people and places too.A force for goodTravalyst is a coalition of some of the biggest names in travel and technology, founded by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. Through Travalyst, we are looking to change the way we travel, through our industry collaboration and innovative technology solutionssuch as our bold new data hub initiativeour mission is to provide trusted information at scale to empower better decision making and accelerate impact-led change across travel and tourism.Tourism can be both a force with potential to do tremendous good, or if mismanaged, inflict significant harm, including on local communities. We aim to gain a clearer understanding of how tourism can be a genuine force for good and determine what changes are needed to ensure that it delivers on that promise.Amina Razvi is chief partnerships and development officer at Travalyst.