Beyond gender certification: how Alpitour S.p.A. strengthens inclusion

Gender equality certification is becoming one of the most widespread tools among Italian companies to strengthen policies for the inclusion and enhancement of people. According to data released by Unioncamere, at the beginning of 2026 there are more than 12 thousand companies that have obtained the UNI/PdR 125:2022 certification. They employ a workforce of over 2.7 million workers, with a female presence of over 43 per cent. A result that has already surpassed the targets set by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and testifies to the growing attention of the production system towards fairer and more sustainable organisational models.
In fact, more and more companies are choosing to use certification not only as a formal recognition, but as a lever to consolidate their sustainability and social responsibility strategy. Prominent among these is Alpitour S.p.A.: the Italia tourism group recently both renewed its gender certification (announced on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November 2025) and expanded its diversity, equity & inclusion programme. The theme of inclusion has long been a central element in people management and corporate culture: the renewal bears witness to the Group's ongoing commitment, which in the past year has developed by placing particular emphasis on promoting activities in the areas of parenting and care, placing the wellbeing of the individual at the heart of its policies, and which will continue to drive the promotion of an open, responsible and inclusive corporate culture.

A Look Beyond the Silence, a Concrete Commitment
A further step on this path is the adoption of the Corporate Policy for the Prevention and Combating of Domestic and Workplace Violence, entitled 'A Look Beyond the Silence'. The document, developed together with the Valore D association, introduces concrete instruments of protection and support for people experiencing situations of violence. In detail, Alpitour S.p.A. guarantees the possibility to take up to six months of paid leave, work flexibility, temporary transfers, paid leave to attend court summonses, and periods of unpaid leave for up to six months.
In addition, there are customised security plans (temporary change of location, change of company addresses, secure parking, specific protocols in the event of a protection order), customised financial support for emergencies, and a team of HR contact persons trained to offer confidential listening, anonymous reporting channels and the possibility of using the whistleblowing platform.
The company policy represents a real tool for adopting a proactive and socially responsible approach, aimed at introducing actions aimed at offering protection, listening and support to those who experience situations of domestic violence, also providing for disciplinary measures against perpetrators of violence, even in the case of behaviour outside work that is incompatible with the Group's values.

To support the adoption of the Policy, a series of presentation meetings were held in April in the Milan, Pesaro and Turin offices, organised in collaboration with the Fondazione Una Nessuna Centomila, with the aim of creating structured opportunities for in-depth analysis and discussion, reinforcing the awareness and sensitisation process that the Group began last year.
A necessary document, the result of careful reflection based on data that recount a widespread emergency. According to the first results of the Istat survey "Violence against women, inside and outside the family" (November 2025), almost one woman in three, between the ages of 16 and 75 (31.9%), has suffered physical or sexual violence in her lifetime, mainly in proximity contexts. Pervasive forms of psychological (17.9 per cent) and economic (6.6 per cent) violence also emerge, while levels of reporting still remain very low, confirming the need to strengthen prevention and support tools. Moreover, 83% of Italians believe that the issue is still insufficiently or only partially addressed, as highlighted by the data of the Value D-SWG 2024 survey, while less than 1 in 10 perceive that the problem is adequately recognised and managed in the country.

The supply chain as multiplier
Among the choices of Alpitour S.p.A.'s D&I pathway, one concerns its distribution network, with more than 5,000 partner Travel Agencies involved in the awareness and information pathway on gender-based violence issues. Dedicated posters were donated to these realities to be displayed as a visible sign of adhesion. For every trip booked on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Alpitour S.p.A. made a donation of ten euros to the Fondazione Una Nessuna Centomila, in support of anti-violence centres. The agencies also had access to training and in-depth study materials, developed in collaboration with Valore D. In parallel, red benches with the trademarked Stati Generali delle Donne HUB were installed in the Turin, Milan, Pesaro and Rome offices, each with the national 1522 toll-free number and the anti-violence gesture.
Involving the distribution network means taking the message beyond the confines of the company, to thousands of points of sale distributed throughout the country, and spreading the D&I culture along the entire supply chain, asking travel agents to become bearers of a language and sensitivity that would otherwise remain confined within the organisation.