The benefits of women in tourism
“It’s so important that they see that the confident professional person who has their life in her hands… is a woman,” says Claire. “In that wild situation, she’s holding their hand as they climb a mountain, she’s encouraging them as they leap off rocks into the sea.”
We all need role models. In the last year, I’ve completely fallen for mountain biking. But so far, I’ve only found men to go riding with. I ask Claire about it. A keen cyclist, she credits her own confidence on the bike to riding with female mountain bike guides.
“I think if I’d only ridden with professional men, I would constantly find an excuse: that they’re better than me because they were men. But I found itself thinking, ‘if those girls can do that route, then I can’… Having a visible role model matters.”
Women leaders can be fantastic role models for younger generations, whether that’s a female entrepreneur running a business, or a female guide. No one knows this better than Claire Copeman, director at our partner Adventure Tours UK. Claire actively seeks out female guides, especially for their more adventurous trips.
We all need role models. In the last year, I’ve completely fallen for mountain biking. But so far, I’ve only found men to go riding with. I ask Claire about it. A keen cyclist, she credits her own confidence on the bike to riding with female mountain bike guides.
“I think if I’d only ridden with professional men, I would constantly find an excuse: that they’re better than me because they were men. But I found itself thinking, ‘if those girls can do that route, then I can’… Having a visible role model matters.”
Women leaders can be fantastic role models for younger generations, whether that’s a female entrepreneur running a business, or a female guide. No one knows this better than Claire Copeman, director at our partner Adventure Tours UK. Claire actively seeks out female guides, especially for their more adventurous trips.
Women-led adventures
For endurance and very adventurous trips, female guides can be few and far between. Yet they are incredibly important for making the space welcoming for all. It’s common for women to ring Claire up. “They ask, ‘will I keep up with the group?’ ‘Will I be the weak woman?’” she says. Claire sees a lot of reticence and hesitation from female travellers, especially on more adventurous activities – such as running across Wales. She thinks that speaking to her majority-female team can help. “I like to think that they take our reassurance more honestly – we’re not setting them up for a fall.”It's a great example of how having women in tourism can give other women confidence. Not just to book trips, but to travel further, and be more adventurous.
Female-designed itineraries
The woman who designed my last holiday was always looking out for me – she recommended the safest train carriages for a sleeper train across India, she arranged a female taxi driver for my pick-up at Mumbai – giving me a relaxing, chatty journey, riding shotgun through the busy city.“Female travellers like travelling with a female-led company,” agrees Lidiana Mendes at our Cape Verde specialist partner Travell With Purpose. She highlights how happy her female travellers are to meet the young female entrepreneurs in Cape Verde. “They can meet with women working in coffee production in the valleys… or head to Mirilene's small agricultural shop to hear her story.”
Keeping up with demand
At Responsible Travel, more women book our trips than men, reflective of the fact that women are often in charge of the holiday planning in their households. In more specialist areas, the skew is more pronounced, “Eighty percent of my travellers are female,” says Ridhi Patel, who runs volunteering trips in Asia from her company, Volunteering Journeys. We need more women in the industry, if only to keep pace with the growing demands of the high global numbers of solo female travellers.
A female guide will know what to wear in conservative areas, where to purchase sanitary products, and will be more sympathetic to hot flushes in hot countries. “I really enjoyed focusing in on a woman’s perspective,” said traveller Anne Stewardson, writing in a review of a women-only tour of Jordan. It can be particularly enriching in parts of the Middle East, where the female and male experience diverge so dramatically from each other.
A female guide will know what to wear in conservative areas, where to purchase sanitary products, and will be more sympathetic to hot flushes in hot countries. “I really enjoyed focusing in on a woman’s perspective,” said traveller Anne Stewardson, writing in a review of a women-only tour of Jordan. It can be particularly enriching in parts of the Middle East, where the female and male experience diverge so dramatically from each other.
Keeping safe
Female travellers face issues that men do not. They are more likely to risk sexual violence and date rape. Pregnant travellers face different risks, and some areas of the world heavily limit access to abortion.“It’s the safety factor,” says Ridhi, “You know that your fellow female will be looking out for you.”
It’s not just visitors who want safe spaces, but local people too. Ridhi runs courses for local women, teaching English and IT skills. “I think the women like the fact we are a women-run organisation. We create a comfort zone, where they can be themselves, they can express themselves and they can develop.”
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Role models
Women entrepreneurs encourage guests into the wilds. But they also encourage other women to follow them into business.
Jess Brooks, founder and director of our partner Eternal Landscapes, which operates in Mongolia, credits her early success to another female business owner giving her a chance. It’s a grace that she’s keen to pass on. “Someone believed in me and gave me an opportunity,” she says, “So let’s give that opportunity to other women.”
Marian Thompson set up M&J Travel and Tours in Ghana over thirty years ago. Over the years she’s worked with numerous women – many of whom have gone on to do great things of their own. She remembers them all fondly,
“They have set up their business and are doing very well, it’s because they started with me.” Marian’s alumni include the current president of the tour operators’ union of Ghana, and its secretary. “They were all part of the team I started. When you work with me – you learn!”
“Members of our team have gone on to win scholarships and work abroad and we always keep our door open should they want to return,” says Jess.
A lot of female entrepreneurs have offices full of women – not always on purpose, but instead, perhaps, because other women naturally gravitate towards working with them. Claire’s office was all-female until just recently. Ridhi’s India office is run by seven women, two of whom had been service users of Ridhi’s social projects. Full time work has transformed their lives. “It really empowers them,” says Ridhi, “It gives them financial stability, independence and confidence.”
Jess Brooks, founder and director of our partner Eternal Landscapes, which operates in Mongolia, credits her early success to another female business owner giving her a chance. It’s a grace that she’s keen to pass on. “Someone believed in me and gave me an opportunity,” she says, “So let’s give that opportunity to other women.”
Marian Thompson set up M&J Travel and Tours in Ghana over thirty years ago. Over the years she’s worked with numerous women – many of whom have gone on to do great things of their own. She remembers them all fondly,
“They have set up their business and are doing very well, it’s because they started with me.” Marian’s alumni include the current president of the tour operators’ union of Ghana, and its secretary. “They were all part of the team I started. When you work with me – you learn!”
“Members of our team have gone on to win scholarships and work abroad and we always keep our door open should they want to return,” says Jess.
A lot of female entrepreneurs have offices full of women – not always on purpose, but instead, perhaps, because other women naturally gravitate towards working with them. Claire’s office was all-female until just recently. Ridhi’s India office is run by seven women, two of whom had been service users of Ridhi’s social projects. Full time work has transformed their lives. “It really empowers them,” says Ridhi, “It gives them financial stability, independence and confidence.”
A wide reach
The tourism industry is a massive network, as intricate as any map. If the large nodes are airports and cities, tourism spreads from here, down the roads and tracks, and touches individual households.Lidiana supports ‘microbusinesses’ in Cape Verde, taking tourists on her female empowerment holidays. “The aim is to continue to highlight more female micro-entrepreneurs along the way,” she says.
In Ghana, Marian takes travellers to the country’s north, to a special guest house where women artisans run courses in weaving, basketry, and other skills. “If the visitors didn’t come, they wouldn’t be able to take their children to school,” she says.
“We actively collaborate with a variety of female-owned businesses, including local artisans, boutique accommodation in different regions of the country, and culinary experts,” says Tatev Manucharian, executive director of our Armenia-based partner, Arara Tour. “Our customers can enjoy authentic experiences while contributing to the empowerment of women in Armenia's economy.”
Jess plans to set up a school in Mongolia that doesn’t just train up potential guides, but gives women the skills to work in areas of their choice. “They might choose to return to their home province and set up not as a guide but as an accommodation provider,” she says. For Jess, it’s vital that women are trained in topics that give them a broad spectrum of opportunities that can help with rural development across the country. “Learning about community and sustainability as part of their training course would be quite key.”
The women that our female entrepreneurs support will support others in turn, and the ensuing spiral of sustainable development has the power to lift whole communities out of poverty.
Ambitious futures
Like anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit, the women we work with are always looking to the next challenge. We often hear how their dreams are not for maximum profits or early retirements, but to give something back. Marian is looking at setting up a wildlife lodge that can benefit a local community. Jess is working towards constructing a school for female guides, built to passive house principles.We don’t demand that women help others, yet our responsible travel partners incline towards putting back into their local communities. Like the female guides taking the next generation of trekkers up to the top of the mountain, they are reaching back down to offer a helping hand.
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