Putting gender equality on the agenda – two recent events show how it’s done

Equality in Tourism recently presented on gender equality at two seminal events. Angela Kalisch, trustee and chair of EiT, recounts her experience. The first of the events was Roundtable on Human Rights in Tourism’s symposium “Human Rights in Practice: Equality in Tourism”, held in Utrecht, Netherlands. Angela also joined a panel discussion at TTG Media’s […]

Director’s blog – around the world in 3 conferences

Stroma Cole reports from her recent travels. If it seems like I‘ve been quiet for a while it’s because I’ve been busy! As part of my academic role I attended the Association of American Geographers (AAG) annual meeting in Washington D.C., where I presented my work on gender, tourism and water. This extended the work […]

The women of the Jequitinhonha Valley

A guest blog by Elisa Spampinato Fighting with art for their independence The Jequitinhonha Valley (in Minas Gerais, Brazil), once a prosperous region whose economy was driven by the gold mines, today is one of the poorest areas in Brazil. Poor only from an economic perspective – very rich in culture and humanity. The inhabitants […]

Trustee positions available – come join us

Big news! We are looking for two trustees to join our team – somebody with fundraising experience and another with accountancy skills. We need to now grow our team of dedicated advocates and supporters as we continue with our mission to ensure gender equality in tourism around the world. As a trustee, you will be […]

Unique Insights and Lively Discussions at the Symposium

On Thursday, 13 September, around 40 academics, tour operators, charity workers, consultants and public sector workers joined us at Intrepid Group‘s Brixton offices to hear from four speakers and discuss gender equality in tourism. Stroma Cole presented her new book Gender Equality and Tourism: Beyond Empowerment, highlighting a selection of personal stories of women around […]

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to Shine a Light on Albinism

Gavin Bate, owner of responsible tour operator Alternative Adventure, has grand plans for tourism on Mount Kilimanjaro. Not only has he launched Wanawake Tanzania, a programme for equitable employment of women guides and porters on the mountain. Gavin and a fellow mountaineering friend are in the final stages of organising a climb of Kilimanjaro with […]

An update from our #FarmForTheFuture project

Tricia Barnett recently visited Tanzania and met with the women participating in this groundbreaking project. Here, she shares her impressions and a general update on where things are. I am delighted to share with you the latest news from the path-breaking project that would not have been possible without the support of our generous donors. […]

Join our team

We’re always looking for passionate, dedicated individuals to join our work for gender equality in tourism. If you’ve been thinking of volunteering your valuable time to a good cause, we might have just the thing for you – we are looking for a trustee with fundraising experience. It’s a fullfilling role which will see you […]

Berhan Teklay Teka’s story – guiding tourists in Ethiopia

The below is a contribution by Ethiopian tour guide Berhan Teklay Teka – she’s passionate about showing visitors the sights of her country and one of the few women to be able to do so in a profession that is still predominantly male. My name is Berhan Teklay Teka. I was born in 1989 in […]

Posadas in Paraguay – turning homes into homestays

This effort in Paraguay felt like a perfect fit for our International Women’s Day focus series. A public-private partnership between household goods company Inverfin and SENATUR, the Paraguayan tourism department, has provided investment to women who wish to turn their private homes into ‘posadas’ – tourist lodges. The program has been a huge success, with […]

“Beyond the Rings” – a shortfilm about the Kayan women

A while back we were approached by filmmaker Marko Randelovic, who shared with us his film Beyond The Rings, which takes viewers on a journey to meet the Kayan women, also known as “the long necked women”. It’s a beautifully shot film which approaches its subjects with sensitivity and is narrated by one of the […]

TripaSista – a travel directory for women

This post is a contribution by Kim Burgess, co-founder of TripaSista, an Australian travel directory dedicated to catering for women travelers. Growing up on the east coast of Australia during the 1970’s and 80’s was idyllic and beautiful albeit quiet and isolated – and very “white”. The only way to experience life beyond the mind-numbing […]

Maram Kokani, first female General Manager in Saudi Arabia

The below was reproduced with permission from Inge Huijbrechts, Global Vice President Responsible Business for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. In it, Maram Kokani tells of her professional life as the first female General Manager in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Worldwide Hospitality Award winner 2017. I have been very fortunate that my career in […]

Pottering about in Crete – one woman’s solution to beating business seasonality in Greece

Frosso Bora is a great example of a female tourism entrepreneur – one who has created a successful and profitable business in a traditionally patriarchal country. Despite having the additional disadvantage of being a non-local in a ‘closed’ island community (Rethymno, Crete), Frosso’s determination, business acumen, and artistic talent have seen her establish a successful […]

Kellys Confederadas – mobilising for the rights of hotel cleaners

The ‘Kellys Confederadas’ movement started in the summer of 2014. Having read an article about hotel cleaners, friends Eulalia (Lali) and Ana contacted the journalist who’d written the piece, Ernest Cañada, and offered to share their own experiences as cleaners. Ernest was keen to hear more, so for the first interview they brought together 20 […]