In celebration of International Women’s Day (which is every day, frankly), we’re calling on travellers to rethink how you travel with our list of simple actions that weave women’s empowerment into your holiday plans all year long. As part of that, we’re shining a light on local women around the world, who challenge social norms and gender inequality to empower and uplift women in their communities.
Uplifting local women through travel has been at the heart of our community tourism approach for over three decades. Together with our non profit partner Planeterra, we work year-round to create employment and education opportunities for disadvantaged and marginalized women. Combined we support 54 initiatives fostering women’s participation in leadership roles across 22 countries, directly benefiting 2,616 women through tourism. Since the launch of ‘Project 300’, which sees us and Planeterra working to reach 300 community tourism projects by 2030, a number of new female-led initiatives are in development for 2025.
Here are some simple changes to create lasting impact for local women around the world:
Choose an operator employing women tour leaders
Seeing the world with female tour leaders at the helm is a powerful way to ensure women are benefitting from your travels. In many countries, tourism is viewed as a male sector and women are overlooked, especially when it comes to tour guiding. By opting for a company employing female guides, travellers not only offer empowerment and employment to the women, but you help challenge and change the social narrative around women in travel.
Stay with local families
In many destinations, women run the household. But often, their access to employment opportunities is limited. Homestays give travellers the opportunity to build meaningful connections with local people and see a destination through their eyes. It gives women the chance to celebrate their culture, share stories, and earn independent income.
Eat in restaurants that empower women
Exploring a destination through taste and flavours is part of the joy of travel. But beyond just filling your stomach, a meal in a female-run or operated restaurant provides a vital source of economic independence for women in disadvantaged communities, and helps them gain confidence and experience to move into other areas if desired.
Seek out female-founded co-ops
Go beyond the ‘10 best things to do’ lists to seek out local co-operatives uplifting local women. There are thousands of female-founded co-ops around the world with trailblazing women behind them, working to better the lives of more women in the community. Planeterra is a trove of info about organizations that support and uplift women.
Tell your friends
Sharing knowledge and lessons learned from meeting women from different cultures across the globe, whether it’s word of mouth or via social media, is a powerful way to inspire others. Use your voice and community to help others rethink how they travel and guide them to better ways to see the world and support local women. Need some inspiration? Check out our Women’s Travel Hub chock full of inspiring women from across the world of G Adventures.
Ask questions
When choosing your operator or travel agent, ask questions about any initiatives in place to empower women on their trips. Any responsible operator or agent is ready with data-backed examples of how the trips they recommend have a positive impact on local communities. And wouldn’t you know it, we’ve got plenty!
Here are just a few real life stories of trailblazing women who, through community tourism and our partnership with Planeterra, are empowered to achieve great things and uplift other women within their communities.
Back in 2012, Shila Amatya opened her home to people exploring the ancient village of Panauti in the Kathmandu area of Nepal. Soon, local women were inspired to do the same. Initially, the homestays were about challenging the lack of opportunity often faced by women in rural areas. Ultimately, it also became a chance to continue important traditions while creating a valuable income source for a group who previously had no access to their own money.
Today, the women behind the Panauti Community Homestay are seen as pioneers – the initiative has spread to 36 communities in 362 households across Nepal, and helped promote sustainable tourism by bringing travellers to lesser-known destinations. Shila says it also means women can spend money on their children’s health and education, and have their own bank accounts – something she describes as “incredibly empowering”.
Empower local women on: Nepal: Mountains and Temples
As part of this 10-day trip, you spend a day and night at a Panauti Community Homestay home, learning to cook with the family and sleeping in their warm and welcoming rural home.
Ms Kim is the founder of Lady Tuk Tuk Driver, an association helping travellers explore the Cambodian city of Siem Reap and its ancient temples. But it also does so much more than that: Ms Kim’s main mission is to empower women in the area, helping them to be confident, independent, and able to earn reliable income to support their families – all by driving tuk tuks!
Ms Kim understood the need for this firsthand. Despite the challenges she knew she’d face in this typically male-dominated industry she wasn’t deterred – and continues with her goal to provide a better future for her two young children while helping other women do the same.
Empower local women on: Southeast Asia Immersion: Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand & Laos
This Geluxe Collection adventure – with one-of-a-kind-accommodation – sees you whizzing through the streets of Siem Reap with a Lady Tuk Tuk driver, before dining at Spoons, an organization helping underprivileged young adults get hospitality industry experience.
The village of San Antonio, a community of 3,500 people in western Belize, is rooted in Mayan traditions and heavily reliant on subsistence agriculture. Education for women and girls isn’t a priority and that lack of education leads to unemployment at a young age and perpetuates a cycle of poverty. Determined to change this, a group of nine Mayan women formed the San Antonio Women’s Co-op (SAWC) with the goal to empower women and inspire the next generation.
Through the co-op, they found a way to earn an income, develop new skills, and share their traditional knowledge with visitors and local youth. Beyond tourism, the women also created a community fund to support young girls’ education. Thanks to this initiative, numerous girls in the community graduated from high school – an opportunity that’s normally out of reach.
Empower local women on: Solo-ish Belize
As part of this seven-day trip, you get to visit the co-op, try hands-on ancient Mayan pottery techniques, tuck into a delicious homemade meal, and buy locally made crafts, if you wish.
Located in western Turkey, çöp(m)adam is a social enterprise creating opportunities for women who’ve never had a salary before. Turkey’s female employment rate is at around 30%, and the organization not only helps women start earning, but gives them confidence to seek other careers afterwards. The goal isn’t just to empower women, but to minimize waste by creating stylish, practical bags and other household items. The çöp means “rubbish” in Turkish, and madam is the same as the French word for “female”, so çöp(m)adam literally translates to “rubbish ladies”.
Since its launch in 2008, over 500 women have worked with çöp(m)adam with many moving on to other jobs. And that’s exactly the point – to employ women who’ve never had a salaried job before and launch them into greater opportunities.
Empower local women on: Highlights of Turkey
Our unforgettable eight-day adventure combines the ancient sites of Troy and Ephesus with otherworldly Cappadocia. Plus: meals with local families, a trip to meet the women at çöp(m)adam, and a chance to buy their upcycled bags.
The Lusumpuko Women’s Cooperative formed in 2018 by a group of resilient women – single mothers and widows – banding together in Victoria Falls townships. Many of these women, affected by the long-term impacts of HIV/AIDS and other socio-economic struggles, took on the role of primary breadwinners providing for their children and often extended families. What started as a humble chicken-rearing project grew into a thriving community tourism initiative.
Zimbabwe faces severe financial and employment challenges, yet the women of Lusumpuko have not given up, always committed to creating financial stability and better opportunities for their community. One initiative is their Lunch Club for travellers to Victoria Falls, the money from which helps the women send their children to school. They’ve also inspired their daughters to pursue careers in hospitality, and with the knowledge they gained from working in kitchens and hosting travellers, many of the girls are now true entrepreneurs.
Empower local women on: Botswana and Falls Overland: Wildlife Walks and Safari Drives
Our 8-day trip geared at 18-to-Thirtysomethings, takes you from Johannesburg into Botswana, touring rhino sanctuaries by jeep at the Okavango Delta in a mokoro. Stop in Victoria Falls at the Lusumpuko Women’s Club, where the women show how Zimbabweans traditionally eat their food before serving you a farm-to-table meal.
Despite significant progress in support for women’s rights in Morocco over the years, there are still challenges for women and girls in rural communities, including high dropout rates at school, high maternal mortality due to lack of access to healthcare, domestic violence, and discrimination. To help, AFER’s homlunch program funnels more money into community initiatives, like assisting differently-abled people living in rural M’Haya, running a local ambulance service, supporting 19 literacy groups with lessons in French and Arabic, and five sewing cooperatives for rural women.
Today, it helps support the long-term job development of women in rural Morocco, with extra funds going to health and education initiatives for a network of over 700 women and children.
Empower local women on: Morocco Kasbahs & Desert
On this fast-paced 8-day adventure, you take in Morocco’s must-see highlights from the Sahara to the medinas of Marrakech. In Mhaya village, close to Fes, you’ll feast on a traditional lunch, the proceeds of which help provide access to education and healthcare for village women. Feel inspired as the women share their personal stories about AFER’s impact on their lives.
The Women’s Development Centre (WDC) in Kandy, Sri Lanka has worked to create equal opportunities for women since 1986. This nonprofit runs initiatives to combat violence against women and empower them as equal members of society, one of which is Sthree – a handicraft shop for women entrepreneurs. At its core, Sthree Craft Shop and Café gives women a platform to gain financial stability, and create opportunity for economically and socially marginalized producers.
Currently, they engage 275 women entrepreneurs and products from an extra 100 women entrepreneurs are for sale on entrepreneurial online platforms like Who We Are. As well as helping women earn their own income, both with a physical shop and business support, a portion of the shop’s revenue goes to supporting entrepreneurs with transportation, food, accommodation, and exhibition opportunities. Sthree also uses profits to support a crisis centre for women survivors of violence. The multi-pronged approach enhances economic opportunities for women in the area and contributes to the overall empowerment and sustainability of the wider community.
Empower local women on: Sri Lanka Encompassed
From tea plantations and rock fortresses to laid-back beaches and colourful cities, our two-week trip is designed to please. As part of it, you’ll visit Sthree in Kandy to feast on a delicious lunch prepared by the women, and learn about the amazing work the Women’s Development Centre does across Sri Lanka.
