In conjunction with International Women’s Day, G Adventures and its non-profit partner Planeterra are announcing the introduction of five new community tourism projects designed to empower local women in the countries the travel company visits, supporting the nearly 500 women who help operate the five social enterprises.
The new projects include the Kirtipur Community Homestay in Newari, Nepal, which is run by local Indigenous women; Restaurante El Manglar in Izabel, Guatemala, founded by the Cayo Quemado Women’s Committee; and the Ban Ou Community Tourism Project in Luang Prabang, Laos, which will offer travellers experiences such as making Laos rice noodles and learning traditional weaving.
All projects are designed to empower local women to earn an income, share and preserve their local traditions, and uplift their local communities as a result. Three of the projects were also funded by donations made during Planeterra’s 20th anniversary campaign and G Adventures’ inaugural GX community tourism summit, held in Cusco, Peru, in September last year.
G Adventures and Planeterra, with which the projects were developed, have also recently announced an ambitious initiative – Project 300 – which will see 300 social enterprises built into G Adventures trips by 2030.
The addition of the five new projects brings the total number of community enterprises G Adventures and Planeterra have designed to support local women to 28 in 19 countries, empowering the thousands of women involved in delivering experiences to travellers.
The final two women’s empowerment experiences being announced for travellers to experience in 2024 are the Lady Tuk Tuk Driver Association in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and artisan cooperative, Mujeres Artesanas Zoológico Mágico, located in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Travellers can experience the new women’s empowerment projects on these G Adventure trips:
Restaurante El Manglar – Mayan Encounter: Restaurante El Manglar in Izabel, Guatemala, was created with the goal of creating new employment and training opportunities for the community. The women running the restaurant span various age groups – bridging both older and younger generations – making this enterprise a unifying force for women in Cayo Quemado, with a clear commitment to nurturing future generations. Women and youth share the local culture with travellers by offering a “Caribbean Gastronomic Experience” with a workshop dedicated to creating a local dish called “Ceviche al Coco,” which is ceviche marinated with coconut milk.
Kirtipur Community Experience – Annapurna Sanctuary: The Kirtipur Community Homestay is led by Indigenous women and offers travellers the opportunity to stay in the heart of Nepal’s Newari town across five homestays. Historically, Kirtipur was an agricultural community, but with the loss of land, the need to create employment opportunities, particularly for women, became increasingly urgent. This initiative provides hospitality for travellers and creates employment, playing a vital role in preserving the age-old culinary traditions of the Newari culture. Travellers will participate in a session learning to scribe Ranjana Lippi, the Newari calligraphic script, and savour local cuisine making momoa, as well as exploring local life and culture on a walking tour.
Ban Ou Community Tourism – Thailand and Laos Adventure: Although many tour buses pass through Ban Ou en route to the renowned Kuang Si waterfall, a key attraction in Luang Prabang, up until now, the local community has not benefited from these visits. Today, Ban Ou Community Tourism engages ten out of the 60 families in directly offering tourism experiences to travellers. The community empowers women to participate and lead in tourism activities, including the making of Laos rice noodles, weaving, and authentic meal experiences. Additionally, the involvement of elderly community members adds a special touch to the traditional Baci ceremony, a warm welcome deeply rooted in Lao culture. The ultimate goal is to uplift the community through tourism, while still embracing their traditional culture.
Lady Tuk Tuk Driver Association – Cambodia Experience: As tourism recovered and borders began to reopen in Cambodia, solo mother Kim decided to register the Lady Tuk-Tuk Driver group as an association to offer tuk-tuk transportation services to travellers looking to discover the beauty of Siem Reap, the home of Angkor Wat and many ancient temples. The mission of the Lady Tuk-Tuk Driver group goes beyond that, as they also seek to empower women to be confident and independent, given most of them serve as the leader of their families. The women now use the income from tourism to support their families.
Asociación de Mujeres Artesanas Zoológico Mágico – Mexico City to Oaxaca – Pottery and Aztec Pyramids: This newly formed cooperative was founded by 13 women in Oaxaca who aspire to foster growth and generate employment opportunities for women and youth through art. Their primary objective is to preserve the Zapotec culture and the artisanal process of creating alebrijes; wooden figures that represent different animals of the Zapotec culture. Travellers are now able to experience the making of alebrijes, with this additional revenue increasing the women’s income so the community is also able to grow.