Photo credits: Rachel Claire
How Women Are Breaking Barriers in Africa’s Sustainable Tourism Industry
“Tourism can be a tool for empowerment when it starts from the community level. When women see value in what they have their culture, environment, and stories they become the true custodians of sustainability.” Maria Baryamujura – Founder, COBATI Uganda
Across Africa, women are driving a quiet revolution in sustainable tourism. They are turning challenges into opportunities, leading eco-lodges, protecting natural heritage, shaping policy, and re-imagining how tourism can empower people and protect the planet. Despite long-standing barriers such as limited access to capital, education, and leadership spaces, African women are redefining the industry with innovation, inclusivity, and purpose.
Here are five ways women are breaking barriers and building a more sustainable tourism future across the continent:
- Leading Community-Based Tourism Initiatives
Women at the grassroots level are taking ownership of tourism enterprises that directly benefit their communities. Through homestays, cultural experiences, and eco-tours, they are ensuring that tourism income stays local supporting livelihoods, education, and environmental conservation.
For example, Judy Kepher-Gona, founder of the Sustainable Travel and Tourism Agenda (STTA) in Kenya, has spent decades empowering local communities to develop responsible tourism ventures that protect their ecosystems and cultures. STTA’s programs promote community ownership and train women to lead in tourism management and certification.
Similarly, Maria Baryamujura, founder of COBATI Uganda, knows just how to innovate and make tourism work for rural communities. Maria’s vision was simple yet powerful: to make tourism work for the people who live closest to Uganda’s natural and cultural heritage. Instead of tourism being confined to lodges and tour operators, she wanted rural households to be active participants offering authentic cultural experiences, local cuisine, and traditional crafts to visitors.
- Innovating Through Eco-Entrepreneurship
Women entrepreneurs are reimagining tourism businesses through a sustainability lens blending environmental responsibility with innovation and modern business models.
In The Gambia, Fatou Jeng, founder of Clean Earth Gambia, uses eco-tours and environmental education as tools to promote climate awareness. Her community-based activities including mangrove restoration and plastic waste campaigns are integrated into tourism experiences that teach visitors about responsible travel.
Meanwhile, organizations like Tierranjani Africa, a women-led collective are working to strengthen sustainable tourism enterprises across Africa. Through capacity-building, research, and advocacy, Tierranjani Africa supports women entrepreneurs and destination managers to embed sustainability principles in their work and leadership.
- Preserving Culture and Heritage
Cultural tourism offers a powerful way for women to preserve and share Africa’s diverse traditions while creating livelihoods. Women have become the custodians of cultural heritage, blending storytelling, traditional crafts, music, and food into experiences that attract visitors and sustain heritage.
In Namibia’s Damaraland region and its communal conservancies, women are increasingly managing craft-enterprises and cultural tourism experiences from indigenous bushwalks and craft-making to heritage exhibitions. These efforts link local livelihoods, desert ecosystem stewardship and cultural preservation
- Advocating for Gender Equality in Tourism Policy
Beyond grassroots initiatives, women are shaping tourism policy and sustainability frameworks at regional and international levels. They are influencing how governments, NGOs, and private sectors design programs that include women in decision-making processes.
Elcia Grandcourt, Director Regional Department for Africa at the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), has been instrumental in driving gender inclusivity within tourism policy discussions. She emphasizes that sustainable tourism cannot exist without women’s participation and leadership.
- Training and Mentorship for the Next Generation
A sustainable tourism industry must invest in its future and women leaders are doing just that. Across the continent, mentorship programs, scholarships, and training workshops are helping young women develop careers in tourism, hospitality, conservation, and sustainability.
Women in Tourism Ghana organizes regular training sessions on digital marketing, financial literacy, and sustainable business models tailored to women-led tourism enterprises. These programs give participants the confidence and skills to scale their ventures and compete globally.
The impact of women in Africa’s sustainable tourism industry is profound. They are proving that sustainability is not just about conservation; it’s about inclusion, innovation, and empowerment. When women lead, tourism becomes more equitable, resilient, and rooted in community well-being.
From eco-lodges in Ghana to conservation projects in Namibia, and policy halls in Seychelles, women are re-imagining tourism’s role in Africa’s sustainable future, one destination at a time.