‘Tourism is one of the world’s largest industries’, claims industry influencer Rafat Ali, the founder of Skift, to the UNWTO. The ‘UNWTO Tourism Highlight’ (2017 Edition) mentions, “Over the past six decades, tourism has experienced continued expansion and diversification to become one of the largest and fastest-growing economic sectors in the world. Many new destinations have emerged in addition to the traditional favorites of Europe and North America.”
As per the report, international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) reached a total of 1,235 million in 2016. This was 46 million more than in 2015 or an increase of 3.9 percent. According to The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – the tourism industry offers 101 million jobs worldwide. Taking into account all jobs are indirectly related to tourism, this sector provides one in eleven jobs. So, it is clear that there are many travel business ideas that women can choose and thrive in.
But what do women have in common with this industry?
Advantages of Choosing a Travel Business Idea for Women
- Women Entrepreneurship -UNWTO claims that the tourism industry has almost twice as many women employers as other sectors. It further adds that more than 70 percent of business owners are women in Nicaragua and Panama.
- Employment – As per the report by the International Labour Organization, women make up between 60-70% of the labor force in the hotel sector. 71 percent of managers and administrators in tourism are women in Bulgaria alone.
- Leadership – UNWTO says that in tourism businesses, associations and tourism governance women are more likely to have a leadership voice than in other industrial sectors.
Having said that, if you love to travel, this might be the time to pull up your socks. We will tell you why!
Benefits of Tourism Business for Women
- Employment
From food vendors to tour guides, tourism creates a path for many small business ideas and thus encourages employment.
- Preserve Culture
Tourism inspires the spread of local culture. If you have the talent of talking for hours about how good your locals, city, or country is then might as well make it your business.
- Wealth Generation
One of the most obvious benefits of the tourism business is, of course, the money it brings in. The business of tourism can easily generate a massive amount of capital with comparatively less investment.
Also Read: Tips For Women Starting Their Entrepreneurial Journey
Ladies! Let’s See Some Travel Business Ideas To Opt For
Looking for ways to start your entrepreneur career in the Travel and Tourism industry? Here are a few ideas for brainstorming.
Walking Tours
Can you guide a bunch of strangers picked through a social media invite? Then put your best foot forward for the ‘Walking Tours’. As the name suggests, it is all about exploring the city on foot.
Advantages: Low maintenance, less investment, you can be yourself (just be polite!), find and explore hidden gems with strangers who will never judge you (even if they do, they are total strangers), it is fun and a genuine experience.
Travel Blogger
Do you like to pen down your experiences? Then this is the job for you. Blogs are a way to reach the heart of the reader and what can be better than elaborating your travel experiences for your readers!
A travel blog takes you to a dream destination on a paper plane. Travel Bloggers often create helpful guides to explore new cities, food, hidden locations, must-visit places along with providing fascinating photos to lure you into the place.
However, before you sharpen your pencil, it is important to know that blogging can be time-consuming. It is not easy money. It takes time before you start to earn real money through blogging. But when you do, just imagine a life where you will get paid for traveling!
Travel Vlogger
The new trend is all about social media. And at the time when everyone is strolling the Instagram reels, you don’t need to worry about being bad at writing. Pick up your smartphone and you are ready to roll! Vlogging is a lucrative business with just you, your camera, and a few editing tricks up your sleeve.
Translator
Yes, it pays if you are multilingual. Translators are in-demand in almost every industry. And if you are not sure where to start, offer to tour guides, restaurants, hotels to help them with translating the promotional materials or menus or audiobooks for an insignificant amount.
Event Planner
Destination Wedding? Conferences? Marathons? Pre-Wedding Shoots? You name it and we have a job for you – An Event Planner. Use your creativity and ideas for your clients and make their day special. And you know what? Get paid for that heftily. The globe is in your hand, swirl it!
While these are few out-of-the-box business ideas that are trending these days for the globe-trotters; you can still opt for the already-in-practice ideas like Travel Agent, Ticket Booker, Tour Guide, or Photographer. These are practiced ideas and thus have minimum obstacles.
Read More: First Woman Entrepreneur of India – Kalpana Saroj
As we all know, an increasing number of women are travelers worldwide. This may range from business travels to pleasure outings. And nobody wants to limit this opportunity to create an impression on the businesswomen and women traveling alone. The travel industry competes for these clients as they can be impressed with a genuine effort. In these unmentioned competitions, they often cliché the entire process by offering special care offers like complimentary spa and beauty packages, or more so, they advertise their rooms boasting luxury living.
One such example is the Bella Sky Comwell in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2011, the hotel with 812 rooms declared the 17th floor “Belladonna Floor”, to which men were not allowed to access, not even male staff.
If you see, there are a lot of opportunities for women entrepreneurs in the tourism industry. As a woman, all you need to do is tie up your hair and get to business!
