Introducing myself and my journal: Women in Tourism

carmelkenya

Women in Tourism

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• Introduction

About Me:
I am a Tour operator/Business owner in Nairobi ( www.masimbasafaris.com ), Kenya. i am a single mother, my son is aged 5 years. I have been in the business for three years now. My belief is that “Hospitality is a gift from God to Women. God created us to take care of others and this comes to us naturally, we were born to nurture”.

Being a woman in travel and tourism in Africa is challenging. Until recently, women were not even allowed to own land in Kenya. Moreover, most of the positions available to women are low paying service positions in the sector. My hope is that women can be recognized for their emotional and physical strength as well as their ability to take care of others, by taking care of each other.

“I am delighted to be a part World Pulse as I believe we need a network to bring women together…We need to get our [national] organizations to recognize women and support them as entrepreneurs. We need to form alliances and work together.

“My goal is to have a tourism business that only employees women, from products to materials, to conservation, to animals, to collecting firewood, women would be in all the roles” i actively support women run businesses in my supply chain. I believe we are more gifted than men in this industry… We have a greater sense of humanity and therefore we are able to see tourism as a way of sharing humanity with our clients and guests.”

My Passions:
Helping women in Tourism by providing internship and guidance

My Challenges:
Tourism in Kenya is male dominated, women are limited to office duties, doing what men do like tour guiding is met with hostility

My Vision for the Future:
Working towards breaking barriers and limitations for women in Tourism

My Areas of Expertise:
Tourism, Tour guiding