Women in Travel CIC founder and managing director Alessandra Alonso has delivered a TEDx Talk arguing that guided tours can break down barriers and create a more inclusive world.
The talk was given to an audience in Walthamstow in October 2024, soon after the racially-aggravated riots that took place in the UK in the summer, but it has now become available to view online.
Alonso said: “Our women-led tours, run by brilliant women from diverse backgrounds, are a way for individuals and industry to help break down barriers and foster a better understanding of their neighbouring communities.”
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TEDx Talks are similar in style to TED Talks, but instead of being aimed at a global audience, they are organised by local groups and focused on local communities.
Alonso’s talk was entitled ‘Crossing borders, embracing cultures: Tour guiding as a catalyst for an inclusive world’.
“The message from my TEDx Talk is important now more than ever,” she said.
“We’re living in times where inclusion is under attack and our progress towards a truly equal world risks being reversed.
“Social media driven polarisation is at the highest I can remember, and the rights of marginalised communities are being wound back.”
Women in Travel CIC is a social enterprise that connects diverse female talent to employment opportunities in travel and tourism.
Its Tour Guiding Academy teaches women to design and deliver a short tour based on their own narrative and background, giving voice to different heritages and communities.
Graduates include Vaishali Patel, who runs a tour of Indian culture, traditions, fashion and food in north-west London, and Sefanit Meganiste, who showcases the Ethiopian flavours of Shepherd’s Bush.
The programme is available worldwide, with current trainees based in Scotland, Lebanon, South Africa and Ecuador.
Alonso founded Women in Travel CIC in 2017 with a mission to create a more equitable travel industry. She has held roles at the European Commission, World Travel & Tourism Council and KPMG.