Social enterprise Women in Travel CIC [Community Interest Company] has launched The Tour Guiding Academy, an online training portal which teaches participants to develop a day tour based on their own experiences.
The training focuses on personal storytelling and exploring destinations through the lives of the guides delivering them.
For every person who registers for the training at a cost of £350, Women in Travel will donate access to the same training to a disadvantaged woman from its community without the means to pay.
This supports the social enterprise’s wider mission to provide all women with the opportunity to “fulfil their economic and individual potential through employability and entrepreneurship”.
A team of global experts and tutors will deliver the training programme, that can be taken at the participants’ own pace.
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Alessandra Alonso, founder and managing director of Women in Travel CIC, said: “The Covid-19 crisis disproportionately affected women at all levels of society, but it also allowed us to connect with our own communities like never before.
“That is why we saw an opportunity to provide local women with the skills and confidence to design and deliver tours within their neighbourhoods, in turn giving them freedom, opportunity and revenue.
“We started the process in 2020 and we are now building on and elevating that concept to reach many more women.
“Consumers have an appetite for more personal and authentic insights, so we think the Tour Guiding Academy is going to be a win-win for individuals, businesses and consumers.
“Most importantly it enables us to provide opportunities for income generation and even employment to women who most need it.”
Women in Travel is also calling on tour operators and other relevant travel businesses to put staff members through the training.
Furthermore, it encourages them to use academy graduates as suppliers, helping clients and customers enjoy more diversified experiences.
The online training for The Tour Guiding Academy is supported by regular face-to-face, virtual mentoring and engagement to ensure that the graduates feel part of a like-minded community.
