Rural women’s engagement in community-based tourism initiatives and empowerment in Southwestern Uganda

Keywords: Key words: Women, Agency, Tourism, Uganda
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

The growing body of knowledge depicts women’s role in tourism entrepreneurship in developing contexts (Tucker and Boonabaana, 2012; Tucker, 2007; Scheyvens, 2002), either as individuals or in groups (World Bank (2013; UNWTO and UN women, 2011). There is need for contextualised understanding for women’s empowerment processes and outcomes through tourism entrepreneurial initiatives, especially, in the developing contexts.

Therefore, this presentation unpacks different forms of rural women’s agency towards enhanced community-based tourism entrepreneurship in a tourism dependent community in South Western Uganda. The presentation draws on two case studies close to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, South Western Uganda, popular with gorilla ecotourism: (i) Ride 4 a woman (engaged in bicycle rentals, tailoring skills, cultural dancing, crafts and demonstration entreprises, microfinance, and guest house services); and (ii) Buhoma-Mukono Women’s Group (engaged in crafts, cultural performances and microfinance). Data collection utilised qualitative methods: Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with women group leaders and national park management representatives; in-depth interviews (IDI) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with women group members. Data were analysed thematically, through a process of coding and generating themes and categories, that were further synthesized and interlinked to answer the main study objective. Results and conclusion depict the interconnected relationship between collective (power with); instrumental (power to); and intrinsic (power within) agency, as key outcomes for women working in tourism focused groups/associations in communities living close to Bwindi conservation site in Uganda.