Intrepid partners with international development agency to boost female participation in tourism in Lanka

Intrepid Travel, world leader in responsible travel, is joining forces with the Market Development Facility (MDF), an Australian Government funded program that promotes sustainable economic development across diverse sectors, to support female empowerment through training and career development in the traditionally male dominated Sri Lankan tourism sector.

The partnership will aim to build capacity for female suppliers to become more market ready and create a pipeline for employment as trip leaders. Intrepid currently employs four female trip leaders in a total pool of 30 in Sri Lanka and has committed to increasing female representation by 40-50% by 2025.

Women’s participation in the country’s travel and tourism industry is low, with estimates suggesting that just 10% of the workforce comprises women, while female ownership of SMEs is projected to be around just 25% nationally.

Intrepid launched this product range in 2018 as a way to break down barriers, foster discussion and create immersive local experiences for women that are ordinarily off limits on mixed-group departures. The range currently includes trips in Pakistan, Turkiye, Jordan, Morocco, Nepal and India and has proved to be among the company’s top-sellers.

The initiative will also enhance the skills and knowledge of women by identifying and supporting 10 potential scholarship candidates for the National Tour Guide License test, creating a group of tour guide leaders. To kickstart the program, training sessions will be conducted across three provinces (Central, East, and Uva), targeting female participants from locally-owned businesses. Speaking to the partnership, Intrepid’s General Manager, Purpose, Sara King said: “Intrepid has a track record championing inclusivity across our trips and offices, and we want to build on this to deliver meaningful economic and social impact through tourism for women in this exciting destination.”