Intrepid Travel – the B Corp certified leader in responsible travel – is relaunching its range of Women’s Expeditions with new and redesigned tours in time for International Women’s Day. The new Women’s Expeditions are designed to support and empower communities in Peru, India, Iran, Morocco, and Jordan that have been deeply affected by the pandemic.

As reported by UNWTO, women in the global travel sector have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.  Since they tend to work in low-skilled or informal jobs, they have less access to government support and a reduced capacity to absorb the economic impact of the pandemic.

Guided by local female tour leaders, Women’s Expeditions were created to offer travellers an insight into the daily lives and challenges of women in other countries. They offer experiences that wouldn’t be possible with men in the group, such as visiting a beauty salon in Iran or travelling in a women-only train carriage.  The tours aim to challenge traditional gender boundaries in tourism and encourage female empowerment around the world.

After initially launching as a limited-edition range in 2018 with tours in Morocco, Jordan and Iran, the trips became some of the most popular in the company’s 30+ year history, prompting Intrepid to add tours in Turkey, Kenya, India and Nepal in 2019. Having been on pause due to the pandemic since early 2020, Intrepid will now reintroduce them in countries that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.