Around the world, tour guides play a crucial role in connecting travellers with new cultures and the communities they visit.

Yet despite growing demand for more inclusive and authentic travel experiences, the profession remains male-dominated, with women still underrepresented. To address this, the TUI Care Foundation has partnered with UK-based social enterprise Women in Travel CIC to launch TUI Futureshapers London, an initiative that supports the training of women from diverse backgrounds to become fully certified tour guides and independent entrepreneurs in London.

Through the programme, participants receive comprehensive training in storytelling, customer engagement, tour creation and marketing. Hosted at the Royal Society of Arts, the curriculum spans extensive training sessions and is followed by in-depth mentoring that equips the women with the tools to launch and manage their own walking tours – from invoicing and freelancing to the fundamentals of running a micro-business.

Alexander Panczuk, Managing Director of the TUI Care Foundation, said: "TUI Futureshapers London is about unlocking potential and providing a platform for diverse voices in the tourism sector. These women bring rich cultural perspectives and powerful personal stories that help visitors experience the city in an entirely new way. We’re proud to support this inclusive and entrepreneurial approach to tourism.”

The project encourages the participating women to draw from their personal histories and cultural identities, giving rise to unique walking tours that celebrate London’s immense cultural diversity while offering financial independence and income opportunities to the guides.

Tours launched at the beginning of the summer and are available to the public. They currently include, amongst others, a Saudi cultural experience on Edgware Road led by Amal Ahmed, including traditional hospitality, Arabic scents, music, and dance; and a journey through Syrian heritage with Nadia Aburdene, exploring Syrian art, cuisine, and customs in west London.

All tour guides are graduates of Women in Travel CIC’s Tour Guiding Academy, originally started with Google’s support and elevated through additional funding from the TUI Care Foundation and mentoring from TUI employees, including industry experts such as Klaudija Janzelj, Head of City Experiences at TUI. Klaudija Janzelj commented: “The result of the women’s hard work is a series of engaging, immersive tours in London that show a different side to the city beyond the obvious sights, and which comes from a fun, informative, authentic and truly unique perspective. These tours offer exactly what today’s travel industry - and inquisitive travellers - are looking for: meaningful ways to connect more deeply with a destination.”

Alessandra Alonso, Founder and Managing Director of Women in Travel CIC, added: "I passionately believe in the power of these new tours as a catalyst for a more inclusive world. We’re celebrating the different communities and cultures living here in the UK, because there are so many stories, rich experiences and so much beauty to be enjoyed on our doorsteps, from the music, dance and perfume of Saudi Arabia to the art and design of Damascus, the food of Ukraine and the historical connections between the UK and the Iberian peninsula.”

The collaboration with TUI will enable the guides to continue leading city tours for international holidaymakers beyond the training period, ensuring that their entrepreneurial journeys are sustainable and scalable.

TUI Futureshapers London is part of the global TUI Futureshapers programme, which empowers young people and women to turn social challenges into entrepreneurial opportunities in tourism destinations across the world such as Tunisia, Sweden, Portugal, Greece or Tanzania.