From the serene backwaters of Kumarakom to the rugged off-road trails of Wayanad, Kerala is rewriting the travel narrative for women. Long gone are the days when solo women travellers viewed ‘God’s Own Country’ with hesitation; today, the state is a safe place for women to travel with ease.
Through a partnership between the Tourism Department’s Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission Society (KRTMS) and UN Women, a United Nations organisation dedicated to promoting gender equality and empowering women, the state has transformed its landscape where women are not just protected guests but the very architects of the tourism experience. By blending grassroots entrepreneurship with safety audits, Kerala has created a destination where hospitality and gender inclusivity are seamlessly connected.
According to Kerala Tourism Minister Mohammed Riyas, women travellers from India and abroad vouch for Kerala as one of the safest places in the world where travellers can experience its diverse charms with ease. The state has also completed gender and safety audits in a number of tourist locations, identifying infrastructure and behavioural improvements needed to make travel safer for host women and women travellers.
Upcoming projects such as Her Trails —a women’s off-road expedition in Wayanad planned for 2026 — are designed to prove that adventure and safety can coexist for solo women travellers.
“The mission of Her Trails, a programme organised by the Wayanad Eco Tourism Association in association with KRTMS, is to make travellers and tourists understand that Wayanad is a safe, sustainable, and women-friendly destination through a unique adventure experience. It is crafted to inspire, empower, and create meaningful connections between women, nature, and culture. From dense forests to rugged trails, this two-day experience blends adventure with purpose, topped with a powerful women’s conclave featuring trailblazers who have broken barriers and rewritten their story,” says Ranjini Menon, curator of Her Trails.
To motivate women to come to the mainstream of society and governance, their participation is encouraged through myriad entrepreneurial innovations. The nondescript village of Maravanathuruthu in Kottayam district deserves a special mention as empowerment of the womenfolk has brought transformation in the lives of the local communities. With the implementation of the Women-Friendly Tourism project, Ambili M Soman, founder of Grassroots Journeys, plunged into tourism with a home-cooked ethnic food trail in Maravanathuruthu and subsequently diversified into women-only tours that have gained popularity. Starting as a travel entrepreneur, she is also a resource person for UN Women.
Vidhya MV, managing director of Inisheative Experiences, conducts specialised training programmes for women to start tourism related companies, tourism management, digital marketing, hospitality services, and sustainable business practices. Orientation programmes are also organised for different stakeholders such as auto and taxi drivers, homestay owners, and so on to ensure that the destination remains women-friendly.
There are other success stories waiting to be heard. “Curating tour packages and selling destinations is my bread and butter but environmental protection is close to my heart,” says Julie Joy Attokaran, MD of DDH Hospitality. Currently this enterprising travel entrepreneur is deeply involved in mass awareness campaigns, waste management, and cleaning up operations in tourist destinations like Kava and Malampuzha, and firefighting efforts in the forests of Nelliyampathy. To encourage sustainable tourism practices, she plans to promote cloth bags and paper bags as souvenirs for tourists to take back home.
“The genesis of the ‘Women-Friendly Tourism Project’ can be traced back to 2022. It has now expanded across Kerala, drawing the participation of more than 17,000 women as entrepreneurs, guides, homestay owners, and tour operators. About 1,50,000 families are part of the Responsible Tourism Mission activities. Rs 10 crore is earmarked for women empowerment activities, which is 50% of the allocation for RT,” says Rupesh Kumar, CEO, RT Mission.
Subsequently, the Global Women’s Conference on gender-inclusive and responsible tourism in 2024 supported by UN Women led to the Kerala Declaration on Women Friendly Tourism. The declaration underlined Kerala’s commitment to integrating gender equality in all aspects of tourism, from policy to practice.
Placing women at the heart of its tourism development strategy, Kerala’s gender-inclusive tourism policy has also established a national model for India and can be leveraged anywhere. “It is heartening to know that the trend-setting woman-friendly tourism policy of Kerala is being seen as a sterling model of gender-inclusive and responsible tourism development not only by other Indian states but also by leading tourism brands abroad,” adds Minister Riyas.
The gender-inclusive approach ensures women are not only beneficiaries but active partners in tourism. Explaining the initiative, Rupesh Kumar says, “Kerala is the first state in the country to introduce such women-friendly initiatives that encourage women to play key roles as entrepreneurs and professionals in the tourism and hospitality sectors. The project incorporated the participation of women in a plethora of activities and services such as catering, accommodation, transportation, and community guides. Promotion of local cuisine is one of the important features of RT. The increase in homestays has generated several employment opportunities for women, especially in food preparation and housekeeping.”
Kumbalangi, Kumarakom, and Maravanathuruthu have become models for women-friendly travel through its community-led initiatives. They are now live examples of how tourism can make a meaningful difference in the lives of local residents by creating several lessons on people participation, grassroot-level leadership, women empowerment, sustainable livelihood, agricultural production, destination management, and environmental preservation. A series of gender audits have already been conducted in five key destinations, namely Kanthallor, Kumarakom, Perumpalam, Kadalundi, and Kanakakunnu Palace, marking a significant move.
KRTMS has also announced monetary help to women-run tourism units for a string of women-friendly initiatives like Fresh Up Homes, Experience Ethnic Cuisine, and Women’s RT Club, besides one-time financial aid for women enterprises. “Women-run units can also apply for financial aid under the entrepreneurship development category, which includes setting up of souvenir/handicrafts shops and ethnic food restaurants,” explained Rupesh Kumar.
Plans are on the anvil to develop an app that will provide a comprehensive guide to women-friendly products and travel packages, travel agencies, women tour guides, women-led handicraft/souvenir units, and exclusive women tourism units and homestays.
Susheela Nair is an independent food, travel and lifestyle writer and photographer contributing articles, content and images to several national publications besides organising seminars and photo exhibitions. Her writings span a wide spectrum which also includes travel portals and guide books, brochures and coffee table books.
Views expressed are the author’s own.