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Women’s Participation in Community-Based Tourism During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case of Sengwe Community in Zimbabwe

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COVID-19, Tourist Destinations and Prospects for Recovery

Abstract

Rural women are involved in community-based tourism initiatives at varying degrees. This chapter aims to determine the levels of involvement of rural women in community-based tourism activities. Also, the research addresses how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced rural women’s participation in community-based tourism. Empirical data from 40 women involved in community-based tourism in the Sengwe community, Zimbabwe, were used in the study. Based on Reid’s ladder of participation, the results indicate that women passively participate in community-based tourism by attending meetings to get feedback, and the least number self-mobilise themselves and participate as entrepreneurs. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic constrained the ability of women to run viable craft ventures due to limited markets and increased family care burden. The findings add to the discussion on how women’s participation in rural economies influences household livelihoods during the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, few studies have been concerned with ascertaining the nature of women’s participation in community-based tourism in rural contexts. This study identifies how rural women participate in community-based tourism and their impact on rural livelihoods.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure Sciences Department, Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences, Mutare, Zimbabwe

    Godfrey Makandwa

  2. Business Enterprise and Management Department, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe

    Forbes Makudza

  3. Applied Business Sciences Department, Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences, Mutare, Zimbabwe

    Simbarashe Muparangi

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  1. Godfrey Makandwa
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  2. Forbes Makudza
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Correspondence to Godfrey Makandwa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Tourism and Integrated Communication, Faculty of Human Sciences, Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa

    Kaitano Dube

  2. Chinhoyi University of Technology, School of Wildlife and Environmental Sciences, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe

    Olga L. Kupika

  3. Institute for Corporate Citizenship, University of South Africa, Unisa, Pretoria, South Africa

    David Chikodzi

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Makandwa, G., Makudza, F., Muparangi, S. (2023). Women’s Participation in Community-Based Tourism During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case of Sengwe Community in Zimbabwe. In: Dube, K., Kupika, O.L., Chikodzi, D. (eds) COVID-19, Tourist Destinations and Prospects for Recovery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28340-6_7

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