WOMEN EMPOWERMENT Discover how visionary women in KwaZulu-Natal are reshaping the tourism industry, from managing luxury hotels to protecting wildlife and leading innovative tours—pioneers who are redefining leadership and driving economic growth in South Africa
For decades, the face of tourism has often been female, but the power behind it has not necessarily been. Women have welcomed guests, serviced rooms, sold holidays and kept much of the hospitality economy functioning. Far fewer have occupied positions from which tourism assets are managed, businesses owned, contracts won and decisions made.
That matters in KwaZulu-Natal, where tourism spans hospitality, conservation, aviation, transport, tour operations, events and cultural enterprises. During the province's 2026 winter season alone, an estimated 920,320 visitors generated approximately R1.9 billion in visitor spend.
So perhaps the more pertinent question this Women's Month is not how many women work in tourism, but what they are leading and how much of the tourism economy they are beginning to influence.
PHILISIWE GUMEDE .
