The Australian tour operator Intrepid Travel, world leader specializing in responsible and sustainable adventure travel, reiterates its societal commitment to Morocco by actively supporting the government initiative aimed at promoting women’s access to the profession of tourist guide. Zina Bencheikh, CEO Europe, Middle East and Africa of Intrepid Travel underlines the need for gender equality in the profession of tourist guide in Morocco, given that the group accounts for 70% of female customers: “We are committed to as a leading certified B-Corp tourism group, to support female leadership and create gender parity in all skill areas collaborating on our tours. But we are also required to carry out unique 100% female adventure tours, aimed at an international clientele committed to the empowerment of women around the world”. Concretely, the Intrepid Travel Morocco team offers free training to candidates, involves them in the field as local assistants to certified guides, and implements all means in terms of communication to shed light on this profession “culturally reserved for men. For the CEO in Morocco, Hala Benkhaldoun, “it is imperative for us as a niche tour operator, with very high added value, that we can offer innovative tourism products rich in local experience. The inclusion of female guides is both an operational necessity for us, and a strategic goal in terms of social and environmental responsibility”. In addition, the field work of the NGOs, Intrepid Foundation and Education For All, makes it possible every day to collect donations and create favorable conditions for the economic and social development of young girls in rural areas. “We need 250 tour guides by 2026 to bring 50,000 annual travelers back on adventure tours in Morocco. Our goal as a responsible company is to contract as many male as female tourist guides. And that is why we are doing everything we can to support women wishing to apply for the next professional competition organized by the Ministry of Tourism,” explains Hala Benkhaldoun. As a reminder, Intrepid Travel has been established in Morocco since 2007, and today employs more than ten female guides in the Moroccan market, a fairly small workforce given the growing needs in this buoyant market. But which testifies, fortunately, to a strategic reform initiated since 2018 by the Ministry of Tourism, and which has been actively supported by the local office of Intrepid Travel. It should also be noted that only 4% of Moroccan tourist guides are women, knowing that they represent 25% of the active population. In Morocco, Intrepid Travel annually registers 20,000 travelers and nearly 2,000 tours organized in different regions of the Kingdom. The group has also made a commitment to the ONMT to reach a volume of 50,000 travelers by 2026. HZ To go further