Celebrating innovative, resilient women in tourism

This Women’s Month, we’re celebrating the extraordinary women who lead and shape South Africa’s tourism sector. With nearly 70% of the country’s tourism workforce, women’s contributions too often go unacknowledged, so I was inspired to dedicate an entire episode of CapeNature’s Green Noise podcast to them. The SHE‑E‑O’s of Tourism’ features two outstanding leaders and tourism partners sharing stories of innovation, resilience, and community impact amidst the breathtaking setting of CapeNature’s Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve near Stellenbosch

We have a very strong CEO who is a female. Most of our C-suite are females, and within my team, the majority are females. It's not something that we necessarily put out there, but it's something we know will be done automatically.

Getting into it as an entrepreneur was quite a natural flow, and I'm always excited about the opportunities that tourism brings. Any destination can narrow the gap between the rich and poor, in urban and rural areas. I've always been drawn to this industry for so many reasons.

I didn't realise that it was so cold on the other side. You realise that there's a lot of support or incentives, but they're either sporadic or inconsistent. And half the time, you wonder, is it a tick box exercise or does it lack a sort of long-term vision?

With Love from Locals was born out of the insight that for people who come to a destination, there's no better way to teach or learn about a destination than from listening to the people who actually live there, because we are ultimately the best storytellers of our destination.

Just having somebody that wouldn't necessarily be on your newsfeed or your Instagram reels is somebody like Aunty Poppy. The idea was to take these locals and suddenly put them onto people's reels and their Instagram feeds, and then we go up the West Coast speaking the local language of the San people and the heritage and the culture.

At CapeNature, we believe that conversations like these are essential. They amplify authentic female voices, showcase the economic and cultural pillars women represent, and serve as motivation for the next generation of women conservationists, entrepreneurs, and storytellers. By literally standing in the river with our guests, we framed tourism as a shared journey across boundaries and underscored the importance of giving women space to be seen, heard, and celebrated.