Empowering Women through Tourism: A Study on Street vendors at Charminar, Hyderabad

Through out the world, empowerment is one of the major issues in every individual life. World Tourism Organisation as UN agency in tourism started an Action Plan to empower women through tourism under one of the Millennium Development Goals to promote gender equality and empowerment. The action plan mainly focuses on poverty reduction and the enhancement of women’s dignity and role in the work place. Government realized that tourism can be a tool to empower the women, as it is linked to the sustainable development and realization of human rights the best of gender equality can be achieved. Charminar in Hyderabad is one of the popular tourist spot in the country supports many street vending businesses. Despite popular tourist spots and having many street vendors depending on tourism, women are facing inequality and discrimination issues. Several research papers, the relationship between tourism and development has been explored in the discipline of tourism studies and in policy-making circles. However, very little research has been carried out into the women empowerment and gender equality dimensions of this relationship and street vending business. This paper is an attempt to explore some of the issues and challenges involved in women and street vending business of tourism at Charminar, Hyderabad. Qualitative method of research will be employed by interviewing the women in street vending business in around Charminar area of Hyderabad.

کلیدواژه ها:

Tourism ، Street vendors ، Women empowerment ، Charminar