Black Sea Women Entrepreneurship Connection – Empowering Women Through Tourism (BSB-1030)

Women’s entrepreneurship is an emerging sector in the global business environment, a real driving force in the modern economy. Women are shaping and redefining the workplace, business networks, financial institutions and culture, but in the Black Sea region they represent an untapped potential. Only 32% of entrepreneurs are women and opportunities are being missed at a time when sustainable economic growth is high on the agenda of all governments.

In general, entrepreneurship is seen as a key driver for a country’s economic success, but few coordinated initiatives are targeted towards women. Research shows that tourism has become one of the main income generators in both developed and developing countries, with business volumes equaling or exceeding oil exports, food products or the automotive industry. Travel and tourism have been shown to provide women with more empowerment opportunities than other sectors, giving the sector increased responsibility for women’s advancement.

Countries around the Black Sea use very different means to increase the number of women entrepreneurs. Few countries have adopted a clear policy to encourage and facilitate women to start their own business or become more ambitious. In general, women are underrepresented in high growth sectors and have fewer employees than men.

The WE TOUR project is closely related to the common challenges of the programme area. The overall objective of the project is to create a cross-border business network in the Black Sea Basin region to promote women’s entrepreneurship, lifelong cooperation, training and networking. The project also aims to strengthen, support and develop women’s entrepreneurship through tourism, providing new economic and social opportunities for women in the Black Sea Basin region.

Consortium:

• SEGE – Greek Association of Women Entrepreneurs (Greece)
• GAWB – The Georgian Association “Women in Business” (Georgia)
• ΒΑΑ – Business Agency Association (Bulgaria)
• ARMECAS – “Ekoturizmi Asociacia” Hasarakakan Kazmakerputjun Ecotourism Association (Armenia)
• KAGIDER – The Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey (Turkey)

Target Group: Women entrepreneurs in tourism businesses, Women employed in tourism businesses and Women interested in doing business in the tourism sector

Duration: 26/06/2021 – 25/06/2023 (24 months)