The Women-Led Tour Operators That Grew From Travel Communities on Social Media

Covid obviously was a disaster for tour operators but not all of them suffered equally. Travel communities that formed in social media platforms like Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram saw membership grow substantially during the pandemic, even when travel wasn't possible.

But are these real travel businesses taking market share from the status quo operators or are they growing the market by filling a void? I set out to meet some of the people behind these groups to find out more.

One of the things I noticed was how important that community was to each group's leader, something that sets them apart from traditional tour operators. All of them started out as a safe place to meet online, chat about travel and obtain information about destinations.

"We have travel products as a means to support the community, not the other wa