Ecotourism, Feminine Entrepreneurship, Local Development
Ecotourism, Feminine Entrepreneurship, Local Development

Summary/Abstract: In recent years, the trends in tourism industry have been those of returning to nature and (re) discovering authentic cultural values. Of all the forms of tourism, ecotourism is distinguished by the strongest link with the natural and cultural environment, representing the sustainable tourism with the highest growth rate in the world. Our research focuses on women’s entrepreneurship, ecotourism, and local development. The main objective of our research is to collect success stories on the empowerment of women through entrepreneurship in the field of tourism in Romania in order to show the link between tourism and the socio-economic development of women. The interviews with 10 women entrepreneurs from different regions of Romania highlighted important themes such as the socio-professional trajectory; the work environment; the entrepreneurial motivation; the assigned or assumed gender roles; the impact of small businesses on local communities; the personal and professional life balance; the gender discrimination; the effect of the pandemic on business; the networking. We noticed interferences and overlaps such as the complementarity of small business entrepreneurship and the duplication and management of one's tourism business. We also noticed that the pandemic has helped women entrepreneurs maintain their projects because restrictive measures have affected more mass tourism than ecotourism. The entrepreneurs have shown the desire to develop and promote the ecotourism sector in Romania, while remaining independent in the labor market.

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