Women’s economic empowerment: sense of belonging andparticipation in tourism

In developing countries like Indonesia, empowering women entrepreneurs plays a crucial role in both business development and the growth of tourist destinations. This study examines the critical role of women’s economic empowerment in influencing a sense of belonging, tourism involvement, and willingness to recommend a destination. The respondents in this study are women entrepreneurs who run businesses in areas surrounding tourist destinations. A total of 299 women entrepreneurs participated in the survey. This study employs the structural equation model-partial least square (SEM-PLS) method. The findings reveal that women’s economic empowerment enhances the sense of belonging to tourist destinations and increases women’s involvement in these destinations. Furthermore, the sense of belonging to a tourist destination has a significant positive impact on women’s involvement in the destination. The results also indicate that both a sense of belonging to a tourist destination and women’s involvement in the destination positively influence the willingness to recommend the destination. This study provides valuable contributions to both theory and managerial practices.