Social enterprise Women in Travel CIC is launching an Immersive Indian Community Tour of North London led by Vaishali Patel.

A graduate of its Tour Guiding Academy programme, Patel is also a member of the Women in Travel community.

The new tour takes visitors on a journey of the senses along London’s Ealing Road to uncover the flavours, spirituality, clothing and traditions that define India, finishing with an unforgettable Indian street food feast.

Guests will explore the intricately carved Shri Santana Hindu temple, sample Indian sweets and learn about the gift-giving traditions attached, meet the owners of a family-run fabric shop and try on a sari, and witness the making of paan (an Indian refreshment and digestive), all while hearing fascinating facts, personal stories and lived experience from Vaishali.

Women in Travel CIC is a social enterprise that connects underserved, diverse female talent to employment opportunities in travel and tourism.

Its Tour Guiding Academy teaches women – many of whom have been disconnected from the workforce - to design and deliver a short tour based on their own narrative and background, giving voice to different heritages and communities.

The focus is on personal storytelling and exploring destinations through the eyes of the guides delivering them, offering a unique and authentic perspective.

Women in Travel is actively inviting UK tour operators to experience Vaishali’s tour with a view to including it in their London programmes and taking their clients off the traditional tourist path.

The three-hour tour is a new addition to the growing portfolio of women-led tours from Women in Travel, which already includes Ethiopian Flavours of Shepherds Bush led by Sefanit Meganiste, available through Intrepid Travel’s Urban Adventures programme.

A percentage of the proceeds from each tour goes back into supporting Women in Travel’s ongoing mission to provide women – many of whom are refugees or survivors of domestic abuse, human trafficking or homelessness – with the opportunity to fulfil their economic and individual potential through employability and entrepreneurship.

Alessandra Alonso, founder of Women in Travel CIC, said: “Vaishali has put together an incredibly engaging and insightful tour brimming with the colour, culture and traditions of the Indian community living in north London.

“It’s not like any other guided visits on the market, which is why we think that tour operators – especially those with a social purpose, and that want to show their guests something out of the ordinary – will really benefit from having it as part of their London programming. Everyone that has trialled it so far has been blown away.”

More Information

For more information on the tour visit the official website.