Global Microfinance Tourism: Characteristics, opportunities and constraints - key findings

For decades, both microfinance and tourism have been promoted as key strategies for global poverty alleviation. Microfinance can offer people living in poverty, especially those considered ‘unbankable’, the necessary financial and educational support to engage in entrepreneurial activities, while tourism has the capacity to reduce poverty via economic development and global citizenship education. Microfinance tourism (MFT) emerged in 2008 as an innovative approach that pioneers the integration of microfinance and tourism for poverty alleviation purposes. This report provides a summary of research findings from interviews with participants who have had involvement with 6 MFT organisations in Vietnam, Mexico, Tanzania and Jordan. The report is part of a larger PhD research project which analyses and evaluates the extent to which MFT is an effective vehicle for poverty alleviation in developing countries