Tourists can now discover Barcelona is a new way with homeless tour guides. And this has been made possible through the efforts of Lisa Grace and her social enterprise, Hidden City Tours.
Barcelona has a huge tourist inflow every year, and it also has about 3,000-6,000 homeless people on the street every day. Lisa Grace put these two together to create her enterprise, Hidden City Tours.
The homeless tour guides are selected from a homeless charity based in Barcelona. While these locals already have a lot of knowledge about their own city, Hidden City Tours provides them additional training (60-80 hours) to brush up their facts and trivia. There are also classes for improving English language skills.
Once on the job, these homeless tour guides take small groups of tourists on walking tours and provide them a unique perspective of Barcelona -- a mix of history & social reality. In return, they themselves are provided with livelihood and a new chance to lead an independent life!
Formerly Homeless Tour Guides
The Homeless Tour Guides Help Tourists Discover Barcelona
Trend Themes
1. Socially Conscious Tourism - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Companies can create initiatives that empower marginalized communities and offer unique experiences.
2. Localized Expertise - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop platforms that connect local experts with tourists to provide authentic and immersive experiences.
3. Skills Development for Empowerment - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Organizations can offer training programs to enhance the skills and employability of marginalized individuals.
Industry Implications
1. Tourism - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Businesses can integrate socially responsible practices into their tourism offerings and support local communities.
2. Education and Training - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create innovative educational programs to equip individuals with the necessary skills to improve their livelihoods.
3. Social Enterprises - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Support the growth of social enterprises that provide employment opportunities and social impact.