Airbnb and CCME will train female entrepreneurs in Jalisco on tourism topics.

Guadalajara, Jalisco. To help women entrepreneurs in the tourism, gastronomy, and craft sectors strengthen their businesses and improve their competitiveness, the Coordinating Council of Women Entrepreneurs (CCME) and the technology company Airbnb will launch the FORTALEZZA TURISTICO program this Saturday, May 17, in Jalisco.

This is a free training program for 120 women from Jalisco whose products, whether traditional foods or handicrafts, will be promoted by Airbnb, primarily in properties run by female hosts.

The free training will be held for eight weeks, on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., in the municipality of Tlaquepaque, considered the birthplace of pottery in the state.

CCME founder Sofía Pérez Gasque Muslera told El Economista that the intention is for Jalisco to be a pilot program and then replicate it in Quintana Roo and Baja California.

"What we're trying to do is focus on the larger tourist centers, in terms of the impact of the Airbnb platform, to bring together more hosts so they can also buy from artisans and entrepreneurs. Since they're the best, it means they're more highly rated on the platform, so more people go to their places," he explained.

According to the founder of CCME , based on figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography ( INEGI ), more than eight million women in Mexico work in the informal sector, many of them in activities such as crafts and traditional gastronomy.

In the artisanal sector, it is estimated that 7 out of 10 producers are women, especially in states such as Oaxaca, Chiapas, Puebla, and Michoacán.

Traditional Mexican cuisine, recognized as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO , is primarily the domain of women; more than 60% of traditional cooks registered in cultural and tourism programs are women over 40.

According to Airbnb data, 50% of hosts in Mexico are women , one of the highest rates of female participation on the platform globally.

In 2023, host women in Mexico generated an average income of 90,000 pesos per year, with the highest incomes in tourist destinations such as Oaxaca, Mexico City, Quintana Roo, and Jalisco.