Community-based tourism and women’s micro-entrepreneurship in the Haor Basin of Bangladesh: Navigating empowerment, gendered barriers, and ecological vulnerability

Md Didarul Pathan

doi:10.24288/jttr.1842850

Community-based tourism and women’s micro-entrepreneurship in the Haor Basin of Bangladesh: Navigating empowerment, gendered barriers, and ecological vulnerability

Abstract

This study examines how community-based tourism (CBT) shapes women’s micro-entrepreneurship in the Haor Basin of Bangladesh, a seasonally flooded wetland ecosystem where ecological fragility intersects with entrenched gender inequalities. A qualitative design was used, with semi-structured interviews of 20 purposively selected participants across three Haor Basin villages. A six-phase thematic analysis framework was applied to the data using NVivo software. Four interrelated themes were identified: entrepreneurial journeys enabled by CBT; gendered obstacles to business expansion; environmental and structural obstacles; and ambitions, agency, and social credit. CBT partially empowers by diversifying income and expanding household decision-making, but women’s entrepreneurial careers are constrained by mobility limitations, financial marginalization, household care responsibilities, and seasonal floods. The study’s results suggest women-specific financial products, year-round institutional support, and climate-resilient infrastructure. This research has developed a situational conceptual model that can be applied in climate-sensitive CBT environments worldwide.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Social Marketing

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Md Didarul Pathan ^*
0009-0008-3425-9308
Bangladesh

Publication Date

March 22, 2026

Submission Date

December 15, 2025

Acceptance Date

February 20, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 12 Number: 1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.24288/jttr.1842850

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA58CG66TR

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Pathan, M. D. (2026). Community-based tourism and women’s micro-entrepreneurship in the Haor Basin of Bangladesh: Navigating empowerment, gendered barriers, and ecological vulnerability. Journal of Tourism Theory and Research, 12(1), 22-35. https://doi.org/10.24288/jttr.1842850

AMA

1.Pathan MD. Community-based tourism and women’s micro-entrepreneurship in the Haor Basin of Bangladesh: Navigating empowerment, gendered barriers, and ecological vulnerability. Journal of Tourism Theory and Research. 2026;12(1):22-35. doi:10.24288/jttr.1842850

Chicago

Pathan, Md Didarul. 2026. “Community-Based Tourism and Women’s Micro-Entrepreneurship in the Haor Basin of Bangladesh: Navigating Empowerment, Gendered Barriers, and Ecological Vulnerability”. Journal of Tourism Theory and Research 12 (1): 22-35. https://doi.org/10.24288/jttr.1842850.

EndNote

Pathan MD (March 1, 2026) Community-based tourism and women’s micro-entrepreneurship in the Haor Basin of Bangladesh: Navigating empowerment, gendered barriers, and ecological vulnerability. Journal of Tourism Theory and Research 12 1 22–35.

IEEE

[1]M. D. Pathan, “Community-based tourism and women’s micro-entrepreneurship in the Haor Basin of Bangladesh: Navigating empowerment, gendered barriers, and ecological vulnerability”, Journal of Tourism Theory and Research, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 22–35, Mar. 2026, doi: 10.24288/jttr.1842850.

ISNAD

Pathan, Md Didarul. “Community-Based Tourism and Women’s Micro-Entrepreneurship in the Haor Basin of Bangladesh: Navigating Empowerment, Gendered Barriers, and Ecological Vulnerability”. Journal of Tourism Theory and Research 12/1 (March 1, 2026): 22-35. https://doi.org/10.24288/jttr.1842850.

JAMA

1.Pathan MD. Community-based tourism and women’s micro-entrepreneurship in the Haor Basin of Bangladesh: Navigating empowerment, gendered barriers, and ecological vulnerability. Journal of Tourism Theory and Research. 2026;12:22–35.

MLA

Pathan, Md Didarul. “Community-Based Tourism and Women’s Micro-Entrepreneurship in the Haor Basin of Bangladesh: Navigating Empowerment, Gendered Barriers, and Ecological Vulnerability”. Journal of Tourism Theory and Research, vol. 12, no. 1, Mar. 2026, pp. 22-35, doi:10.24288/jttr.1842850.

Vancouver

1.Md Didarul Pathan. Community-based tourism and women’s micro-entrepreneurship in the Haor Basin of Bangladesh: Navigating empowerment, gendered barriers, and ecological vulnerability. Journal of Tourism Theory and Research. 2026 Mar. 1;12(1):22-35. doi:10.24288/jttr.1842850