Lonely Planet is one of the largest travel guide publishers and definitely one of the most recognisable who celebrate people and places for the future of shaping the future of travel.
The publisher has recently announced a Manchester walking tour centred around homelessness in the city has made it to their Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2021 list. Lonely Planet chooses people, destinations and tourism projects that highlight sustainability, the regeneration of local communities and promoting representation.
The scheme titled Invisible Cities UK provides engaging and educational walks which bring cities to life with stories told from unique perspectives. They also operate in other cities such as York, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The scheme trains people who have been affected by homelessness to become walking tour guides in their city – their training focuses on customer service, public speaking and confidence building.
Founder & CEO Zakia Moulaoui has said the following about the scheme “Our social enterprise doesn’t believe in labels or stereotypes and we want to help as many people as possible to realise their true potential.
“Through supporting those who have experienced homelessness and training them to become tour guides in their own city, we can help them to change the direction of their lives whilst also offering these one of a kind tours to both locals and tourists alike.”
“It means the world to us that we have been awarded the Best in Travel 2021 award by Lonely Planet and it’s given use a well needed boost in what has otherwise been a somewhat challenging year.”
