These Nigerian women are disrupting the tourism industry — and inspiring us to explore the world more
via Ayomide Aborowa, Lade Ibikunle, Amaka Amaku & Aina Dada
Celebrating the visionary Nigerian women reshaping how the world sees, feels, and experiences travel across the continent.
The African travel and tourism industry is on the rise — with projected revenues expected to soar to $25 billion this year and a projected leap to $38 billion by 2028. Beyond the numbers and dreamy destinations, something even more powerful is happening: African women are rewriting the story of travel and tourism.
From curating gorgeous travel magazines that celebrate African beauty and culture, to building tour companies and digital travel platforms. These Nigerian women are making waves in the travel industry, and they’re doing it with intention, style, and soul.
These trailblazing entrepreneurs, storytellers, and pillars within the travel industry are making space and transforming it. They’re showing the world that travel in Africa is about connecting with communities, honouring heritage, and creating jobs. They are crafting a new narrative — one that is impactful and deeply rooted in love for the continent.
Through ìrìn Journal and ìrìn travel, Ayomide ‘Mimi’ Aborowa is rewriting the narrative of African travel
Ayomide “Mimi” Aborowa, founder and creative director ìrìn Travels and ìrìn Journal.
Ayomide “Mimi” Aborowa is one of the quiet powerhouses reshaping the way the world experiences Africa. As the founder and creative director of ìrìn Travels and ìrìn Journal, Mimi has created a platform merging cultural storytelling with intentional travel. The idea for ìrìn formed in 2016, born from a desire to see African cities and everyday stories told with honesty and depth. ìrìn journal launched in 2019 after years of research and reflection. Later in 2021, she launched ìrìn Travels to offer curated, place-rooted travel experiences across the continent.
Far from traditional tourism, ìrìn offers something deeper: a layered, community-driven exploration of African life. Mimi and her team spotlight Africa through essays, photography, and interviews — not clichés, but creativity and real-life depth. It’s a space that holds culture, context, and care at its core. For many in the travel community — especially Africans and the diaspora — ìrìn has become a trusted space that reflects their stories.
As a woman leading in an often male-dominated and infrastructural industry, she believes that leading with care and empathy is a cultural responsibility. She’s building with purpose, centring voices often left out of the narrative, and advocating for slower, more intentional ways of moving through space. Her work celebrates African culture and its values. And in an industry still catching up to the power of local storytelling, Mimi’s vision is clear: African cities are worth experiencing on their own terms.
Mimi’s travel tip:
“Walk when you can. It slows you down, brings you closer to the rhythm of a place, and creates space to observe, ask, and listen. The most meaningful moments often happen in the in-between — in a conversation you didn’t expect, on a street you almost skipped. Culture lives in those small, quiet details that don’t make it into guidebooks.”
Travel & tourism creator Omolade Ibikunle is breaking barriers and inspiring Nigerian women to explore
Lade Ibikunle, travel & tourism creator via Lade Ibikunle
Omolade “Lade” Ibikunle is redefining what it means to be a Nigerian woman in the travel industry. Starting her journey in 2020, Lade made a bold shift from fashion to travel content creation. She saw a gap; there weren’t enough voices like hers showing what travel really looked like for everyday Nigerian women.
She considers the cultural expectations placed on African women — where solo travel, or even travelling often, isn’t always seen as something a woman should be doing. She also wants to allow others to feel seen and to know that meaningful travel experiences are possible for anyone. Her message is clear and empowering: if she can do it, you can too.
What sets Lade apart is her passion for discovery and connection. Whether uncovering hidden beaches or exploring unexpected museums, she brings her audience along for an authentic ride. Beyond the glamour, Lade’s work is personal — she lives for the moments when her followers say she inspired their first trip. Through culture and lived experience, she shares travel stories that honour Africa’s everyday beauty and strength.
However, being a woman in the Nigerian travel industry isn’t always easy, especially with passport restrictions. Lade, therefore, approaches it with fierce tenacity and grace. She understands the unique challenges that Nigerian women face. Issues such as cultural expectations, visa issues, safety concerns and bureaucratic hurdles. She uses these insights to create content and share experiences with authenticity.
Lade’s travel tip:
“Start where you are. Travel doesn’t always have to mean a flight out of the country. Your next adventure could be just a state or town away. And no matter where you go, try to see the beauty. It starts by being grateful you are there in the first place. Some don’t have that opportunity.”
Travel digital content creator Chiamaka Charmy Amaku is making exploration more personal
Amaka Amaku via @the_amakaa on Instagram
Chiamaka “Amaka” Charmy Amaku began her travel content journey in 2021. However, her love for exploring started long before she found joy in sharing her adventures on social media. She took her first international trip in 2019 — and she hasn’t stopped exploring since. Her mission has always been simple but powerful: to show that travel is possible, even from Nigeria, and that it doesn’t have to be perfect or expensive to be meaningful.
In 2022, she founded Voyagers Nigeria, a travel company designed to make trips more personal, fun, and accessible. Frustrated by the disconnect from popular travel agencies, Amaka wanted to centre real people and real experiences.
As a woman in Africa’s growing travel space, she brings patience and adaptability to everything she does. Whether running her businesses or working as a social media manager at Flutterwave, Amaka is proof that thoughtful storytelling — can open doors.
Amaka’s travel tip:
“Be open to spontaneity, leave a little room for surprise, for wonder, for those beautiful experiences that sneak up on you when you let the destination guide you.”
Travel entrepreneur Aina Dada is reshaping how Nigerian women experience Africa — with one international trip at a time
Aina Dada via @ainadad_ on Instagram
Aina Dada is a trendsetter in African travel, redefining what it means to journey across the continent as a Nigerian woman. As the founder of Faraway, she creates slow, immersive travel experiences that prioritise authenticity. Her love for travel is deep and spiritual — “It’s one of the reasons I’m on this earth,” she says. It inspired her to fill a gap she noticed early on. The gap is the lack of travel information and resources created by Black people for Black people. Her goal is simple yet powerful: to help African travellers feel at home, wherever they go on the continent.
Faraway trips aren’t rushed. Aina curates intentional trips — from cooking with locals to staying in women-owned stays and spotlighting overlooked spots. She builds her work around deep research and community-led experiences — not the usual tourist fluff.
In addition to running Faraway, she also runs Unrefyned, a jewellery business that sources and produces across Africa. Juggling businesses, travel logistics, and zero funding isn’t easy — and she knows how tough it is to navigate Africa, even as an African.
Recently, she had a traumatic experience in Cape Verde, where they accused her and her group of human trafficking and detained them without evidence, and denied their ECOWAS rights. This highlighted the discrimination Nigerians constantly face even within West Africa. Even though she nearly shut down her business after the incident, resilience — vital for any woman entrepreneur in Africa — pushed her forward.
Aina’s travel tip:
“Go with an open mind, go with a flexible itinerary. Try to get to know Africa. These countries are not places you can see in five to seven days — you need to give them time.”
Patricia Ellah is the Features Editor at Marie Claire Nigeria. She is a writer, photographer, and visual storyteller. She studied Photography and Writing at Parsons The New School of Design. Her work has been published, exhibited, and collected across North America. Recently, her photographs were acquired by Library and Archives Canada.
