Determinants of women-owned micro- and small tourism enterprise growth in Bale Zone, South Ethiopia

Gender gaps in tourism entrepreneurship are wide in Ethiopia, and women entrepreneurs underperform more often than men entrepreneurs. This study aimed to explore the determinants that affect the growth of women-owned micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in the tourism sector. Stratified random sampling was used to select 238 women-owned enterprises and analyse the data collected from them using a logit regression model. The findings show that being an older operator and operating a micro- (instead of small) enterprise have a negative effect, but family size, operator's experience, credit access, and training received by the operator have positive effects on growth. These findings give useful information to relevant stakeholders, the Government of Ethiopia, and governments in other African countries to promote and empower women to grow their tourism MSEs.