Empowerment, Wellbeing and Mindset of Female Ecotourism Entrepreneurs in North Cyprus

As a small island in the Mediterranean, Cyprus is striving to develop a sustainable tourism model. Despite the limited opportunities due to the ongoing political problems of the island, the number and activities of women ecotourism entrepreneurs in Northern Cyprus has shown inspiring growth over the last decade. This study examines the impacts of ecotourism initiatives on women’s gender roles, from the perspectives of women, who are influenced by the traditional lifestyles in a developing country, North Cyprus, stuck in a frozen conflict. It assesses the achievements and challenges women face in ecotourism and its impact on their empowerment and wellbeing and the effects of an incremental growth mindset. The empowerment of these women through tourism can lead to their flourishing - higher levels of wellbeing - that influences their commitment and further involvement in the sector. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were conducted to compare the results. The quantitative research model was developed based on the Self-Determination Theory. Our sample included 200 women ecotourism entrepreneurs in rural areas of Northern Cyprus. Our results show that women who have growth mindsets, i.e. those that believe people’s characteristics such as abilities are not fixed, benefit more from an empowering environment and reach higher levels of flourishing. A qualitative methodology with a feminist research was adopted to collect detailed information from forty female ecotourism entrepreneurs. Valuable information about their experiences, beliefs and attitudes, from the perspective of these female entrepreneurs, was collected through semi-structured interviews. The qualitative results supported that these women experienced an increase in their perceived economic, social and psychological empowerment and in their levels of wellbeing. However, due to gender inequality and the frozen conflict situation of North Cyprus, it was found that women who have a high growth mindset felt lower levels of wellbeing than those with a fixed mindset. This was because women with a high growth mindset were more aware of the limitations imposed on them by gender inequality and the political situation pertaining to North Cyprus which caused them to be frustrated. The research concludes that although all female ecotourism entrepreneurs experienced more empowerment and wellbeing, those with a high incremental mindset were frustrated by external factors which circumscribed their activities. The results can guide policy makers and stakeholder organizations in their efforts to support rural development, microfinance opportunities and women’s empowerment and well-being. Keywords: Self Determination Theory, Psychological Empowerment, Flourishing, Women Entrepreneurship, Growth Mindset, Ecotourism