About Project Maitri
The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) under Niti Aayog, in collaboration with MakeMyTrip, announced the launch of an initiative aimed at boosting women’s entrepreneurship called ‘Project Maitri’. By utilising the untapped potential of homestays, it seeks to transform into a business opportunity and encourage homestay owners towards the path of entrepreneurship, economic growth and self-reliance.
North-East Homestays
Selected participants in the initiative will get specific training catered to their particular business requirements. A wide range of skills, such as hospitality, safety, digital marketing, and compliance, will be covered under this initiative. To further encourage quality and creativity in this field, awards will also be given to the top three homestay operators.
WEP & MakeMyTrip Partnership
Anna Roy, Mission Director, WEP intends to bolster women’s entrepreneurship, aligning with national goals of gender equality and economic growth. The project has the potential to deliver long-term dividends, as homestays in India can evolve into lucrative business avenue for women seeking financial independence.
MakeMyTrip’s co-founder and group CEO, Rajesh Magow, is a firm believer in the transformational power of travel. With this project, he hopes to empower women homestay entrepreneurs. This partnership will enable these women to flourish as they will become active contributors to the economy and diversity of India’s tourism industry.
A one-stop shop for information and services pertinent to women entrepreneurs, WEP was founded in NITI Aayog and is now a public-private partnership. It provides a wealth of resources, such as a knowledge base, a community platform, a SmartMatch based platform for government schemes and private sector initiatives, and resources like mentorship and capacity building. WEP is leading the charge to establish an environment that supports women entrepreneurs by working with top leaders in the sector, such as MakeMyTrip.