Refugee-Led Tours Fight Pandemic Struggles to Expand Trips for Locals

Tours led by refugees were, prior to the pandemic, emerging as a popular way for tourists in certain cities to experience those destinations. Although most commonly associated with Berlin, refugees have also given tours in cities like Vienna, Philadelphia, and Amsterdam.

But like most inbound tour operators, organizations that run refugee-led tours have been battered heavily by Covid — especially since the groups the guides lead tend to be small and heavily dependent on overseas guests who were largely unable to travel during the pandemic. However, some companies have put plans into place to take advantage of what they view as the still enormous interest in such tours.

Why have people been interested in going on tours led by a refugee? When asked that question, Mohamad Othman, a tour designer and guide at Berlin-based Refugee Voices Tours, said they were a trendy topic at the time of the group being formed in 2016. He also credited the desire of many travelers to learn about different perspectives for the title of the organization's main tour — Why We Are Here. A native of Syria, Othman said the t