Community-Based Tourism: Shaping Sustainable Futures in Maine and Morocco

What if the future of tourism depended less on how many people visit a place and more on how much those visits contribute to the people who call it home? Drawing on examples from Maine and Morocco, Khadija El Barkaoui, PhD, explores how tourism can support local economies, preserve cultural heritage, and strengthen communities. Through research and real-world examples, she examines the roles of Indigenous knowledge, women's entrepreneurship, and community leadership in shaping more sustainable tourism. The lecture invites us to consider who benefits from tourism and how communities can have a greater voice in their own futures.

About the Leeke-Shaw Lecture Series

The annual Leeke-Shaw Lecture Series honors Ada E. Leeke and Captain Evelyn H. Shaw, longtime friends of Senator Margaret Chase Smith and original members of the Library's Advisory Committee. Established through a generous gift from Captain Shaw, the series brings experts in international affairs to the Margaret Chase Smith Library to explore issues of global significance.

This program is presented in cooperation with the Mid-Maine Global Forum.

About the Speaker

Khadija El Barkaoui, PhD, is a global management consultant, scholar, educator, and founder of Coelle Travel, a Maine-based social enterprise focused on sustainable tourism and community-based travel. Originally from Morocco, she is an Indigenous Amazigh woman whose work connects international business, cultural exchange, leadership, and sustainable economic development. She earned her PhD in International Human Resource Management through Ibn Zohr University in Morocco and a jointly supervised program with the University of Maine at Farmington.

Recognized as a 2024 Mainebiz 40 Under 40 honoree, Khadija promotes tourism that benefits local communities through her Travel with Purpose movement and Maine-based Vacationland with Purpose initiative. Her work connects travelers with small businesses, women-owned enterprises, Indigenous communities, farmers, and other local voices, encouraging meaningful cultural exchange and ensuring tourism creates lasting opportunities for the people and places visitors experience.

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