Woman-Owned by Wanderful (WOW), powered by Seeker's Explore platform, is a revolutionary mobile-first interactive tool designed to spotlight and support women entrepreneurs in the tourism and hospitality sectors. This innovative tool aims to drive awareness and patronage for woman-owned hotels, restaurants, shops, breweries, activities, and more.

"With the launch of Butte County guides on the Woman-Owned Map, we're excited to showcase the vibrant and diverse woman-owned businesses that make our area unique," said Ashley Baer, Explore Butte County Marketing Manager. "This initiative is all about highlighting the contributions of women entrepreneurs and making it easier for everyone to support them."

Key Features of the Butte County Guides:

• Interactive Mobile Map: Available at WomanOwnedMap.com, the Woman-Owned Map showcases a diverse range of woman-owned businesses across multiple cities.
• Dedicated Business Listings: Each woman-owned business is showcased with a dedicated listing that enhances visibility and provides essential business information.
• Itinerary Builder: Users can save their favorite woman-owned businesses and build a custom itinerary optimized for exploration.
• Regular Updates: New cities and businesses are added regularly, and users are encouraged to submit crowdsourced recommendations for inclusion.
• User-Friendly Experience: Designed with a mobile-first approach, the location-aware map features a modern experience to help users easily discover and navigate.

Woman-Owned by Wanderful is powered by Seeker's Explore platform, which offers a cutting-edge mobile experience, empowering consumers with a curated directory and interactive map of women-owned businesses, right in the palm of their hands.

"With Woman-Owned by Wanderful, our goal is to make it easier for people to find and support woman-owned businesses both while traveling and when they're at home," said Beth Santos, Founder and CEO of Wanderful. "We believe that by highlighting these businesses, we can contribute to the growth and success of more women in entrepreneurship, while also creating a travel industry that better represents all of us.” This launch aligns with broader trends showing the significant economic impact of women in the travel and tourism sectors.

According to the 2024 Wells Fargo Impact of Women-Owned Business Report, between 2019 and 2023, the number of woman-owned businesses increased nearly twice as much as businesses owned by men; and from 2022 to 2023, that rate of growth increased to 4.5 times. And data from the World Travel & Tourism Council reveals that nearly 40% of the global tourism workforce is female. Furthermore, women drive 70% of worldwide travel spending, underscoring their substantial economic influence within the sector. Jody Vandergriff, Founder and Chief Seeker at Seeker, stated, "Our collaboration with Wanderful marks a significant step toward promoting gender equality and supporting women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs. As women-founded businesses, Seeker and Wanderful share values of empowerment and inclusivity. By leveraging Explore's innovative technology, we are providing a valuable resource for both travelers and locals, ultimately fostering a more supportive business environment."

In addition to the Butte County maps, other featured cities and regions include: Asheville, Atlanta, Austin, Big Sky (MT), Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, El Paso, Indianapolis, Kansas City, London, New York City, Park City (UT), Phoenix, Portland (OR), Rochester (NY), Quad Cities (IA), Salt Lake City, Seattle, St. Louis, South Lake Tahoe, Utah, Tucson, Washington DC and growing.

Residents and visitors can explore the map by visiting WomanOwnedMap.com.

How to contribute to the Woman-Owned Map: Submit your suggested businesses for inclusion in the Woman-Owned by Wanderful map.

About Wanderful: Wanderful is a leading global community of women travelers and travel content creators. Reaching thousands of members worldwide each year, Wanderful connects travelers through a thriving membership community, meetups in 50 global cities, group trips, global events like the WITS Travel Creator Summit, and more. Wanderful also works to change the face of travel through challenging the industry to better reflect its largest segment: women.

About Seeker: Seeker is a pioneer in experiential technology, powering the consumer journey for leading brands, destinations, and communities worldwide. Seeker's Explore platform transforms consumer engagement and fosters community connections through interactive, gamified tools designed for exploration, discovery, and loyalty building.