Migrantour Utrecht
Who we are
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More than one out of every three people living in Utrecht today has a parent born outside of the Netherlands, connecting Utrecht to places near and far throughout the world. The city is home to many people who came to the country as gastarbeiders in the 1960s and their descendants; from the former Dutch colonies; seeking asylum; and international students and ‘knowledge workers’. At Migrantour Utrecht, we're passionate about raising awareness about Utrecht’s migrant heritage and enabling our tour participants to reflect on how this heritage connects to their own.
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Migrantour Utrecht is a responsible tourism initiative co-created and led by people with migration backgrounds that offers tours and workshops different from what you’re used to. When you join us, you’re not just going to be picking up new information – you’ll also be supported in interacting, connecting, and engaging in dialogue with people of diverse backgrounds. We challenge participants to move beyond cultural exotification and focus instead on the dynamic intersections that influence our identities and the role we each play in shaping the places we call ‘home’.
Meet our team
Abdel-Rahman El-Gammal
Intercultural Companion
Anas Al Halabi
Intercultural Companion
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Bushra Hamdan
Intercultural Companion
Carol Pertuz
Coordination Team Member /
Intercultural Companion
Constanze Hödl
Coordination Team Member / Tour Bookings
Denzel Diamanka
Tour Co-creator / Intercultural Companion
Fitri Panjaitan
Intercultural Companion
Ilya Genov
Intercultural Companion
Jill Ahrens
Tour Co-creator /
Intercultural Companion
Meghann Ormond
Co-Founder / Coordination Team Member / Tour Co-creator
/ Intercultural Companion /
Workshop Facilitator
Negar Rajabi
Tour Co-creator /
Intercultural Companion
Noemi Chiavassa
Intercultural Companion-in-training
Randa Awad
Tour Co-creator /
Intercultural Companion
Yetunde Oludare
Tour Co-creator /
Intercultural Companion
Migrantour Utrecht's guided walking tours are based on our lives
Migrantour Utrecht is the first Migrantour in the Netherlands. Our Lombok tour was co-created together with Abdulaal Hussein, Dana Motlaq, Daniel Okiror, Denzel Diamanti, Jill Ahrens, Negar Rajabi, Norullah Ihsan, Oumar Barry, Paula Bran, Randa Awad, Sasha Jourd'heuil, Siham El Ouazizi, Samah Kareesh, and Yetunde Oludare. Migrantour Utrecht was co-founded by cultural geographer and educator Dr Meghann Ormond and social worker and educator Fiona Hawes.
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To co-create our guided walking tour of Utrecht’s Lombok neighbourhood, we’ve spoken with many Utrecht residents, business people and community organisers to better understand changes in Lombok over time and its current reality. We’ve explored how over 500 years of migration have shaped Lombok, Utrecht and the Netherlands. We’ve reflected on our own experiences with migration and the ways in which our own diverse heritages link up with — and add to — the layers of heritage in Lombok. We’ve imagined, debated and defined the topics and places we want to include in the Netherlands’ very first Migrantour guided walking tour. We’ve learned from storytelling and guiding experts about how to engage our tour participants. And we’re now thrilled to be able to share this beautiful tour with you.
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Find out more about Migrantour Utrecht and how it was developed: https://migrantourguide.eu/storymaps/utrecht/
We collaborate with many organisations and initiatives to bring Migrantour Utrecht to you
We are hosted by Stichting Collective Nouns' De Voorkamer.
Some of the other organisations, businesses and initiatives we work with include:
ACRA, AlterBrussels, Aarti, Associação Renovar a Mouraria, Bilad al Sham, Bitterzoete Route, Crossing Borders, DOCK/Buurthuis Rosa, Gemeente Utrecht, Gemene Grond, Hogeschool Utrecht, Emigratie Generatie, Erasmus University, Kleine Max, Le Guess Who, Lombok Archief, Morty's Kaas en Delicatessen, Nexes Interculturals, Positive Impact Tourism, Reinwardt Academie, Speak, Ubuntuhuis, Utrecht University, Vertel Akademie, Viaggi Solidali, and Wageningen University & Research
Migrantour network
We are a proud member of the Migrantour network, one of the more than 20 Migrantour initiatives in cities and rural areas throughout Europe that are working to bring about a more realistic understanding of migration. ​
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Check out the network's co-created Migrantour network manifesto!
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Find out about other Migrantour initiatives
Contribute to our initiative!
We work hard to ensure that everyone feels respected and valued during our tours and workshops. We work closely with local community members to ensure that what we do is respectful and in service of the diverse communities living and working in Lombok. However, we understand we cannot represent everyone, and our offerings will always be a work in progress.
We welcome anyone who would like to contribute to our project and help us make our offerings even more inclusive.