Who we are

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.

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

Constanze Hödl

Local Coordinator /

Tour Bookings

Denzel Diamanka

Intercultural Companion /

Tour Co-creator

Fiona Hawes

Co-founder / Tour Co-creator /

Workshop Facilitator

Jill Ahrens

Intercultural Companion /

Tour Co-creator

Meghann Ormond

Co-founder / Intercultural Companion /

Tour Co-creator

Negar Rajabi

Intercultural Companion /

Tour Co-creator

Randa Awad

Intercultural Companion /

Tour Co-creator

Sasha Jourd'heuil

Tour Co-creator / Social Media

Yetunde Oludare

Intercultural Companion /

Tour Co-creator

Migrantour Utrecht's guided walking tours are based on our lives

Migrantour Utrecht - the first Migrantour in the Netherlands - was co-founded by cultural geographer and educator Dr Meghann Ormond and social worker and educator Fiona Hawes. 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.

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.

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

Some of the organisations and initiatives we work with include:

ACRA, AlterBrussels, Aarti, Associação Renovar a Mouraria, Bilad al Sham, Bitterzoete Route, Stichting Collective Nouns' De Voorkamer, Crossing Borders, DOCK, Hogeschool Utrecht, Emigratie Generatie, Erasmus University, Kleine Max, Lombok Archief, Morty's Kaas en Delicatessen, Nexes Interculturals, Ubuntuhuis, Utrecht Gemeente, Vertel Akademie, Viaggi Solidali, and Wageningen University & Research