SOLO female travellers from South-east Asia are on the rise, according to TripAdvisor’s recently released Women’s Travel Survey.
The survey covered 9,181 female respondents globally and 431 female respondents in South-east Asia.
One finding was that 48 per cent of women in South-east Asia said they have travelled alone before, compared to 36 per cent surveyed in 2014.
Some other findings pertaining to South-east Asian solo women travellers surveyed include:
- 79 per cent plan to travel alone this year, higher than the global average of 74 per cent; in fact 47 per cent are planning two to four solo trips this year;
- 65 per cent want to feel safe with their choice of accommodation, with independent or boutique hotels the most popular choice (62 per cent);
- 77 per cent plan to travel alone within Asia, followed by Europe (41 per cent) and North America (14 per cent);
- 47 per cent admitted they indulge in luxurious getaways with their female counterparts by staying in private villas (50 per cent), going to an international or exotic location (49 per cent), or going for customised tours and experiences (44 per cent); and
- 94 per cent read online hotel reviews when researching accommodation, 62 per cent compare hotel prices from travel websites and 47 per cent research hotel websites – good user reviews (86 per cent) are the biggest influence on hotel choice, followed by best value (68 per cent) and convenience (60 per cent).
Indian women travellers are apparently advocating solo and all-women travel as well, according to a recent MakeMyTrip survey, which found 66 per cent of the Indian women respondents reporting “feeling safe travelling in India”, compared to the 49 per cent surveyed just a year ago.
According to the same survey, about 52 per cent have experienced solo leisure travel (compared to 44 per cent last year) and of these, 49 per cent have travelled solo in India. Nearly 31 per cent listed Goa as their favourite destination to plan an all-women trip, followed by Thailand, Dubai and Europe for overseas travel, and Kerala and Andamans for domestic travel.
