– About 70% of women travellers have either travelled solo or are planning one
– Domestic destinations remain as attractive as international ones amongst Indian women solo travellers
– Safety and security remain key barriers for women solo travellers
A recent survey commissioned by Skyscanner, a leading global travel search engine, revealed that 70% of Indian women travellers have either gone on a solo trip or are planning one. The survey, which studied the travel habits of Indian travellers, highlighted that 37% of Indian women travellers have done a solo trip while 33% are open to the idea of travelling solo.
“It is encouraging to see that Indian women are increasingly breaking stereotypes and travelling alone. The results reveal that Indian women solo travellers prefer domestic destinations as much as overseas ones, and there is a huge potential for the travel and hospitality industry to tap into this growing segment. At the same time, there is an opportunity to further promote Indian destinations to solo travellers all over the world. With Skyscanner’s search “Everywhere” feature, we hope to inspire solo travellers all over the world by providing them with most comprehensive global coverage to choose from,” said Kavitha Gnanamurthy, Senior Marketing Manager, Skyscanner India.
Travelling alone
The Skyscanner survey revealed that while 33% of women travellers preferred a well-planned itinerary to avoid last minute surprises, 26% of respondents preferred a mix of planned and unplanned elements to discover and explore new places in their chosen destination. 19% of women were more comfortable planning their solo travel through trusted agents, while 16% of respondents prefer to explore their chosen destination without a planned itinerary or tour.
Barriers to solo travel
31% of women travellers avoid taking solo trips due to safety and security concerns across domestic and international travel. Fear of boredom (23%), family disagreements (13%) and leave from work (8%) were contributing factors to barriers to solo travel.
Top solo destinations for male and female travellers from India
Based on the flight searches performed by Indian travellers on Skyscanner, the most favourable domestic destination for Indian solo travellers is the capital city of Delhi with its amalgamation of various cultures and traditions as well as historic value. This is followed by Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore and Kolkata. While major Indian cities remain the domestic hot spots for solo travellers, the capital city of London with its blend of Roman history and modern culture emerges as the favourite International destination amongst India’s solo travellers, followed by Toronto, Bangkok, New York and Dubai.
About Skyscanner
– Skyscanner is a leading global travel search company providing free search of flights, hotels and car hire.
– Founded in 2003, Skyscanner helps meet the travel planning needs of over 40 million people each month.
– Skyscanner is available in 30 languages.
– Skyscanner’s highly-rated free mobile apps have been downloaded over 35 million times.
– The privately-owned company employs over 700 staff and has nine global offices in Edinburgh, Singapore, Beijing, Shenzhen, Miami, Barcelona, Glasgow, Sofia and Budapest.
– For more information, please visit www.skyscanner.co.in and our travel news and features.
