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If you have seen <keyword id="2201" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kangana-Ranaut">Kangana Ranaut</keyword>’s latest <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> flick, <keyword id="6377522" type="POSITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="queen">Queen</keyword>, you are bound to agree that her trip abroad all by herself is the most intriguing part of the storyline and her <keyword id="6374782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="journey">journey</keyword> of discovery keeps you hooked. But that’s hardly a rare phenomenon nowadays. Single or married, young or aged, on a <keyword id="1050408" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="business-trip">business trip</keyword> or on a <keyword id="2144547" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dream-vacation">dream vacation</keyword>, more <keyword id="624" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Women">women</keyword> are travelling alone instead of taking their families in tow. Even those opting for <keyword id="2144575" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Guided-vacations">guided vacations</keyword> are mostly choosing like-minded women-only groups. 
 A recent survey jointly conducted by ixigo.com, India’s leading travel planning and search engine firm, and <keyword id="136437" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lemon-Tree-Hotels">Lemon Tree Hotels</keyword>, the country’s third largest hotel company by owned rooms, says that there has been a marked change in travel trends across the country. <keyword id="2144559" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Female-travellers">Female travellers</keyword> are now an increasingly important segment of the Indian travel market, for both leisure and business travel, and the country’s travel industry is just waking up to that fact. 
 
“With women climbing the corporate ladder and becoming more independent, travel is becoming an intrinsic part of their lives. Also, only-women travel groups offering interesting holiday destinations and packages are luring women to take up travel. Our survey indicates 26% women travel with their girl gangs to explore new places,” said Saurabh Srivastava, VP (marketing &amp; product strategy) at ixigo.com. 
 More than 550 women aged between 25 and 45 and hailing from different metros across the country, took part in <keyword id="2144531" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="The-ixigo-Lemon-Tree-Hotels">the ixigo-Lemon Tree Hotels</keyword> online survey. 
 
At present, women-only travellers don’t form too large a segment of India’s travel market but the concept of vacationing away from one’s family (to say nothing of business travel) is catching up fast. As per Trafalgar India, one of the leading guided holiday operators, there has been 22% rise in bookings by women’s groups and single travellers in India between October 2013 and February 2014, compared to last year. 
 While women now account for more than 23% of business travellers (both domestic and outbound), the number will grow significantly in the near future, with the rise in the number of women in mid-senior executive ranks where business travel is a necessity. Over the next 20 years, <keyword id="2144563" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="International-business-travel">international business travel</keyword> by Indian women could grow almost tenfold to more than 10 million annual business departures, according to industry estimates. 
 <keyword id="2144565" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Group-travel-by-women">Group travel by women</keyword> is also gaining in popularity, thanks to a growing number of social clubs offering secure and affordable women-only tours. The bottom line is quite simple here. In a fast-moving life ruled by many priorities, one is not always able to travel with <keyword id="343" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Friends">friends</keyword>, family or relatives. But that should not hinder a woman from travelling at her convenience, to the destination of her choice. 
 
A separate survey by Trafalgar India indicates that 10% women prefer guided vacations for a guided experience, 30% for safety, 11% to meet new people, 26% for convenience and comfort while 23% women find it cost-effective. 
 
 
 
What women want The <keyword id="2144532" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="ixigo-Lemon-Tree-Hotels-survey">ixigo-Lemon Tree Hotels survey</keyword> has delved deep into women’s way of travelling and the comfort factors they look for. Here are the key findings when it comes to women wanting to travel safe and solo. 
 
Female travellers are tech-savvy: Indian women travel as frequently as once in two months (50%), with 43% booking their <keyword id="6368036" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Hotels">hotels</keyword> online and 65-76% saying they only read user reviews and endorsements to make their final choice, the survey says. <keyword id="383661" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mobile-Apps">Mobile apps</keyword> are clearly the way to go as 56% women use <keyword id="616640" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Smartphone-apps">smartphone apps</keyword> to find information about their destinations and plan their trips. 
 
Safety &amp; comfort top priority list: For 41% women, facilities and services are the top considerations while choosing a hotel while location, cost and security have come out as other important criteria. Although security as an independent variable does not top the priority list of solo women travellers/women-only travel groups, there are clearly other surrogate considerations that indicate that safety remains a big concern. For instance, 34% women prefer to have <keyword id="2144581" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Female-hostesses-for-room-service">female hostesses for room service</keyword> while others look for a wide range of <keyword id="2144582" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Women-friendly-amenities">women-friendly amenities</keyword> including <keyword id="2144583" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Call-screening-facility">call-screening facility</keyword> (20%), <keyword id="2144584" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Women-driven-cabs">women-driven cabs</keyword> (19%) and separate floors/wings for women (18%). Interestingly, more than 63% of the respondents say they need a companion to be able to feel comfortable enough to drink at a hotel bar. 
 
Feel-good add-ons matter: Well, that’s a given and who doesn’t love the nice, little extras? When asked about exclusive redemption options offered on loyalty programmes, <keyword id="2144587" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shopping-vouchers">shopping vouchers</keyword> have come up as the most favourite (27%), closely followed by <keyword id="2144589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Room-nights">room nights</keyword> (24%) and <keyword id="891808" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Spa-therapy">spa therapy</keyword> (22%) – clearly indicating that special benefits and exclusive offers go hand in hand with women. On the amenities front, 24x7 room service is the most important one (voted by 24% women) while <keyword id="6403839" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Free-Wi-Fi">free Wi-Fi</keyword> (18%), <keyword id="6354337" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="gym">gym</keyword>, <keyword id="50883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Swimming-Pool">swimming pool</keyword>, <keyword id="5680" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="spa">spa</keyword> and <keyword id="34615" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="restaurants">restaurants</keyword> are some others factors that would make the stay memorable. 
 
End-note: Older women are travelling more 
This finding is not a part of the above survey but going by the fact that it has considered women aged between 25 and 45, instead of the 18-30 or 25-40 age bracket is a clear indicator that older women are calling the shots in travel space, making decision for themselves as well as for friends and families, and spending their own money for solo trips – be it a prestigious presentation, a professional seminar, visiting a beautiful place or simply chilling out to get the better of stress. According to Marybeth Bond of The Gutsy Traveller – The average adventure traveller is not a 28-year-old male, but a 47-year-old female. And she wears a size 12 dress. 
 Moreover, the findings from the above surveys amply tell us what <keyword id="625381" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="women-travellers">women travellers</keyword> expect and how fast the women-only travel market is growing in India. These surely promise more travel spend (both for business and leisure travel), better business across the country and an <keyword id="2144592" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Improved-travel-experience">improved travel experience</keyword> for women who love to do it solo and keep off the beaten path. 
 
Image credit: Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images

Footloose: Women Travelling Solo Are Set To Change The Face Of India’s Travel Industry

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Footloose: Women Travelling Solo Are Set To Change The Face Of India’s Travel Industry

Sanghamitra Mandal

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