On account of Women’s Day which is just around the corner dated March 8, 2016; HolidayIQ has conducted a survey investigating Women Traveller expectations and insights on Indian tourism and has created India’s first crowdsourced Women Traveller Declaration, titled “What Women Want” presented though a report.
The concept of What Woman Want was to derive key findings and insights from the community on what makes one truly happy as a Women Traveller and what does the Indian Women Traveller wish for. The survey saw more than 20,000 participants from over 30 Indian cities and towns. Some of the questions as part of the survey were central based questions like better safer accommodation options, better transport and expressways, safe solo travel and better accessibility to off-beat destinations amongst others.
As a result; the findings speaks volume on what the Indian Woman Traveller truly desires. Below are the eight top demands put forth by Women Travellers:
- Safe Solo Travel - 72 %
- Better Access to Remote Destinations - 61%
- Clean Buses and Trains - 55%
- More Women Tourist Guides - 49%
- Wi-fi Hubs - 47%
- Women Taxi Drivers - 45%
- Women Only Buses and Trains - 28%
- Safe Accommodation Options – 18%
Safe Solo Travel Solo women travel is increasing and so are group, family and couple holidays planned by women. Women travelling alone in India has increased with a share of 29% of holidays planned as compared to 18% the previous year. As solo road trips are seen gaining momentum with more and more women travelling, 72% woman demand safe solo travel. The top destinations that are most preferred by solo woman travelers for road trips in Bangalore include Coorg, Chikmaglur, Kabini, Mysore and Nandi Hills.
Safe Accommodation options Growth of information, ease of access & bookings, growth of mobile as a preferred device for holiday researching accommodation options has vastly contributed to the Solo Women Travel trend. Hotels and resorts continue to be the popular choice as a holiday accommodation option accounting for over 60% of trips planned. However, in the last 18-24 months there is an interest in alternate accommodation options such as homestays, experiential resorts, camps, serviced, apartments, jungle lodges and the like. Woman travellers feel that there is a certain comfort level in knowing that you can always find an interesting destination, homestay and other accommodation option in under 60 seconds on the go. On HolidayIQ we receive a review every minute. Concerns about safety or accessibility are unfounded because you can read reviews of an accommodation option by other travellers like yourself who have been to that hotel/homestay a while ago. 18% demand safe accommodation options.
Better Access to Remote Destinations Woman travelling are seeking the rare experiences and 61 % feel the necessity for better accessibility to remote destinations. While they are heading out on multiple weekend getaways throughout the year, exploring and discovering possibilities for adventure activity holidays around the city. More interest is seen in off-beat destinations where women travellers are exploring pop culture tourism/jet-setting and other experience led activities.
Clean Buses and Trains India direly needs a toilet revolution if it needs to bring in revenue from tourism. Of the 2.4 billion people in the world who have no toilets, India accounts for nearly 600m. Those who have travelled the country will understand the fuss about toilets in India too well. Where more is the need of the hour, it was noted that women travellers are increasingly turning away from train journeys as compared to last year due to the hygiene aspects. 55% of Women Travelers want Clean Buses and Trains.
More Women Tourist Guides Today, age is no longer considered a stigma and women of all ages are feeling more confident about travelling. As destinations such as Kerala, Goa, Pondicherry, Manali, Auli, Shimla, Corbett, Bandipur, Coorg are favorites among women travellers; it is imperative to have more women tourist guides. 49% of Women Travelers demand more women tourist guides. Interestingly from the booking patterns on HolidayIQ it was witnessed that the holidays planned by women is of a 17% higher budget than holidays planned by men.
Wifi Hubs The proliferation of smartphones, better internet penetration and arrival of a plethora of travel apps has created a new era in travel. Today travellers expect to be able to use their mobile devices to access travel-related information, to smooth their journey and enhance their experience while on the move. Top 3 uses for wi-fi is Travel research, Maps / Navigation and access to social media. On the HolidayIQ app, for every photo reviews submitted via a desktop, 8 are submitted via the app and today 47% Woman travellers demand for Wi-Fi hubs as women turn to internet and apps more than people for Holiday advice.
Women Taxi Drivers Indians are starting to take their holidays seriously, in a large part due to mobile apps. As easy-to-use on-demand and sharing economy apps make getting around and staying in new cities convenient, 45% of Women Travelers want Women Taxi Drivers.
Women Only Buses and Trains With more Indian woman travelling and while they share their travel experiences of conquering all parts of India, safety and security are a prime concern while planning any kind of holiday. As woman trips continue to gain momentum in 2016 and the average trip length has also increased to be 5 - 7 days’ 28% woman travellers demand woman only transport.
About HolidayIQ: HolidayIQ is India's largest travel community with 12 million members across cities and is also the first holiday planning website in India powered entirely by reviews, photos, videos and other advice generated from these travelers. Above 70% vacations planned every month are on HolidayIQ through mobile devices. HolidayIQ.com is a VC-backed company, invested in by Tiger Global, Accel Partners and Makemytrip.com operationally headquartered in Bangalore, India. HolidayIQ.com lists over 2000 tourism destinations & 50,000+ accommodation options (hotels, resorts, home-stays, jungle camps & serviced apartments) in India. All of which are bookable through over 1600 partnerships with leading online travel agencies like Makemytrip, Yatra and Expedia & offline players such as Thomas Cook, SOTC, etc.
Photo Caption: HolidayIQ Insights: What Women Travellers Want
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