What women demand when travelling

The number of women travelling is globally rising, both for leisure and business purposes. Their travel habits impact the Travel & Tourism industry, especially when it comes to spending.

For example, as reported by Nation Multimedia, Thailand hosted almost 33 million tourists in 2016, and 30% of international arrivals were represented by women. Women tourism is an important incoming source, as they spend an average of 15% more than man when travelling. The main market source is Japan, along with India. As reported by Forbes, service is the key differentiator to achieve women’s market, as they expect to have higher customer experience. In fact, Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sport is investing on these markets through the promotion of sport and meditation activities, shopping and cookery experiences. The Ministry expects to attract up to 30% more Japanese female tourists, projecting the number of women visiting the Country up to 1,7 million in 2017, which should generate an income of about 1,8 billion euros. The preferred destinations by Japanese women are Bangkok, Chon Buri, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya.

Solo women travelling from Asia to Europe is an increasing trend. It is widely agree that the pace of growth of solo female travels is higher that solo male’s. Security is definetly one of the most demanded aspect but also a discrete treatment should be assured in hotels, such as female employee room service. In-room facilities should consider expectations and needs of solo female travellers: additional drawers, shower bench, more closet space, magazines and beauty products are generally welcomed. According to GBTA’s Business Traveler Sentiment Index from January 2017 males feel safer “when they travel than females, with 63% of males always feeling safe on trips, compared to 55% of females who feel likewise”.

At Twissen we observed that the female segment of tourists must be considered with interest as their spending capacity is globally increasing. Specific attention should be paid to services and safety, but don’t forget the shopping!

Martina Baldo

She graduated in Intercultural Development of Tourism Systems and she has a passion for foreign languages and cultures. Since 2016 she works as administration and tourism project manager at Twissen.