Solo Female Travelers – A Rising Market Segment With Unique Preferences – Travel And Tour World

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Solo female travelers are a growing market, with unique needs and preferences. Discover key trends, favorite destinations, and the importance of safety for this segment.

Solo female travelers represent a rapidly expanding and highly appealing market segment. Remarkably, 14% of women choose to travel independently, without the companionship of family, friends, or partners. This trend signifies unique behaviors, needs, and expectations, necessitating specialized tourist services and products. Analyzing global demand for solo female travel, Mabrian and The Data Appeal Company-Almawave Group identified five key characteristics defining this group.

As Carlos Cendra, Partner and Director of Marketing and Communications at Mabrian, explains, “women who travel alone reflect a cultural change that emerged before the pandemic and gained momentum with the rise of experiential travel, in which active well-being is at the heart of preferences.” In addition, the data show that, although most female travellers choose summer for their solo plans, June and September are their favourites, “which reflects the potential of this segment during the mid-season,” says Mabrian’s CMO.

This analysis provides both a long-term and short-term perspective on solo female travelers. To comprehend what influences this segment, Mabrian analyzed comprehensive data from the entire year of 2023, focusing on the top 10 global source markets for solo female travelers. Concurrently, The Data Appeal Company examined current trends in solo female travel demand for the ongoing summer season, specifically looking at major European destinations. This analysis is based on flight bookings made between June 1 and September 30, 2024.

“Female solo travellers are on the rise”, states Mirko Lalli, CEO & Founder of The Data Appeal Company. Based on GDS booking data, Lalli highlights several key examples, such as Italy. “Since June 2023, Italy has welcomed 1.1% more female solo travellers; a segment that is projected to represent 21.7% of all tourists visiting Italian destinations in the next six months.” The same trend is observed in other European capitals, “as Paris, Amsterdam, and London, also projected to welcome over 30% of female solo travellers in the next six months”

Trend 1: Where are women who travel alone from?

European women dominate the ranking of solo female travelers. According to Mabrian’s data, the majority of solo female travelers hail from Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and Italy. The top ten source markets also include Spain, Australia, Brazil, Poland, and Japan. Notably, Data Appeal’s insights reveal that over 30% of German and British travelers who booked flights for this summer are solo female travelers.

Trend 2: What are their favorite destinations?

Three out of four solo female travelers opt for domestic destinations. The most popular countries for solo female travelers include Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Japan, Poland, Brazil, and Australia. This trend underscores the preference for domestic travel, with 75% of female travelers from the top ten markets choosing to stay within their home countries. However, preferences vary significantly depending on the country of origin.

When it comes to online reputation and perception, solo female travelers generally rate their preferred destinations highly, though their scores are slightly lower than those of average travelers. The Data Appeal Company’s Sentiment Scores indicate this trend: for instance, Germany scores 85 out of 100 among average travelers but drops to 81 for solo female travelers. Similarly, Italy scores 87 vs. 84, Spain 85 vs. 82, the United Kingdom 85 vs. 79, and France 84 vs. 79.

As Lalli points out, “female solo travellers’ priorities when choosing a travel destination are behind these slightly lower scores, as such segment’s demand relies on issues such as social perception, cultural factors, or even the availability of accommodation, attractions and experiences that reflect women expectations and needs”.

Trend 3: Safety, a Key Factor for Solo Female Travelers

“For this segment of female travellers, cities are a very complete alternative, because they have a varied and diverse tourist offer, with different price levels, in a cosmopolitan and open environment that they perceive as safe and recognisable,” emphasises Carlos Cendra, from Mabrian.

Safety is a crucial consideration for solo female travelers. According to Mabrian’s Perception of Security Index (PSI), safety significantly influences destination choice. The top ten cities favored by this segment are all perceived as very safe, with their PSI scores ranging from 85 to 98 out of a possible 100 points. This high level of perceived safety is a fundamental aspect of their travel decisions.

Trend 4: Who are the most adventurous?

Spaniards, Italians, and Japanese women lead in choosing international destinations for solo travel. Nearly half of Spanish solo female travelers (48%) opt for destinations abroad, followed by 36% of Italian and 34% of Japanese women. This trend is reflected in summer 2024 bookings to Europe, as analyzed by The Data Appeal Company. Approximately 30% of Spanish travelers flying to the United Kingdom this summer are solo female travelers. Similarly, Japanese women account for 25% of total summer bookings to Italy or the United Kingdom.

Conversely, seven out of ten French and Polish women prefer destinations within their own countries when they travel alone; as 77% of British women and 85% of German, American and Australian women do. Only 8% of Brazilian women who travel alone choose international destinations. “Choosing nearby destinations, both domestic and short-haul, is a way of breaking the ice to eventually going for other more distant or exotic places for their next trips,” says Cendra.

Trend 5: Urban Destinations are the Favorites Among Female Solo Travelers

Urban tourism holds particular appeal for solo female travelers. According to the data, 9 out of the 10 most visited cities by female solo travelers are in Europe, with Spain featuring two cities in this ranking. The top cities include London, Paris, Tokyo, followed by Madrid, Rome, Berlin, Warsaw, Barcelona, Lisbon, and Milan.

In the five most visited countries by solo female travelers (Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and France), well-connected cities are the preferred destinations. These cities, popular among travelers worldwide, offer a rich blend of travel experiences, particularly cultural attractions and activities, making them highly desirable for solo female travelers.