What are the latest female travel statistics, including early data on the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic? Women make up a huge percentage of the travelers out there and are a powerful decision-making force. This is only going to increase in the years to come. That said, covid has certainly put a dent in travel. We will continue to watch the trends going forward. Check out the latest statistics to see the latest female travel trends.
If you are looking for more statistics on travel, find more here:
Spending Power and Travel Spending: Why Should We Care About Female Travel Statistics?
In 2010, women controlled $12 trillion of the $18 Trillion consumer spending.
Globally women controlled $31.8 trillion in Consumer Spending in 2019.
85% of all consumer purchases are made by women.
51% of personal wealth in the US is controlled by women.
The potential women’s travel market exceeds $19 trillion annually.
54% of affluent travelers (those that make more than $250,000 annually) are women.
Female travelers spent $125 billion in 2014.
The number of women who control consumer spending is staggering. In 2010, they controlled $12 trillion globally and in 2019 this jumped up to a whopping $31.8 trillion globally. Additionally, the vast majority of consumer purchases are made by women and that includes travel. What does this mean for businesses? It means you should pay attention to two very important customer groups: Women AND The Affluent Traveler!
At least 67 million women will make travel decisions this year.
64% of tours booked in 2016-2017 with tour operator TrekkSoft were booked by women.
69% of hotel website visits are made by women.
Women are the gatekeepers of travel. They make up 80% of all travel decisions and book tours & activities 67% of the time. The TrekkSoft company has found that women account for 69% of webpage visits when booking a hotel website. The combination of women’s spending power and the fact that women make the majority of travel decisions make women a powerful demographic that cannot be ignored.
Female Business Travel Trends Before and During Covid 19
Pre Covid: 38.1% of business travelers are women, according to a European study of 6,000 business travelers.
Pre Covid: 11.2% of European business travelers are women, as opposed to 15% of men.
63.6% of females on corporate travel felt somewhat unsafe taking business trips during the pandemic.
43.5% of female business travelers worried they might become infected with Covid 19 during travel, despite safety measures.
Business travel statistics show that women make up almost 40% of business travelers. A different study of female business travelers, done during Covid, shows that they do feel nervous about business trips during the pandemic and worry about becoming infected with Covid 19 while traveling. This is aligned with the fact that data show women are less likely to travel during the pandemic.
4% of women report traveling just as much, just not by air.
17% of women will fly only on specific, trusted airlines.
23% of women will travel by air only if they have to.
23% of women will travel closer to home (less far away destinations).
29% of women will travel less frequently by air.
42% of women will travel less frequently by any means of transportation.
The Covid-19 pandemic has slowed down many industries, and travel is a prime example. This survey is a clear demonstration that women are rethinking travel. Women’s travel behavior changed on every question.
Female Travel Trends: Who do women travel with? Friends, family members or a partner? At what age do they travel?
24% of American women took a “girlfriend getaway” trip from 2016-2019.
39% of American women were planning a girlfriend getaway within three years (As of 2019,)
91% of women who travel together are friends.
Women who travel with relatives account for 8% of the total number of female travelers.
The ‘girlfriend getaway’ market brings in over $200 million a year.
65% of women in the US have vacationed without their partner.
The average age for women travelers in the UK is 57.
Women love to travel with their female friends. There were fewer data available on women traveling with family, but so much data on the girlfriend getaway. Basically, women love them and it represents $200 million in spending per year.
Solo Female Travel: What ages of women are Traveling Solo?
The average UK solo traveler in 2017 was 57 compared to 2014 which was 54.
Women over 50 represent the biggest growth area for solo travel.
26% of Millennial women have traveled solo before and 27% have not but would consider doing so in the future.
81% of solo female travelers are over 45 years old.
13% of solo female travelers are between 35-44 years of age
6% of solo female travelers are between 25-34 years of age
1% of solo female travelers are 18-24 years of age
27% of women have said they would consider taking a holiday by themselves.
Women taking a solo trip spans across the generations but is heavily skewed to women over 50. Younger Generations often lack the money or have family obligations that prevent them from being able to travel as much as women who are empty nesters and beyond. You will find women traveling 100% on their own or sometimes taking group tours so they more easily can meet people along the way.
Solo female travel companies increased by 230% in recent years.
‘Solo female travel’ returns more than 218million results on Google in Jan 2022.
The term ‘female solo travel’ increased in search volume by 62% across all search engines over the past few years.
73% of travel agents found that female travelers take on more solo trips than males.
59% of women solo travelers say that they would go alone again within the next 12 months.
Solo trip bookings have grown 45% in the last few years in this market.
Booking.com stated that 54% of British females are more likely to take trips alone than they were five years prior (2014 data).
The solo female travel space is undeniably growing. The data are sparse, but there are some articles online that speculate that the solo travel market will be the first to recover out of the pandemic. Regardless, in years prior to Covid-19, female travel showed solid growth.
The oldest women’s solo travel group on Facebook is called Solo Female Travelers and has 131K members as of 1/2022.
A third Facebook group dedicated to solo travel for women over 60 is called Over 60 Solo Women Travelers and has 18K members as of 1/2022.
Social Media is an important part of female solo travel. Women use social media to keep in touch with their loved ones while traveling. And beyond that, social media is an excellent resource to get inspiration of where to go and what to do. Plus, women connect with like-minded travelers on social media and can meet up at home or far away.
Female Solo Travel: Where do women travel solo and why?
In a search for the safest country, the top 10 safest destinations for women in 2019 were New Zealand, Uruguay, Canada, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, Iceland, Japan, Chile, and Austria.
In a search for the most popular destinations, the top 10 countries for US female solo travelers were Cuba, Macedonia, UAE, Nepal, Egypt, Albania, Finland, Mexico, Guatemala, and Luxembourg.
45% of travel agents surveyed say Europe is the most popular destination for female travelers.
Japan is the top country to visit when solo women travelers consider culture, safety, scenery, women’s rights and adventure. France, Spain, USA, Indonesia, Italy, Australia, Canada, Portugal and the Philippines also ranked high for female solo travelers for these criteria.
27% of travel agents surveyed say the most popular reasons for women traveling alone are shopping and sightseeing.
46% of women traveling solo said they travel alone for freedom, independence, and the chance to do what they want, when they want.
61% of British women polled say they are more energized after solo travel.
International travel is high on the list of female solo travelers. The destinations vary and span the globe. Europe is often high on the list and Japan was at the top. Women appreciate the feeling of independence they get from solo travel and report feeling energized by it afterward.
Before a trip, the top 4 risks that women consider are: pickpocketing/purse snatching (93%), credit card fraud (86%), identity theft (63%), and taxi scams (62%)
While traveling, women business travelers manage safety by: regularly communicating with office, family or friends (58%), staying only at trusted hotels (56%), sharing itineraries with family and friends (51%)
Regardless of world events, 86% of women state that they are not afraid to travel. *This stat is pre-pandemic, recent statistics show a difference of attitude when it comes to pandemic travel.
Safety concerns should be at the forefront of any traveler’s mind, and women especially can be targeted on the road. Women do consider safety around travel, and the considerations vary based on if they are preparing for, or actually traveling.
75% of woman travelers took trips for cultural, adventure or nature trips.
49 years old is the average age of the adventure traveler – including both genders.
47 years old in a size 12 dress is the average age of the female adventure traveler.
34% of the adventure travel in the US is done by women
17% of women travelers are interested in educational, cultural or historical experiences.
16% of women traveled to a beach destination.
15% of women traveled to adventurous destinations.
13% of women take trips that involve cruises.
Most women seek trips that promise an experience.
69% of women travel as a source of inspiration.
87% of female travelers prefer an aesthetically pleasing destination compared to 72% of their male counterparts.
2015 marked the trend of women quitting their jobs to travel around the world.
74% of women say travel has made them stronger.
When looking at the type of travel women do, not surprisingly, it varies. An overarching theme though is that experiences are important. They may be cultural, or adventure travel in nature, but women are looking for a trip that is an experience. Further, women look to travel for inspiration and find that the experience makes them strong.
These recent women’s travel trends and statistics make it clear that women are a force in the travel industry. They have a huge amount of purchasing power and are decision-makers when it comes to travel. They love to travel with girlfriends, partners, and solo. Women are slightly more worried about travel during the pandemic and we will need to wait and see how this evolves.
