NEW DELHI, 8 March 2019: Women travellers are pushing boundaries by booking more adventure travel experiences and experimenting with solo travel a Cox & Kings’ study reveals
Released to mark International Women’s Day, 8 March, the Cox & Kings study focused on bookings and queries made by 2000 women travellers in India in order to understand women’s participation in adventure travel.
Cox & Kings recorded about 32% year-on-year increase in women travellers opting for adventure across soft, medium and extreme activities.
Driving the growth, are millennials or Gen Y women. About 70% of them come from metro cities while the rest from the second tier cities. Most women from this age group are financially independent.
Lawyers, doctors, corporate managers, designers, writers and heads of different organisations make up the professional profile of the Indian adventure women traveller.
The travel firm noted a 9% increase in women solo travellers as compared to 2017. A mix of social media influence and word-of-mouth recommendation fuel the growth in solo travel.
Safety remains a crucial aspect though with the subject topping research ahead of finalising travel plans.
Diving and trekking have emerged to be the two most popular adventure activities by Indian women adventure travellers.
While Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh and Nepal top the trekking bucket-list, Andaman Islands, Maldives, Thailand, Malaysia, Red Sea – Egypt, Bali, Gili Islands, Great Barrier Reef and Mauritius are included as top destinations for diving. Other activities include walking, cycling, biking, rafting and sailing are other activities that Indian women travellers opt for.
There has also been a marginal increase in women joining extreme adventures including a Kilimanjaro expedition, Stok Kangri expedition and ice climbing in Iceland and Manali.
Destinations that are most sought-after for multi-adventure for Indian women are Hampi, Pondicherry, Ladakh, Spiti, Rishikesh, Gokarna, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand in India. Beyond the top destinations are Nepal, Bhutan, Kenya, Tanzania, Thailand, Maldives, Iceland, Australia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bali.
Cox & Kings Ltd, founded in 1758, is the oldest travel company in the world and also one of the leading leisure travel groups with operations across all continents. Headquartered in India, C&K has over the last three decades transformed itself into a diversified, multinational travel conglomerate focusing on leisure travel and hotels.
