(Originally published in TOURISM)
Whether a Miss, Mrs. or Ms, the keyword when it comes to travel is "more". Lots more.
According to statistics from the US market, women took 32 million trips last year. Speaking even more strongly to the economic clout women carry, researchers estimate that next year women will spend 125 billion USD on travel. On top of that, the potential of the female travel market is suspected to be more than $19 trillion.
Women of all ages and in all stages in life - single, married, divorced and widowed - are jumping on the bon voyage bandwagon. And they are not weaving across continents simply to sit back, relax and chat: 75% of cultural and adventure-trip takers are women. The average adventure traveller age? A fabulous 47.
Women are also travelling even if it means leaving someone special back home. Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported that of 500 female travellers surveyed in 2003 by Women Traveling Together (a Maryland-based tour operator), almost two-thirds left behind husbands or boyfriends within the previous year to join an all-women tour.
Even those who ultimately choose to travel alone are encouraged by an industry that now caters to gender-specific concerns. Some hotels, such as Dubai's Jumeirah Emirates Tower and Durban, South Africa's Royal Hotel are among the international accommodations that feature women-only floors.
Whether a Miss, Mrs. or Ms, the keyword when it comes to travel is "more". Lots more.
According to statistics from the US market, women took 32 million trips last year. Speaking even more strongly to the economic clout women carry, researchers estimate that next year women will spend 125 billion USD on travel. On top of that, the potential of the female travel market is suspected to be more than $19 trillion.
Women of all ages and in all stages in life - single, married, divorced and widowed - are jumping on the bon voyage bandwagon. And they are not weaving across continents simply to sit back, relax and chat: 75% of cultural and adventure-trip takers are women. The average adventure traveller age? A fabulous 47.
Women are also travelling even if it means leaving someone special back home. Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported that of 500 female travellers surveyed in 2003 by Women Traveling Together (a Maryland-based tour operator), almost two-thirds left behind husbands or boyfriends within the previous year to join an all-women tour.
Even those who ultimately choose to travel alone are encouraged by an industry that now caters to gender-specific concerns. Some hotels, such as Dubai's Jumeirah Emirates Tower and Durban, South Africa's Royal Hotel are among the international accommodations that feature women-only floors.
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