Pushing the limits by ascending further and diving deeper is now making Indian women travellers feel liberated. A recent survey to understand women's participation in adventure travel revealed a 32% year-on-year increase in women travellers opting for adventure across soft, medium and extreme activities. The growth is a cumulative reflection of both its domestic as well as international tours.
Driving the growth, the women force largely comprises Millennials or Gen Y women. About 70% of them come from metro cities while the rest come from the Tier-2 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. Several women from creative fields such as photography, architecture and design have also been choosing adventure. It is delightful to note a 9% increase in women solo travellers as compared to 2017. A mix of social media influence and word-of-mouth publicity is fuelling the growth in solo travel. Safety remains a crucial aspect though, that women research about before stepping out.
Diving and trekking have emerged to be the two most likened adventure activities by Indian women adventure travellers. While Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh and Nepal top the trekking bucket-list for women, Andaman Islands, Maldives, Thailand, Malaysia, Red Sea - Egypt, Bali, Gili Islands, Great Barrier Reef and Mauritius comprise the list of diving destinations. Besides, walking, cycling, biking, rafting and sailing are other activities that Indian women travellers opt for.
(The survey was conducted by world’s oldest and the leading travel company, Cox & Kings, which studied its booking and enquiry trends of about 2,000 women travellers in India)