In the past five years, the share of women travelers visiting India from developed countries has shot up to 49 per cent. But within this, the share of solo women travelers has reduced, as more family groups are visiting, according to data shared by travel intelligence company Adara which has been recently acquired by Rategain.

According to the data, the ratio of female travelers flying from developed countries to India has been on a consistent rise. On a yea-on-year basis(y-o-y), the first quarter of 2023 saw the proportion of female international flyers rise to 49 per cent of all travelers. The data is based on the study of the behavior of travelers from nine countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Germany, and France.

While the share of international female travelers was a little more than 33 per cent of all travelers for January-March 2018, it rose by 50 per cent to occupy 49 per cent of the total share of international travelers in January - March 23.

Travelling together

“This rise in the share of female travelers flying to India can be attributed to the fact that there has been a surge in leisure couple and family travel to India in recent years. As India opened up to tourism post covid, it has become a preferred destination for couples arriving from the US, UK, Italy, and Spain,” Ankit Chaturvedi, vice president and global head of marketing, RateGain.

The hotel industry has experienced a significant shift in customer behaviour post-pandemic. In the first quarter of 2023, the majority of hotel bookings were made by couples, accounting for 83.2 per cent of all bookings, compared to only 54.5 per cent in Q1 of FY19. This represents a significant increase in the popularity of India as a getaway for couples.

Family hotel bookings have also increased, rising from 4 per cent in Q1 2019 to 10.2 per cent in Q1 2023. Some of the top countries from where the family travelers are arriving in India include France, and Spain. Family bookings also came from the NRIs traveling from the US and the UK.

In contrast, “Solo bookings have seen a significant decline in recent years. In Q1 of 2019, solo bookings accounted for 41.6 per cent of all bookings, but this figure has dropped to only 6.6 per cent in Q1 2023. This highlights a trend away from solo travel, perhaps reflecting a greater desire for social interaction and companionship in the wake of the pandemic,” Chaturvedi said.