WOMAN TRAVELLERS FEEL SAFE IN INIDA

Women travellers are confident about heading out on solo trips or chalking up group itineraries to holiday destinations inside India and even overseas, according to a recent survey. "An encouraging proportion of 44 per cent women leisure travellers in India have travelled alone and the country is also the preferred destination for first-time solo travellers possibly due to comfort and cultural alignment," leading travel portal MakeMyTrip said in a survey released today. While 70 percent of solo-women travellers have so far travelled only within India, 10 per cent had only travelled solo overseas and 20 per cent had covered both, the poll said.

According to the survey, 49 per cent of women feel safe traveling in India. Quizzed on whether they feel safer travelling in India or overseas, 63 per cent responded "It depends on the destination and not the country." Travel in all-women groups has also gained popularity with women increasingly taking to traveling in all-women group of friends or even strangers to destinations both within and outside India, the survey pointed out. Out of 43 per cent women who have travelled in an all-women group, 80 per cent had travelled within India, 15 per cent overseas, while 5 per cent did a mix. Mohit Gupta, Chief Business Officer- Holidays, MakeMyTrip said, "In the past few years we have seen queries and bookings from women-travellers increase significantly." "Not only are women decision-makers when it comes to a holiday-destination preference but a lot of them have taken the purchase decision in their hands," he said. Gupta pointed out that "increasing incomes, paucity of time to coordinate holidays with all family-members and a growing number of financially secure women in the 40-70 year age-group" could be a result of the upswing. Another interesting finding that emerged is that a majority of women (44 per cent) preferred travelling to the hills, whereas 36 per cent like beaches and 20 per cent liked to indulge in adventure travel. The poll which surveyed 4000 women also revealed that Goa topped favourite travel destination across demographics ranging from twenty-somethings to senior citizens. An overwhelming majority of 72 per cent of women opted for Goa, while Ladakh occupied the second-favourite spot with 12 per cent votes, and Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kashmir tied at the third spot with 5 per cent votes each. Andamans Islands followed with 4 per cent votes. Thailand with its "fun beach destination that is also a shoppers' paradise" topped with 25 per cent respondents voted for it as their preferred international holiday destination. Dubai and Europe tied second with 21 per cent votes.