Study finds women travellers more concerned about safety

Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has seen a 33 per cent growth in women travellers on a year-on-year basis since 2015. The company also said that 23 per cent of the women professionals travelled at least once a month in comparison to 7 per cent who went solely for leisure with the same frequency.

Ahead of Women’s day, the hospitality firm released results of a survey conducted by the company among 1,000 women globally. The women said that safety and security topped the list whilst selecting a hotel.

IHCL has a portfolio of 200 hotels including 42 under development globally across four continents, 12 countries and in over 100 locations.

Among other parameters, IHCL asked questions on the food preferences of the women surveyed. Seventy-eight per cent of women travellers said that they preferred local cuisines when travelling. In comparison, 69 per cent expected healthier dining options. Sixty one per cent said that they preferred smaller, ‘tasting’ portions. While other services such as women butler options were preferred by for 61 per cent of the women and services like a personal shopper were favoured by 69 per cent. The report also suggested that these services could also influence their choice of hotels.

Renu Basu, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Marketing, IHCL said, “Women are responsible for up to 85 per cent of all consumer purchases and play a very significant role in influencing business and leisure travel. Hence, responding to their thoughts and needs is an absolute priority for us. Brands that make an effort to actively and holistically engage with women travellers will stand to gain over the coming decades.”

CrowdTwist – Gender Loyalty’s report suggested that women consumers applied more scrutiny to their purchase decisions and – in turn – subsequently remained more loyal to brands of their choice. Globally, for instance, 27 per cent of women would stick to a preferred brand regardless of price, quality, convenience or brand promises, compared to just 21 per cent of men.

Such insights have clear implications for the travel and hospitality industry; 76 per cent of women are interested in earning points on loyalty programs in comparison to 69 per cent of men. Forty per cent of women currently participate in restaurant loyalty programs versus 34 per cent men.

According to IHCL data, the number of women traveller are growing at twice the rate of their male counterparts. Since 2015, IHCL hotels have seen a growth of 33 per cent in the number of women travellers’ year-on-year; in terms of contribution, today, women guests account for nearly 34 per cent of the rooms business.

COMMENT NOW