Women & Travel Infographic: Watch Out, World!

More about this Women & Travel infographic:

Last week I attended the Women in Travel Summit by Wanderful, “The community of women travelers around the world.” It was fun and motivating to be with energetic females of all ages–bloggers, writers, and entrepreneurs–who seek to make travel simple and accessible for women all over the globe.

Struck by the statistics that show the impact of women in the travel industry, I created an infographic with just a few of the facts. Here are some more:

• Almost 2/3 of travelers are women, says George Washington University School of Business.
• More than 11% of adults who travel simply for pleasure are women, according to the US Travel Association.
• Tauck, an upscale tour company, has found twice as many women are going solo. (Note: Tauck is one of the few companies that is understanding when it comes to single supplements.)
• When Travel Guard (an insurance company) surveyed travel agents, 68% reported that women over age 45 were the most likely to take small-group tours.
• The same survey showed that 81% of the travel agents’ solo travelers were women over 45. Repeat: 81%!!!!
• 75% of all travelers who book adventure, nature, or cultural trips? You guessed it…women.

Who’s handling this surge of female nomads? Smart businesses that have established women-only travel companies have increased 230% in the past few years. A solid market and travel niche, for sure! April Merenda, president of Gutsy Women Travel, says, “…you have women who are married but their husbands don’t share their interests, or do not don’t share their vacation schedules, or quite frankly, she just needs to get away alone.” (I mention this in my  book review of Linda Ellerbee’s Take Big Bites.)

An article by Jon Marcus in The Boston Globe cites many of these statistics, adding, “Men, it seems, prefer to stick around on Mars while women head off to Venus.”

Indeed. Let’s go, Girls!!

P.S. Not sure about solo travel? Take my quiz!