TripAdvisor Surveys Female Travellers in Asia

A recent TripAdvisor survey highlights how women across Asia plan their holidays, what factors guide them and the influence they have over decision-making.

The findings, launched in conjunction with International Women’s Day (8 March 2016), are based on responses to a survey which was conducted from 15 February 2016 to 3 March 2016 with 2,846 female respondents in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, China, India and Japan.

Key Findings

- Asian female travellers feel travel has had a positive impact on their lives, with 68% saying their travels have helped them learn about the world and 33% say travel has changed the way they think and the way they live their lives.

- 50% say they make all travel decisions compared to 46% who include their significant other in the travel planning process.

- 83% contributed financially to their last personal trip; of which 27% say they funded the entire holiday including for their travel companions, while 32% shared the cost with their spouse or partner.

- Despite this apparent financial independence, Asian female travellers are deal-hunters at heart and are most swayed by ‘great deals or low prices’ (78%), followed by what others say via ‘reviews on sites like TripAdvisor’ (69%).

- Top destinations they plan to travel to in 2016 are all near home – Japan, Thailand and Australia. USA is the top choice for long-haul travel.

- ‘Nature’ (65%), ‘good food and restaurants’ (61%) and ‘arts, history and cultural attractions’ (56%) are the top three things that guide their travel plans – in contrast, only 30% picked ‘good shopping’ as an important consideration.

“It’s encouraging to see Asian female travellers breaking stereotypes and not just leading the travel planning and booking process, but also having the purchasing power,” said Janice Lee Fang, TripAdvisor’s Communications Director, APAC. “TripAdvisor offers them a great resource when they are planning and booking their holidays with millions of reviews and the ability to find highly-rated hotels that are bookable on TripAdvisor.”

Influence and Affluence

Half of the Asian women surveyed say they make all the travel planning and booking decisions, followed by 46% who say they include their spouse or partner as well.

Eighty-three percent personally contributed to the costs of their holidays, with 27% of them funding the entire holiday – paying for themselves as well as for those they travelled with.

Only 13% say they let their significant other pay for their holiday.

Perspectives

Asian female travellers say travel has had a positive impact on their lives, with 68% who say their travels have helped them learn about the world.

One in three (33%) Asian female travellers say travel has changed the way they think and the way they live their lives.

- 46% of Chinese women feel liberated when they travel, while 42% of Japanese women say travel makes them feel bold, giving them a sense of adventure.

- 46% of Indian and 36% of Indonesian women say travel gave them more self-confidence.

- 40% of Singaporean women say travel makes them appreciate home more.

Nature, Food and Culture

‘Nature’ (65%), ‘good food and restaurants’ (61%) and ‘arts, history and cultural attractions’ (56%) are amongst the top three things that guide the Asian female traveller in her travel planning.

Forty-eight percent of Asian female travellers are also influenced by beautiful beaches and islands. Just 30% of them say that they are influenced by good ol’ shopping.

Prices and Opinions

Asian female travellers are swayed by great deals or low prices on both flights and accommodation (78%), and will look to find these before making a booking.

Sixty-nine percent of Asian women also say they are influenced by user reviews on sites like TripAdvisor.

Half of Malaysian women are influenced by promotional travel packages, while 42% of Japanese women are influenced by frequent flyer miles and loyalty programmes.

Wandering Solo

Of the Asian female respondents who travelled solo on their last trip, 73% say it gave them a sense of freedom, 43% say going alone made for a less stressful travel experience, and 34% say they liked the challenge of stepping out of their comfort zone.

Women in Japan are the most independent with one in five (20%) who reported travelling alone on their last trip.

Safety is top of mind for Asian solo female travellers with 69% who say they avoid going out late at night, avoid quiet streets (56%) and avoid wearing expensive items (37%).

Forty-three percent of Chinese women have a habit of messaging someone on their mobile phone to tell them where they are as a precaution.

Short-Haul Travel Preferred in 2016

The top 3 destinations Asian female travellers are planning to go to in 2016 are all within the Asia Pacific region – Japan, Thailand and Australia.

For those looking to travel long-haul, the United States was their preferred destination.

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