If the statistics area unit any indicator, several travelers believe Henry David Thoreau. In increasing numbers, people area unit traveling alone instead of simply expecting others to hitch them.
Solo travelers within the recent past have destroyed twenty one million in precisely the U.S. and GB combined. in step with a brand new dynasty Times article in November. 2012, web searches for "solo travel packages" were up hr over the previous year. The U.S. Department of Commerce's workplace of Travel & business Industries ("OTTI") reportable that a staggering forty second of U.S. citizens/residents that went abroad in 2011 traveled alone. of these individual travelers, thirty eighth traveled for leisure or to go to friends & relatives ("VFR") and sixty six for business. Similarly, incoming solo travelers from abroad destroyed thirty six.2%. Of those, 23.6% were on leisure visits and and sixty two.2% for work. This business and manner development has been growing exponentially.
Who area unit solo travelers?
Solo travelers area unit a way broader cluster than simply the only population. they'll be:
• Two-career couples on business travel or "DINK'S" (Dual financial gain No Kids).
• Those with relatives or friends abroad.
• members of the family following separate sports/hobbies overseas.
Abercrombie & Kent's Jill Fawcett has represented their solo travelers as: "often... married or have partners, however the spouses do not share an equivalent interest... they need to travel with like folks and also the little cluster offers them some interaction. Then they're going back to the privacy of their own area... twenty fifth of individuals UN agency prefer our Extreme journey series area unit (also) solo travelers," she said. "People feel somewhat safer in an exceedingly cluster if the destination is discouraging or there is a roadblock." Solo Travel Is Growing at a fast Rate | Phil Hoffman travel journal, 10/25/11.
According to gymnastic exercise corporation chairman Alan Lewis, "Women area unit a growing force within the solo travel market... wherever the solo market has big from regarding 2 hundredth to twenty fifth of [Grand Circle's] overall bookings throughout the past 5 years."
Single travelers do still still play an energetic role in solo travel. Their growth is evident in Europe and North America wherever folks area unit marrying later and will be unmarried , single or ne'er married. in step with a March 19, 2013 article entitled "The Growing Solo Travel Market", http://tourismintelligence.ca, average single households total as follows:
• thirty fifth of all households in developed countries
• four-hundredth in Suomi and Scandinavian nation (2011)
• thirty seventh within the Netherlands (2011)
• twenty seventh within the U.S. (2010), twenty ninth within the GB (2011) and twenty eighth in North American nation (2011).
How do solos travel?
Solo travel might not essentially mean traveling as a "group of one". people could select
1. Escorted cluster tours
2. freelance tours
3. Travel alone and choose their own hotels/tours
What problems Confront Those Traveling Alone?
There area unit 2 main challenges for individual travelers.
• engaging pricing: Lodging, tours and cruises area unit priced habitually on double occupancy. Most cruises and tours need one supplement for those traveling alone. though this can be not essentially 2X, the value differential may be substantial. this can be most pronounced in tour packages, notably cruises that have "2-for-the-price of 1" early booking promotionals. As a result, those traveling alone could pay 3-4X couples/pairs.
• fine quality access and service: in an exceedingly busy vacation or traveller season, the unaccompanied individual could also be given less fascinating accommodations or tables in restaurants. In fact, even five star buildings could also be unwilling to require a dinner reservation for one even once the individual individual could be a guest of the hotel. this can be notably true on Saturday nights and holidays. the choice could also be sitting at the bar for dinner nevertheless that the feeding area has vacant tables. On cruises/river cruises or alternative tours with "open seating", tables area unit generally discovered for even numbers. The result? These travelers area unit Janus-faced with a "standup" buffet or participating in detecting to seek out Associate in Nursing accessible seat.
What is The Business Opportunity?
This travel development is growing exponentially Associate in Nursingd still represents an underserved niche. the chance for the business is substantial, prioritized as follows:
Leisure travelers: they're the most important proportion of business revenues. However, a smaller proportion go alone for leisure visits. The beneficiaries: airlines, hotels, tours, automotive and caretaker services.
Business travelers: though atiny low portion of revenues, a larger proportion area unit on business. Moreover, they'll have a bigger budget than a personal on vacation. an equivalent business segments would profit with the exception of tours except as potential additions to a global trip.
VFR: Those visiting friends and relatives could also be met at the airfield and have access to native transportation. whereas staying in an exceedingly non-public residence, meals might not be taken out as often as building guests. consequently, such travelers can still generate new revenue primarily for airlines however area unit unlikely to enhance the prevailing marketplace for alternative travel services.
This sector represents a mostly untapped market. Given the sheer numbers of affluent professionals and business executives, with the correct mixture of well-priced, fine quality offerings, either side profit. The travel business can increase their existing revenues whereas those traveling alone can win additional competitive rating and access to higher quality. it's a market whose time has return.
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