A new global study conducted by JourneyWoman shows that women over 50 feel ignored and undervalued by the travel industry.
Journeywoman surveyed more than 1,000 seasoned women travelers, almost all of them aged 55 or older, and found that 70% of them feel that the travel industry doesn’t understand the needs of mature solo women over 50.
Women also expressed concern about the lack of age-appropriate and diverse photography, a desire to see more appropriate terminology to describe older women and more emphasis on mobility and accessibility requirements.
Journeywoman, the world’s original solo women’s travel publication, said 96% of the women surveyed said they make the travel decisions in their household, which makes the findings all the more alarming for the industry.
In 2023, women 50+ represent over $15 trillion in purchasing power and are experiencing the largest population growth over the next 10 years, according to a recent study conducted in the US by the Coca-Cola Group and Mass Mutual.
In the Journeywoman survey, 43% of women said they feel the travel industry “ignores my needs,” while 23% said the industry is “indifferent” to their needs. Only six per cent said the travel industry understands their needs. It’s devastating for the industry, but it also represents an opportunity.
“It’s time to relinquish the stereotypes and attitudes of the past and embrace the wisdom that these mature women bring to travel,“ said Carolyn Ray, CEO, JourneyWoman. “Women over 50 are adventurous, curious and empowered to make their own financial decisions. Yet despite their spending power, most women feel the travel industry doesn’t understand their needs.
“As some of the world’s most experienced solo travellers, these women have both the responsibility and opportunity to use the power of their voice and their wallet to create sustainable change.”
Marivi Pazos/Unsplash Photo
The study also demonstrated that women over 50 are purposeful travellers, preferring more sustainable forms of travel, while supporting communities, locally owned hotels and restaurants and women-owned businesses. When it comes to group travel, most (38%) look for tour companies that offer women-only or solo trips for women, and look for companies that use female guides, work with local women entrepreneurs and have female leaders. While the destination is an important factor, women also identified reputation, safety and cleanliness as key considerations when choosing a group tour.
Fueled by a desire to explore new, less-travelled destinations, women over 50 are planning travel in the first six months of 2023. Sixty five per cent of the women surveyed put the UK, Europe and Scandinavia at the top of their bucket list. Also popular were trips to North America (30%) and Asia Pacific including Australia and NZ (26%).
Fifty three per cent of the respondents were from the U.S. 32% from Canada and 4% from Australia.
The majority of solo female travelers (58%) said they intend to travel two to three times a year and 69% said they plan to stay longer in one place. While 49% of solo women will spend approximately $2,000 USD per week on travel, 51% said they’ll spend $3,000 or more per week.
“For almost 30 years, JourneyWoman has been an advocate and a voice for solo women travelers,” said Melissa DaSilva, President of TTC Tour Brands, North America, which sponsored the study and offers women-only trips through its Trafalgar and Insight Vacations brands. “As more women over 50 step into solo travel, we want to be at the forefront of positive change and support women with exciting opportunities for self-discovery and empowerment through travel, both as travellers and at the community level.”
