Women Are Powering the Next Wave of Global Travel, Says Trip.com Group

• New travel patterns show women favour trusted options, familiarity and culturally diverse journeys
• Solo women travel is surging in Southeast Asia among the Millennials, while Italy and France see a rising trend among older women
• Women are leading travel decisions, and are most willing to spend on family-inclusive experiences when travelling as a group

SINGAPORE, March 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Women today are exploring the world more than ever, whether with family, friends or individually. Increasingly, they are the central spark behind each travel journey made, shaping key travel decisions and preferences.

In celebration of International Women's Day, Trip.com Group has released new insights and survey data that reveal how women are driving global travel flows, and what matters the most to them in their journeys.

More Frequent, More Fearless: A Shift in How Women Travel

Globally, women traveller flight bookings are booming, growing 13% year-on-year (YoY), based on Trip.com Group's data. This trend is seen particularly across Southeast Asia, where in Indonesia – bookings made by women travellers have more than doubled from the previous year^[1].

What this means is that women are crossing borders more than ever. The average women traveller took one to two international trips in 2025, with South Koreans being the most active group, followed by Chinese travellers.

Not only are women travelling more, they are also doing so more spontaneously with lesser planning time. The global average booking window in 2025 ranged from two to six weeks, and internal data shows that women in Europe are planning their trips later rather than earlier – indicating a gradual shift from cautious pre-planning towards spur-of-the-moment travel^[2].

What Women Travellers Look Out For: Security, Familiarity and Adventure

Women travellers are widening their horizons, but on their own terms. While short-haul flights and nearer destinations are still preferred, women travellers are also venturing out to further locations for their adventures. Long-haul flights are gaining traction at a faster pace, with Asia experiencing the fastest growth^[3].

European travellers are also searching up destinations as far as Bangkok and Shanghai, suggesting a stronger appetite to go beyond comfort zones to explore across a wider range of experiences.

At the same time, some overall regional trends are observed:

• Women travellers from Southeast Asian generally prefer making trips within the region, with its close proximity and diverse range of experiences.
• China is a popular getaway destination for South Korean women, especially cities like Shanghai and Qingdao, which can be reached by flight within two hours.
• While domestic travel is still a top choice for European women, interest is shifting to culturally diverse destinations such as Istanbul and Bangkok. Exotic cities such as Cairo, Bueno Aires and Lima are some of the top searched destinations among European women travellers in 2026^[4].

Safety and familiarity are also key factors women take into account when choosing a travel destination. How confident they feel when they arrive late at night, walk and navigate a city, or use the public transport, regardless of whether they are travelling solo or as a group, is most important to women in the United Kingdom (UK) when it comes to making trip-related decisions, based on a recent survey commissioned by Trip.com Group.

Research also shows that destinations that prioritise women's safety and ease of transport are among the top factors that empower women in the UK to feel more confident when travelling^[5].

These travel patterns and insights reflect how women value familiarity and safety when making travel decisions, while also balancing their desire for adventure and novelty.

Rise of the Solo Woman Traveller

More women are choosing to travel solo, whether it is to go on a journey of self-discovery, or to have the flexibility to explore at their own pace.

This trend is observed across all age groups, but the strongest demand for solo travel comes from women aged 25 to 34 years old, where Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and Vietnam are leading the charge. Notably, solo travel is also showing significant gains in Italy and France among older women, where close to one in five are aged 50 and above.  

For millennials, travel cost is a key consideration, with most choosing to book 3-stars and below hotels, especially those from Southeast Asia. On the other hand, slightly older women (aged 35 to 49 years old) in markets like China, South Korea and Singapore are choosing to splurge more on their solo trips, a trend observed from flights to hotels.

Interestingly, while men took more solo trips than women globally, this trend is reversed in some regions like Southeast Asia and Japan, where around 6 in 10 solo travellers are women^[6].

This demonstrates a broader societal shift, as women continue to embrace independence and are empowered to explore new experiences like never before.

Women Shaping the Future of Family-Friendly Travel

Across households, women are often the ones leading travel decisions, whether it is travelling with children, parents or grandparents. Planning a trip with family can be stressful – research shows that finding flights with convenient schedules, planning attractions and activities for children, as well as managing meal options are some of the top factors that matters most to women in the UK when travelling with a child.

This has driven a rising demand for family-friendly travel, where women hope to have a less stressful experience during family trips, even if it means forking out more. Such preferences shape decisions from flight bookings, and accommodation, to even the attractions selected for the trip.

When it comes to family travel experiences, survey insights show that guaranteed family seating on a plane, all-inclusive family packages, as well as larger family suites or connecting rooms are what women in the UK are most willing to spend more on when going on vacation with a child.

Empowering Women Beyond the Workplace

At Trip.com Group, empowering women and contributing to a more supportive environment for families has always been a key commitment. Through family-friendly policies, hybrid work options, paid parental leave and childcare subsidies, till the end of 2025, 98.2% of mothers have returned to work within six months after their maternity leave. In addition, over 1,800 employees have benefitted from more than 137 million USD in childcare subsidies since its introduction in 2023^[7]. This demonstrates the company's continued investment in career growth and workplace equality for women.

Beyond the workplace, Trip.com Group is also leading the industry with initiatives and thoughtful features such as having family-friendly travel recommendations and introducing a range of themed travel products catered to the older generation, for a fuss-free and pleasant travel experience for every traveller.

About Trip.com Group

Trip.com Group is a global travel service provider comprising of Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar. Across its platforms, Trip.com Group helps travellers around the world make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services and enables partners to connect their offerings with users through the aggregation of travel-related content and resources, and an advanced transaction platform consisting of apps, websites and 24/7 customer service centres. Founded in 1999 and listed on NASDAQ in 2003 and HKEX in 2021, Trip.com Group is on the mission "to pursue the perfect trip for a better world". Find out more about Trip.com Group here: group.trip.com.

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