Why Should Boys Have All the Fun? Exploring the Impact of Solo Female Travelers on Society and the Hospitality Industry in India

Tourism in India has long been a family affair, with the major amount of travelling for leisure being around pilgrimage sites. However, with more and more women choosing to transcend the four walls of the house for work as well as for leisure, many tourist spaces in India are being slowly transformed by the presence of solo female travelers, who are on the lookout for an experience which is significantly distinct from that sought by other categories of tourists. With the development of transport and communication on the one hand, and the hospitality industry on the other, in addition to the discourse on rights and individual freedom gaining ground, more and more women are opting to travel “solo”, either alone, or with travel groups that promise “exclusive” experiences in the company of “like-minded travelers”, in packages that are carefully crafted for women. While hotels are scrambling to get positive reviews and ratings from solo female tourists, hostels are increasingly making space for women only dormitories and washrooms, while the concept of mixed dormitories is also gaining popularity in some prominent tourist destinations located in relatively “progressive” parts of India. Wellness retreats, spas, Ayurvedic and Yoga training centers, are all being refurbished to cater to this new category of tourists, hailing from both India and abroad. Through an ethnographic study of a tourist destination popular among female tourists, this study shall highlight how solo female travelers are bringing about a silent revolution in India, by encouraging the creation of gender inclusive spaces, and increasing the popularity of the existing inclusive sites, and how the presence of these women are helping to shatter gender stereotypes on the one hand, and are serving to nurture career aspirations in the women hailing from the marginalized sections of the society, on the other.