More women in Doha are travelling alone. And their travels are becoming more high-end with London and Paris as two of the most common destinations for solo female travellers from Qatar, according to travel consultants.

“They are feeling more independent now to travel. They like to explore, discover, and be more adventurous. Tourism is definitely picking up and more people are travelling this year compared to last year, and this includes solo women travellers. If you compare to previous decades, solo female travellers from Qatar have increased,” said Suneth Peiris, supervisor for Sales & Ticketing at Ali Bin Ali International Travel & Tourism in an interview with Qatar Tribune.

He added: “We’re seeing more women in Doha going on solo trips, because they have disposable income and more spending power. Most of them are working professionals and they are financially independent. That encourages them to travel, also for luxury and shopping”.

Peiris said most of the countries that are popular among their solo female traveller clients from Qatar are from Europe including Switzerland, Germany, Monaco, Turkey, and with France and the UK as the main destinations. Other Asian and African countries that are also popular among solo women travellers here include Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania.

“We’re seeing more Qatari women who are travelling solo, as well as other expatriate women from the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, and Tunisia among others. Many female Western expatriates, we see them travelling more with their families. There are different offerings at different places for everyone. Some are more adventurous, while others want to enjoy the luxuries and do shopping. Also, there are conservation programs if you want to be a part of conservation projects,” Peiris added.

On travel preparations, he said: “We always advise people to make the preparations in advance, because then you can find cheaper rates, especially the flights and hotels. Because closer to the date, the price is higher. If you have a plan, at least start preparing three months prior to your travel, you could save at least 25-30 per cent in cost.”

In its travel recommendation,‘12 Destinations for Solo Women Travelers’ Qatar Airways highlighted that countries and cities including Singapore, Istanbul, Rwanda, Thailand, Namibia, Tokyo, Greece, Vietnam, Botswana, Cambodia, the Philippines, Seychelles were solo-friendly destinations for solo female travellers for having perks like ‘welcoming locals, few language barriers, and a good chance of meeting up with like-minded travellers’.

According to the Solo Female Travel Trends Survey, which is considered the only global research study on solo female travel statistics, trends, preferences, and behaviours, women travel solo because they want to, not just because they have nobody to go with (53 per cent). The main reasons are freedom and flexibility (87 per cent), getting away from routine and responsibilities (83 per cent), relaxation, self-care and enjoying me-time (79 per cent), and challenging themselves (76 per cent).

While solo female travel worries include personal safety (65 per cent), having to plan everything by themselves (59 per cent), and something bad happening (39 per cent).

The survey conducted by the Solo Female Travelers, an international community of over 272,000 women from 100 countries around the world, also found that travelling within one’s own country is the best first solo travel experience (18 per cent). Besides that, European countries (60 per cent) are most recommended, with the top destinations including UK, Spain, Italy, Thailand, and Portugal.

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