Behavioral Characteristics of Solo Female Travellers in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Over the last decade the participation of Solo female in tourism has increased significantly. A Solo female traveller is a free and independent woman traveller who does not accompany any as a travel partner, at that particular time, they make sheer desire or enjoyment of travelling alone. The main objective of this study is to identify the behavioural characteristics and travel motivations of Solo female travellers in Sri Lanka. In addition, the study intends to discover the relationship between Solo female travellers’ attitudes, perception and satisfaction related to their holiday stay in Sri Lanka. The study was carried out with a mixed methodological approach. Structured questionnaire was administered with 50 Solo female travellers and structured interviews were conducted with 4 accommodation providers and 6 travel service providers in the industry. SPSS 21 software package, Percentages, open coding and axial coding methods were mainly utilized to analyze the collected data. The findings derived that Solo female travellers are the self-motivated young travellers who wish to use normal destination facilities. The majority of the Solo females expect only budget facilities in the destination and their behaviours are as ordinary as a backpackers. Solo females are highly motivated on ‘visit a place that they have not visited before’ and ‘experience new and different lifestyles or traditions’. Statistical results from multiple regression analysis indicate that the factors such as attraction & facilities’ and supportive services have significant impact on Solo female traveller satisfaction. The factors, such as accommodation & food, infrastructure facilities and behaviour of the community do not significantly effect on their satisfaction. However, almost all destination attributes should be improved to match with the requirement of this niche travel segment. This study provides the useful guidance and accurate information to establish a friendly environment to promote Solo female travel market in Sri Lanka.