Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- 15% of adults take solo holidays
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- Figure 1: Who people go on holiday with, July 2017
- Groups market has capacity to grow up to four times larger
- Silver separators
- Solos head for the city
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- Figure 2: Types of solo holiday taken in past 5 years and future interest, July 2017
- Solo holidaymakers are happy in their own company
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- Figure 3: Reasons for taking solo holidays, July 2017
- Single room supplement and social connectivity are most important factors
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- Figure 4: Important factors for solo holidaymakers, July 2017
- Solo travel seen as liberating…
- …but can also feel lonely at times
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- Figure 5: Agreement with statements about solo holidays, July 2017
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- His and hers hobby breaks
- The facts
- The implications
- Travel brands need to cater more for singles on a budget
- The facts
- The implications
- Empowering female solos
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Holiday market resilient but overseas growth rates now slowing
- Growth in single living population
- Silver separators
- Social connections and me-time more important than dating
- Slowing economy likely to impact most on singles
Market Background – Overall Economic and Travel Context
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- Slowing economy likely to impact on discretionary spend…
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- Figure 6: UK average weekly earnings (excluding bonuses)* vs CPI inflation, percentage change year on year, January 2014-August 2017
- Figure 7: Spot exchange rate, Pound Sterling versus selected currencies, June 2016-September 2017
- …but consumers still see holidays as high priority
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- Figure 8: Trends in the number and value of domestic holidays taken by UK residents, 2011-16
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- Figure 9: Trends in the number and value of overseas holidays taken by UK residents, 2011-16
- Spain, Italy, Holland seeing high UK visitor growth
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- Figure 10: Top 20 overseas holiday destinations, by number of trips, 2012-16
Market Background – Singles Demographics and Solo Holidays
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- Seven in 10 solo holidaymakers are single
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- Figure 11: Marital status profile of solo holidaymakers, July 2017
- Divorced population up 23% since 2002
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- Figure 12: Marital status of population age 16+, England and Wales, 2012-16
- Almost four in 10 adults are single
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- Figure 13: Living arrangements age 16+, England and Wales, 2012-16
- Post-50 solo opportunities growing
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- Figure 14: Those not living in a couple aged 16+, by age, England and Wales, 2012-16
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- Figure 15: One-person households, by age, UK, 2012-16
- One-person households to grow twice as fast as others over next five years
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- Figure 16: One-person households forecast, UK, 2016-22
- Growing old disgracefully
- The 50-plus adventuress
- Marry me?
- The cost of single living
- Older singles feeling the pinch
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- Figure 17: Financial situation of UK consumers, by marital status, July 2017
- Travel Singles’ Day?
- The dating game
Companies and Products – What You Need to Know
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- Singles
- Group adventure
- Hobbies and interests
- Escorted tour
- Saga solos
- Female explorers
- Solo traveller tech
- Single-parent holidays
Companies and Products
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- Group-based holidays
- Singles group specialists
- Adventure/activity group travel
- Special-interest group travel
- Escorted tours
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- Figure 18: Latest reported turnover of selected tour operators of relevance to the solo holiday market
- Mainstream
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Just You spreading its wings
- All-female expeditions
- Solo cruising
- Single-parent initiative from Virgin
- Apps for solo travellers
- Delta targets jet-setting singles with marketing campaign
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- One in seven adults have gone solo in past five years
- Making solo travel more female-friendly
- City solos
- Hobby holidays for couples
- Cruise/escorted tour potential
- Supplement-free rooms seen as highest priority…
- …followed by social connectivity
- Age segmentation preferred by Millennials
- Freedom and adventure
- De-stressing solo travel
- Consumer dissatisfaction can favour those brands that get it right
Holiday Companions and Solo Travel
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- 15% of adults have taken a solo holiday in past five years
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- Figure 19: Who people go on holiday with, July 2017
- Overall male bias in solo travel market
- Over one in three divorcees holiday alone
- One in 10 married people have been away on their own
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- Figure 20: Solo holidaymakers, by marital status, July 2017
- 36% of one-person households go solo
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- Figure 21: Solo holidaymakers, by household size, July 2017
- Potential pool of interest in solo holidays is one in four adults
- Future interest in groups/escorted solo holidays is four times higher than past usage
- Safety concerns are key to attracting more women
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- Figure 22: Attitudes of non-solo travellers towards solo travel, July 2017
- Loneliness and costs are also leading barriers to growth
- Consumers are less confident about holidaying abroad
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- Figure 23: Confidence in doing solo leisure activities, July 2017
Types of Solo Holiday Taken and Potential Interest
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- Men more likely to take regular short breaks alone
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- Figure 24: Solo holidays, destination and duration, July 2017
- Solos and the city
- Couples are drawn to solo hobby breaks…
- …but women are not indulging as much as men
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- Figure 25: Types of solo holiday taken, July 2017
- Experimental Solos
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- Figure 26: Number of types of solo holiday taken, July 2017
- Solo cruise and escorted tours have biggest growth potential
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- Figure 27: Future interest in types of solo holiday, July 2017
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- Figure 28: Percentage point differential between past experience of and future interest in types of solo holiday, July 2017
Reasons for Holidaying Solo
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- ‘Just like going on my own’ is main reason given
- Younger males on the lookout for a solo holiday bargain
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- Figure 29: Reasons for taking solo holidays, July 2017
Important Factors for Solo Holidaymakers
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- Supplement-free room is the top priority
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- Figure 30: Important factors for solo holidaymakers, July 2017
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- Figure 31: Factors rated as very important or somewhat important for solo holidaymakers, July 2017
- Social connectivity also of prime importance
- Age segmentation is important for solo Millennials…
- …but others prefer their own company on holiday
Solo Holidaymaker Attitudes
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- Solo holidays offer more freedom and adventure
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- Figure 32: Agreement with statements about solo holidays, July 2017
- Under-45s recognise the social benefits of solo holidays
- Technology as a social enabler
- Loneliness and stress can be significant drawbacks
- Short solo breaks can offer a secure entry point
- Message to industry: ‘you’re still not doing enough’
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- Figure 33: Agreement with further statements about solo holidays, July 2017
- Group holidays seen as safer but can restrict freedom of ‘pure solo’ travel
Appendix
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- Definitions
- Abbreviations
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