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The trend of individual travel is booming.
Solo travel should first be understood as a travel trend where travelers undertake trips alone to different places, making their own decisions about the trip, from choosing services to activities at the destination. Participants typically seek personal experiences. However, this does not mean that solo travelers only travel independently and completely disregard the use of travel and tour services. The solo travel trend allows travelers the freedom to choose their itinerary and destinations without being bound by lengthy schedules or dependent on the time of companions, unlike traditional forms of travel.
Recently, the community participating in solo travel has increased significantly. In January 2018, "solo travel" and "travel alone" became the most searched keywords on Google. Searching for "Solo female travel blog" on Google returned over 2.45 million results. According to Booking.com, up to 40% of Baby Boomers (50-64 years old) who used the Booking platform in 2018 had traveled solo the previous year, and 21% are likely to travel solo in the future.
According to a 2018 survey by Agoda and YouGov, Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) was among the top 10 favorite destinations for independent travelers. The surge in travel platforms catering to the independent travel market, such as Klook and Kkday, in Vietnam over the past few years indicates a strong basis for the growth trend of independent travel. According to Klook – a destination-based travel booking platform that has raised a total of $300 million in funding – the number of independent travelers on their platform in Asia alone increased from 31% to 38% in 2018.
Trends in Solo Travel: Opportunities and Challenges
With a significant advantage in understanding domestic destinations, Vietnamese businesses will have many advantages in optimizing products and services to personalize local experiences for tourists, one of the key requirements of the individual traveler market.
However, in order to tap into the highly specific needs of the individual travel market, Vietnamese businesses will also face numerous challenges, especially in the context of an increasing number of international businesses investing directly in Vietnam. One of the first challenges is the ability of domestic businesses to understand customers and flexibly offer different products suitable for each customer segment, as they are accustomed to selling traditional products with little innovation. Secondly, communicating and managing the brand on online platforms with individual tourists, who are considered to highly value direct reviews when choosing service providers, will also be a major challenge for domestic businesses.
To gain a comprehensive understanding of current trends and potential in solo travel, as well as approaches and strategies for exploiting this market, Outbox Consulting and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism will present a special one-day event, “Solo Travelers Day,” including seminars, workshops, and talk shows, within the framework of the 15th Ho Chi Minh City International Tourism Fair (ITE HCMC 2019). This series of events is expected to attract over 500 guests from businesses in the tourism industry to connect, exchange ideas, and discuss opportunities and challenges in the solo travel trend.
“Solo Traveler Day” will take place on September 6, 2019, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Conference Room, 2nd Floor, Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), 799 Nguyen Van Linh Street, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The event is free and open to travel companies, online travel agencies (OTAs), accommodation providers, airlines, government agencies, and destination management organizations.
