sensitivities, these tours are suitable only for female travellers.” The range includes a 12-day Land of High Passes tour through Ladakh in northern India, where the role of women in rural communities takes centre stage. The Women’s Alliance of Ladakh has more than 5,000 members from 100 villages across the region, and visitors can meet some of the local women involved in its work.
ACTIVITY TOURS So what’s to stop women getting outdoors on hiking, kayaking or mountain biking trips, along with everyone else? Absolutely nothing – except that they often weren’t, or at least, not in large numbers. Cycling specialist Go Where Scotland has been operating for 11 years but found its small-group adventures were attracting mostly male cyclists, until it started female- only departures in 2015. Partner Aneela McKenna says: “Mountain biking is a relatively new sport but since its inception, it’s predominantly been men [in the sport], and we found we had mostly men coming on our tours. I’ve been riding bikes for 20 years, and sometimes, I’ve been the only woman on these tours, so that made me question it. I thought there must be more women interested in it. “We thought let’s give it a try
BOOK IT
Intrepid Travel’s Turkey: Women’s Expedition round-trip itinerary from Istanbul takes in Kas, a boat trip in Kekova, women’s-only beach in Antalya, tour of Cappadocia and a stay in Eskisehir, the ‘Venice of Turkey’. Land-only prices for the 12-day trip start at £1,145, including accommodation, transport, internal flights, some meals and activities.
intrepidtravel.com/uk
Frontier Canada, which pays 10% agent commission on ground arrangements, can book Paddling with the Girls, a 12-day canoeing trip along the Yukon River. Prices start at £1,605 for the tour plus a night’s accommodation at either end of the trip, excluding flights.
frontier-canada.co.uk
Go Where Scotland’s women-only Cairngorm Bikepacking Adventure, which is new this year, combines camping and cycling through the Scottish mountains. Prices for the four-day trip start at £840, departing September 4. Go Where Scotland pays agent commission on an individual basis.
go-where.co.uk
travelweekly.co.uk 13 JUNE 2019 65
and see, and the response we got just by having a women-only tour was unbelievable. It gives women the confidence and also the choice – if they want to go on a mixed trip that’s fine. But we set these trips up and we haven’t stopped since.” Fellow activity operator
Wilderness Scotland has also had success with women-only trips, added this year, with options including a week-long walk along the West Highland Way, sea kayaking through the Summer Isles off Scotland’s northwest coast and a coast-to-coast mountain biking trip through the Highlands. Four departures have already sold out, and there are plans to expand the range next year to include a Glencoe and the Highlands walking holiday. This trend has spread beyond Scotland, with several activity tours across the US and Canada, including Paddling with the Girls, a canoeing trip on the Yukon River led by a female guide. The 12-day adventure goes from Whitehorse to Dawson City, spending a week paddling along the river and camping in the wilderness. With customer feedback
revealing that these departures are attracting women of different ages and backgrounds, repeat customers and first-time touring clients alike, this subset of the market is certainly worth getting to grips with.
TW
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