Rahul Somvanshi
Searches for ‘solo female travel’ are up by 99% compared to last year. 84% of solo travelers are emerging as females, according to researchers at Condor Ferries. 72% of American female travelers who took the survey went on a solo vacation. 59% of the surveyed solo female travelers suggested they would travel alone again in the next 12 months.
InsureMyTrip, a leading travel insurance comparison site, has ranked 65 global cities based on cost, safety, gender equality, and quality of tourism. Dubai in the UAE has topped the list as the best city for solo female travelers. Safety and gender equality are some of the main concerns for female travelers while deciding a destination.
The given rankings are based on data points from various sources, including gender gap reports from the WEForum and Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Dubai scored 8.12 out of 10 on the overall ranking, with a perfect score of 10 out of 10 for “feeling safe walking alone at night.” South Africa’s Johannesburg and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia were placed at the bottom of the list as the two least safe cities.
Also considered the romance capital, Paris, France, ranked third most unsafe on the list with an overall score of 3.62 out of 10. Malaysia, Russia, and Indonesia are the three countries with the lowest equality scores.
Madrid in Spain, ranked second on the list with an overall score of 7.79. Thailand’s Chiang Mai city was ranked third with an overall score of 7.5, an evident increase from last year’s ranking. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, had the biggest leap in rankings, moving from 60th to 24th. The holy city of Medina, Saudi Arabia, ranked seventh with an overall safety score of 9.29. Chiang Mai ranked second-safest with an overall safety score of 8.96. Dubai ranked third safest with an overall safety score of 8.95.
The rankings for the safest cities are based on “absence of worry about attacks based on gender” and “feeling safe walking alone at night.” Dubai had the highest score for “quality of things to do” and “TikTok popularity.” New York City ranked second for tourism with an overall score of 9.71.
InsureMyTrip has ranked 65 cities based on cost, safety, gender equality, and quality of tourism for solo female travelers. Dubai has been named the world’s best city for solo female travelers in 2023 by InsureMyTrip. Safety and gender equality are two of the primary concerns for solo female travelers when choosing a destination.
The rankings are based on data points from various sources, including gender gap reports from the WEForum and Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Chiang Mai has seen a significant increase in its ranking, moving up 13 places since last year’s ranking. Riyadh had the most significant increase in rankings, moving up 36 places. Paris had the most significant decrease in rankings, dropping 43 places.
Johannesburg and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, are the two least safe cities on the list. Dubai has scored highly in terms of safety, things to do, and equality, making it the best city for solo female travelers. As per the list, the most affordable city is Jaipur, India, with an average daily travel cost of $15 and it stands at the 12th spot in overall scores. Chennai, India, follows with a daily travel cost of $24. Antalya, Turkey, falls in the third spot with an average daily cost of $25, increasing from 4th in 2022. Orlando is the least affordable town with a daily travel cost of $255, followed by Sydney ($250), which fell from the 46th most affordable city last year, and Las Vegas ($246).
(Note: Despite the safety rankings, the travelers are advised to take necessary precautions and prepare well in advance for a safe and fulfilling travel experience)
