Asian travellers embrace solo journeys

Interest in solo travel is rising across Asia, digital travel platform Agoda reports. 

Agoda notes a 16% increase in solo accommodation searches compared to last year. 

This trend underscores a growing movement of travellers embracing the freedom and adventure of solo journeys, it says.

When planning their trips, solo travellers gravitate towards major cities in Asia. 

Tokyo (Japan) leads the pack, ahead of Bangkok (Thailand), Seoul (South Korea), Osaka (Japan), and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) rounding out the top five destinations. 

These urban hubs offer a wide range of attractions, from cultural landmarks to world-class dining and lively entertainment, perfect for those looking to explore at their own pace. 

At the forefront of this trend are travellers from Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and Taiwan, who make up the top five solo travel groups in Asia, Agoda's data show. 

While Japanese travellers dominate in numbers, interest in solo travel has grown the fastest among Indonesians with a 72% increase in searches. 

Thai travellers follow close behind, with a 37% rise in solo travel interest. This growth highlights a transformative shift in how individuals across Asia are redefining their travel experiences and looking beyond traditional group trips.

"The rise in solo travel across Asia has become a defining trend in 2025 that reflects a growing desire for personal discovery and meaningful cultural immersion," says Jay Lee, regional director for North Asia at Agoda said. 

"Agoda is thrilled to support these journeys by offering a wide array of options tailored to solo travellers, ensuring they have everything they need to make their trips unforgettable."

See Agoda.com for more information.

Image: Terran Goodwin, Scop.io

New package tours designed for solo travellers

Travelling solo can result in sometimes having to pay extortionate single supplements.

Leading tour operator Inspiring Vacations has unveiled its new range of small group tours exclusively for solo travellers, with demand already exceeding expectations following its recent launch.

The new Solo Journeys range provides individual travellers with surcharge-free holidays, making it more convenient for solo travellers to visit many of the tour operator’s most popular destinations including Japan, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Africa and South America.

Each Solo Journeys tour includes return airfares, a guaranteed solo room (with no single supplement), airport transfers, expert local guides and fully escorted small group touring. Itineraries feature immersive experiences at exceptional value, “providing travellers with a deep understanding of their chosen destination”.

Brendon Cooper, Chief Product Officer and co-founder of Inspiring Vacations, said: “The travel industry doesn’t always make it easy for solo adventurers to find enticing holidays which offer value for money.

“Whether marvelling at the mighty Iguazu Falls, tasting takoyaki in Osaka or on the trail of elephants in Sri Lanka, our new Solo Journeys remove the costly barrier many lone travellers face when planning their trips.

“Given the great value for solo travellers, we expected Solo Journeys to resonate with travellers but are thrilled by the instant demand, with bookings rushing in over the first week.”

Paul Ryan, CEO and co-founder of Inspiring Vacations, said: “Demand for solo travel is growing. People of all ages whether they are single or want to visit a destination their usual travel partners aren’t interested in. For too long, this has meant putting their dream holiday on hold, sharing with a stranger or incurring substantial solo supplements.

“While many of our travellers have made life-long friends room-sharing on our existing trips, there are times where you just want a room of your own to relax in whilst travelling with like-minded travellers. Our new Solo Journeys range combines everything we’re passionate about - delivering great value holidays which inspire our customers.”

Inspiring Vacations’ decision to launch a dedicated tour range for solo travellers reflects the company’s deep commitment to customer service. Solo travel is expected to continue its rise in popularity, with 87% of Australians planning a solo trip in the next 12 months. Women aged over 50 travelling solo is the fastest-growing segment for the award-winning tour operator.

Ryan said: “Travelling solo doesn’t have to mean travelling alone. Our customers tell us they like to share their travel experiences with like-minded people but sometimes struggle to find friends or family to travel with. Our new Solo Journeys range connects people through the power of small group travel, encouraging people to fulfil their travel dreams with the assistance of experienced local guides and shared camaraderie.”

To find out more, visit inspiringvacations.com

How solo travellers can save themselves thousands

Being a single traveller is not always easy. And is often expensive.

Single supplements can add thousands of dollars to the cost a tour, or cruise.

That's why solo travellers might want to take a look at some Summer Sale offers from Wendy Wu Travel that can be booked until February 29, 2024.

Wendy Wu Tours has waived waived single travel supplements on selected tours and dates completely, with other tours offering a 50% discount off the regular single supplement price.

There are also savings for couples of up to $1,100 per trip twin share.

Simon Bell, managing director for Wendy Wu Tours Australia, says, “We are really excited to launch this year’s Summer Sale at a time when leisure travel from Australia remains robust thanks to the resilience and eagerness of consumers to prioritise overseas travel in 2024.

“While it’s clear that Australians don’t want to give up their travel plans, many of us are of course still looking for ways to save right now. This makes events like our summer sale more popular than ever, because when combined with the all-inclusive nature of our tours, the value we offer is hard - if not impossible - to beat.”

Bell said that destinations like Japan and south-east Asia continue to be as popular as ever with Australian travellers and, in addition, China and India have seen a sharp increase in forward bookings as increased airline capacity into these markets has piqued interest for travel to these destinations in the new year.

Best sellers include tours to Japan, China and, more exotically, to Borneo and Bhutan.

For more information call 1300 727998 or book online at www.wendywutours.com.au