Expert Oo Ks a “We Conducted a Survey That T T Found 65% of People Believe O U They Are Financially Penalised R S for Travelling Solo, Which Can Be

DESTINATIONS NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS | SOLO TRAVEL no single supplements

Laur a F ASK THE ren ch l expert oo ks a “We conducted a survey that t t found 65% of people believe o u they are financially penalised r s for travelling solo, which can be ,

c a huge disincentive to booking. r In response, we created Solo u

s September, working with

e partners to ofer no single s

a supplements and support single

d travellers. Reports from our

h website and our partners reveal

o a sharp increase in solo travel

e over the past few years. Booking l a s

ways t

o Tours trends from several of our solo

e partners show that solo travel is

n particularly popular with women

o Tours have long attracted solo travellers, but offers single rooms for clients going it alone and double travellers aged over 50. Many

o 33 Over the past year, more than one

it’s only over the past couple of years that the rooms for a small supplement on nearly all of its trips cruise partners have noted a

a o

r v

e n l l w e mainstream operators have really started to in the UK, while Grand UK Holidays’ Just for Singles! particular rise in solo travel,

o in six people chose to holiday alone, r

s r i

t e h embrace the market. according to Abta – up from one in coach trips give solo travellers their own twin room in the as it’s a safe and easy way to Wendy Wu Tours brought out a Solo Tours collection, likes of Snowdonia, the Peak District, Eastbourne and meet fellow passengers.” offering a guaranteed single room at no extra cost on six nine in 2017 and only one in 16 in 2011 beyond without charging extra. trips, which range from a 14-day Captivating China tour, It’s the solo specialists that were the real forerunners James Clarke, priced from £3,590, to an 11-day Highlights of Japan of the trend, of course. Just You has offered no single UK general manager, olo travel is firmly on the up. Over the past year, more than one trip, starting at £5,490. Great Rail Journeys likewise offers no-single- supplements for twin or double rooms on all trips since Travelzoo in six people chose to holiday alone, according to Abta research Titan Travel has a similar deal with its Solo Travel supplement deals on a collection of its trips, including a its launch. The operator says its biggest growth areas are – up from one in nine in 2017, and only one in 16 in 2011. tours and holidays, giving clients a room of their own 10-day Glacier Express & St Moritz itinerary through the South America, India, Africa and the Far East. Traditionally that meant paying a single supplement to cover the cost of a s without an additional fee in destinations ranging from Sri Swiss Alps (from £2,695) and a Highlights of Tuscany Solos Holidays offers a similar deal across its tours, double or twin room for those wanting their own space – but no longer is this the case. More and more tour operators, cruise lines and hotels are scrapping Lanka to Armenia and Ethiopia to Canada. tour complete with cooking and wine-tasting in Chianti cruises and single-centre (Clubsolos) trips, giving single supplements or offering reduced rates to entice solo travellers wanting Riviera Travel’s Solo Traveller collection has no single (from £1,795 for 10 days). single travellers the chance to explore everywhere from to meet like-minded travellers without having to slum it with a stranger. So who supplements on trips spanning the likes of New York, Costa Closer to home, walking specialist HF Holidays – Albania to Panama and Saint Lucia to Cambodia without offers what, and how can you use it to sell to this burgeoning market? Rica, Israel, New Zealand, Greece, Italy and beyond. being penalised for having their own room. which says solo travellers account for 50% of bookings – ➣ Didier Wuthrich PICTURE :

66 263 SEPTEMBER 2019 travelweekly.co.uk travelweekly.co.uk 26 SEPTEMBER 2019 67 DESTINATIONS NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS | SOLO TRAVEL

Hotels are also starting to boost and return airport transfers, all for BEST OF THE REST their solo offering. Inghams has $1,500, without charging extra for an impressive range of no-single- single occupancy. supplement hotels, including the In Thailand, Premier Holidays says ❂ Fred Olsen has 190 solo cabins four-star Saaga Spa Hotel in jungle camp Elephant Hills likewise Cruises across its fleet, including 11 suites. No- Hotels Ylläs, Finnish Lapland, and the has no single supplements, offering single-supplement ofers are available four-star Hotel Champs Fleuris in guests a luxury tent to themselves and on twin cabins at certain times of the Morzine, France. the chance to care for elephants in the year – currently on 12 itineraries. Mercury Holidays offers no- lush wilds of Khao Sok National Park. single-supplement twin and double But queen of the solos offering ❂ AmaWaterways has dedicated rooms in several resorts, ranging from has to be Saint Lucia’s BodyHoliday, single staterooms on four European the Dolmen Hotel Malta – a luxury whose September Solos campaign ships, with itineraries on the Seine, beachfront property in St Paul’s Bay – targets independent travellers with a Dordogne, Garonne, Rhone, to the Leonardo Plaza Cypria Maris, a schedule of daily treatments, hosted Rhine and Moselle. It also ofers four-star adult-only hotel overlooking solos dinners and dedicated fitness occasional no-single-supplement Paphos harbour in Cyprus. classes. Caribtours offers a week in deals on twin or double rooms. Those wanting to go more exotic a Standard Garden View Room from should look to Kihaa Maldives; the £2,449 with no single supplement, ❂ Saga Cruises has 109 single resort offers a solo traveller package including flights and transfers in balcony cabins on Spirit of Discovery combining a seven-night stay in a September 2020, for clients after and Spirit of Adventure, and 44 single Reserve Beach Villa with a snorkelling a dose of me-time on sparkling Elephant Hills cabins on Saga Sapphire. It hosts session, a 60-minute spa treatment turquoise shores. TW Aurora Expeditions drinks parties, lunches and meet-ups on port days to get solos mingling.

❂ Cruise & Maritime Voyages has single cabins across its fleet, as well as an onboard programme of events designed for solo passengers, including a welcome-cocktail party.

❂ Norwegian Cruise Line was the

first to fo er solo staterooms and hosts Gilbert; Maureen Herve Oudin; iStock Emerald Waterways CroisiEurope dedicated meet-ups and bar crawls. PICTURES :

Tour operators aren’t the only on selected sailings – while supplements on several 2020 Arctic ones jumping on the solos trend, European Waterways did likewise Operators aren’t voyages in two cabin categories on with cruise lines also spotting an on 40 barge cruises in France, the the only ones jumping new expedition ship Greg Mortimer. opportunity to get in on the act. Netherlands, Scotland and beyond. on the solos trend, The line also offers a ‘cabin mate Emerald Waterways is now CroisiEurope, meanwhile, offers finding’ service, pairing up solo offering no-single-supplement no-single-supplement deals in with cruise lines also travellers on departures without deals on 10 river itineraries (on five double cabins at certain times of the getting in on the act the no-supplement offer, in cabins per sailing). Options range year, with current options including destinations ranging from Patagonia from a nine-day Enchantment of a five-day Venice cruise departing to Greenland. Eastern Europe cruise along the October 29 and priced from £603 Hurtigruten has a limited-time Danube from Croatia to Serbia (from (down from £890), and a five-day with eight-day trips ranging from deal offering solo travellers their £2,895) to an eight-day Sensations wine-tasting itinerary in Burgundy, the Douro (from £1,799) to the Nile own room at no extra cost on of Lyon & Provence itinerary along departing November 19 (reduced (from £2,139) via a yacht cruise in certain expedition itineraries, the Rhône (from £3,095 per person). from £1,089 to £959). Croatia (from £2,499). including a 17-day Christmas cruise Tauck waived the supplement on Riviera Travel has dedicated Solo Beyond the rivers, there’s plenty round Antarctica (from £6,082) and Category 1 riverboat cabins on all Traveller river cruises whose USP is no for those going it alone. Aurora a 23-day extravaganza combining departures for this year – reducing single supplements across the whole Expeditions is targeting independent the Falklands with South Georgia supplements on other categories ship on selected dates and itineraries, adventurers by scrapping single and Antarctica (from £10,064).

68 26 SEPTEMBER 2019 travelweekly.co.uk travelweekly.co.uk 26 SEPTEMBER 2019 69