Women and Travel

Abstract

Women and Travel: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives is a fascinating look at the behavior, motivations, experiences, and needs of women as tourists and travellers, drawing on both historic and contemporary eras. Surprisingly little research has explored key issues, experiences, and opportunities in the context of women’s travel. This revealing volume fills this gap, exploring the discourses, debates, and discussions about women, travel, and tourism. With an international roster of contributors from diverse regions of the world, the book celebrates a variety of women’s voices. Khoo-Lattimore and Wilson deliberately sought to include nontraditional and non-Western perspectives on women’s travel, with inclusions of Asian solo female travelers; Islamic women travellers and the constraints placed on them; and women who cannot travel (or choose, for whatever reason, a ‘home holiday’). This enlightening volume brings together scholars from the broad areas of tourism, hospitality, geography, and leisure studies to examine how and why women travel. The chapters bring light to perspectives from different countries, cultures, backgrounds, and religions, and utilize different methods, approaches and styles of presentation. Women and Travel: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives will be of interest to academics and graduate students from a range of disciplines, including tourism, leisure studies, sociology, cultural geography, anthropology, feminist and gender studies, business, economics and management; as well as professionals working in the tourism industry, particularly those with an interest in niche markets and segmentation.