There are lots of Bridget Joneses in society, so many, in fact, that by 2030 single females who live alone will be the largest demographic group. Today, holidays can act as a meeting place for singles. For companies such as the core market is the single traveller, while provides holidays for men looking for Russian wives. The main purchasers of ‘Lonely Planet’ guides are single, middle-class females, and cities like New York are symbolised by Jessica in ‘Sex in the City’. According to the 2000 US Census Bureau the number of people in the United States who live alone jumped from 17% of all households in 1970 to 26% in 2000. There are 95.7 million single American adults according to the US Census Bureau with New York having the highest population of unmarried adults.

According to the Travel Industry Association, nearly 25% of US travellers (34.8 million adults) take a vacation on their own. The average solo vacationer is 42 years of age, with an annual household income of $54,000. More than 25% have a professional or managerial occupation, 53% are male and 47% female, and 38% have graduated from university. Even married people sometimes prefer to holiday on their own; one in seven of the over-50s take holidays alone to escape the ‘other half’, according to research by Saga Holidays. This research highlights the fact that going on holiday alone to meet new friends is a major driver for many and that 5% are searching for a new partner (whilst still married!). In China there will be 10% more men than women by 2040 as a result of rising prosperity, the changing roles of women, new career options and the country’s one child policy. Across the world, the demographic shift away from married life and the subsequent rise in the number of independent singles have resulted in the Bridget Jones phenomena according to futurologist Ian Yeoman.

In 2005, single-person households represented almost 30% of all households in the United Kingdom; over the past 25 years the average age of people at the time of their first marriage has increased significantly, rising in 2005 to 28 years for women and 30 years for men, a far cry from the 1980s when it was 22 for women and 24 for men. In the United Kingdom, the lifestyle of many single people aged between 25 and 40 is characterised by a focus on career and a busy social life. When it comes to holidays, therefore, many singles are looking for a wide variety of leisure services and activities that offer relaxation and a means by which to alleviate the stress created by day-to- day living. Furthermore, career-minded singles are more inclined to spend their higher-than-average disposable income on treating themselves, rather than on family life. This presents a potentially high return on investment for companies targeting this growing consumer group with their travel products and services. Without doubt, singles now represent a major consumer group in the tourist world.

Singleton is a term that is coming to represent a more important, durable life stage: the pre-family life stage is set to last longer and, therefore, become more important. Bridget Jones hasn’t abandoned marriage; in fact, she still considers it to be a mystical, romantic and ideal state, while at the same time regarding it as a sullied, outdated institution. Many people are clearly die-hard optimists and retain the belief that marriage is still synonymous with true love, and there is unlikely to be a change in this attitude any time soon, so marriage is safeguarded for a few years yet! Perhaps the most important point to remember is that the status of being single has changed dramatically since the 1950s. Once a stigma, being single is now largely considered exciting, a chance to experience personal development and opportunity before the responsibilities of marriage and parenthood crowd in.

Bridget Jones and Holidays

Much of the western world singleton population has already travelled alone on holiday, often during their gap year — or even earlier, that is, during their student years. This backpacker market remains well catered for and continues to flourish because of demand from travellers in their late teens or early twenties. However, career-focused singles, with higher disposable incomes plus an intense and work-filled life, are looking to indulge themselves more while on holiday and are willing to pay the price for higher-end service, unlike cash-strapped backpackers. The main drawback faced by those travelling alone is the higher price of a holiday, compared to going as part of a couple or a group. Whilst the airfare, meals and souvenir costs are the same for everyone, single travellers are made to pay surcharges for accommodation, making their trip more expensive. Most travel operators, whose packages are often affected by the surcharges levied by accommodation providers, also place an additional surcharge on single travellers, who are therefore penalised twice. Safety and security abroad is also of concern to singles, particularly female travellers who venture to new destinations on their own. Additionally, some singles feel conscious of the social stigma attached to 25- to 40-year-olds travelling solo, whilst others feel uncomfortable dining alone on holiday.

Singletons have different needs from those holidaying in couples or groups. In some ways they are more flexible, because they are not restricted to choosing a holiday which appeals to all members of their family or group. However, whilst this makes them open to a wider range of options, it also means that the needs of the single traveller are much higher in terms of specific requirements, safety issues and demand for more challenging and rewarding holidays. Presented with the freedom to choose a holiday to satisfy only themselves, single travellers often feel a strong urge to take part in activities which they could not do if they had to take into account another person’s tastes. They are, for example, more inclined to consider adventure holidays and extreme sports. Themed holidays linked to hobbies, such as trekking, surfing, birdwatching, horse riding or yoga, as well as spa retreats and exotic city breaks, are also all niche-market products which operators would do well to offer single travellers. More so than couples and groups, singletons also feel the need to take part in activities where they gain a sense of achievement. As such, themed holidays, educational holidays, volunteering tourism and ecotourism are all predicted to do well if correctly targeted at the singles’ market. Holidays where new skills can be learned, such as courses on cookery, writing and massage, and sporting holidays, are also likely to be successful if marketed to singles. With young working singles willing to spend more on travel abroad or to achieve a lifetime ambition, a plethora of opportunities exist for travel specialists and niche travel agents to put together mid-to-luxury holidays. These trends are emphasized by travel companies like Trekamerica or Explore, where the majority of travellers are singletons travelling independently in groups – a phenomenon explored in greater detail by Ethan Watters in his book Urban Tribes.

Dating Holidays

Bridget could always try a specialist ‘singles’ tour operator. With the rise in popularity of dating and online dating agencies, such as , and , holidays marketed as spin-offs and tour operators offering a similar matchmaking service have begun to flourish. Thanks to the long-running television programme ‘Blind Date’, where the winning couple actually go on a holiday as their date, consumers are familiar with the concept of singles aged between 25 and 40 finding romance on a ‘holiday date’. Tour operators now provide unattached travellers with a similar product, but without Cilla Black and her show as the middleman! Nevertheless, a significant proportion of single travellers remain uncomfortable with the social stigma associated with traditional 18–30 or Club-Med-type holidays and, as far as possible, prefer to avoid giving the impression that they are actively looking for a partner. Therefore, holidays which announce just that will be rejected by a large part of the single traveller market.

Whilst the ‘going it alone’ market remains small, some businesses in the United Kingdom have already forged ahead, recognising the potential of the independent Bridget could always try a specialist ‘singles’ tour operator. Whilst the ‘going it alone’ market remains small, some businesses in the United Kingdom have already forged ahead, recognising the potential of the independent.

And a final note….

According to the social forecaster Richard Scase, single women in their thirties and forties have the well-developed social networks and confidence that men lack. Men define themselves more by their work, and relax with too much unhealthy food and drink, a recipe for isolation and loneliness. Single women, by contrast, are more likely to see friends, explore their spiritual side and relax with yoga. Consequently Mr Darcy might not be up to Bridget Jones’ standards by 2030.

Ian Yeoman is the world’s only professional crystal ball gazer or futurologist specializing in travel and tourism. Ian learned his trade as the scenario planner for VisitScotland, where he established the process of futures thinking within the organisation using a variety of techniques including economic modelling, trends analysis and scenario construction. In May 2008, Ian was appointed an Assoc. Professor of Tourism Management at Victoria University, He is a popular speaker at conferences and was described by the UK Sunday Times as the country's leading contemporary futurologist.

Ian has a PhD in Management Science from Napier University, Edinburgh and a BSc (Hons) in Catering Systems from Sheffield Hallam University. Previously, Ian was Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Hospitality Management at Napier University and University College, Birmingham. He has extensive experience within the hospitality industry, for which he was a hotel manager with Trusthouse Forte.

Ian has received a number of awards in recognition of his research including his appointment as a Honorary Professor of Tourism Management at Stirling University and the Mike Simpson Award from the Operational Research Society.

More details about Ian and futurology in the travel industry can be at

Ian Yeoman
Victoria University Management School | Victoria University
00 64 (0) 4 463 5717
Tomorrows Tourist