Female Travelers Witness A Rise in MP, Thanks To Women Centric Hotels

By Dr. Vanita Srivastava
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The almost four-decade old Hotel Amaltas in Panchmarhi wears a new attire--not any  infrastructure boost or fancy room changeover, but a seismic shift in-manpower.  The 23-staffed hotel is now run only by women.  From waiter, to cook to housekeeping to even the night guards, women have taken a center-stage.  For tenth pass, Sunita Sharma, a mother of two and a waiter at the hotel, this new structure has been extremely empowering. 

The Handloom Cafe at Pranpur, a hamlet near Chanderi has a staff of 12, all women. While the restaurant is still in a nascent stage of business, the women can already inhale a sense of confidence and optimism.  They were first given a formal training to learn the vocabulary of hoteling. Sadhana Ahirwar, the chef at the Cafe is eighth pass but has seen a 'personality transformation' in herself since she started working.

Dak Ghar-606 in Khajuraho is a small 10 room personalized hotel started in 2022 with a more than 70 percent women staff. Yashaswani Bhayal, the founder, wanted to create a safe environment for the women travelers. There were innumerable challenges especially in creating a women centric team.

The three properties, all in Madhya Pradesh have fleshed out a new dimension to travel industry - interweaving safety with empowerment. These kind of experimentations are important because of the rise in solo women travelers. 

Women have always played a pivotal role in promoting safe tourism and their involvement can build sustainability. Besides creating a safer environment, they also promote diversity leading to a more resilient tourism sector.

Safe Tourism Destination for Women (STDW), an innovative project of Department of Tourism, Government of Madhya Pradesh was  started in 2021 for sketching a safe canvas for the women travelers. The project activities are under implementation at 50 tourist destinations, under 20 clusters in 34 districts of the state.

Solo Surge

There has been a phenomenal increase in the number of solo women travelers, especially after the pandemic. This trend mirrors a cultural shift, empowerment and bold narratives. By prioritizing safe tourism practices, the stakeholders can enhance the travel experience for solo women travelers.

The lack of well-designed public infrastructure has been a major constraint on women's mobility and safety. It is therefore crucial to infuse a gender-oriented theme in the various stages of tourism planning from designing to infrastructure.

Interestingly solo travel is no longer considered as merely a journey to offbeat places but is now levelled as an empowering and transformative recipe.

Madhya Pradesh has made a novel attempt to ensure the safety of women travelers.

"There were challenges and hiccups initially to set up a women centric hotel. Flexible hours was something that family members had to be convinced on," Bhayal says. 

Despite the challenges, Bhayal maintains that there has been a surge in the female travelers including those travelling alone.

"Among other steps, there is an urgent need to have more women guides. There should also be an exclusive outlet for women travelers, where they can get a specific   information and also give their feedback," Bhayal maintains.

Jyoti Jaiswal, Manager of Amaltas Hotel feels that the 'all women' shift from August last year has opened new opportunities for the local population.

"We have strived to give jobs to the local women, most of whom are without any family support," says Jaiswal adding: "There has also been a visible increase in the number of female travelers since the makeover. The visitors have penned emotional feedback on their stay, mentioning on how safe they felt. This has been extremely motivating for us."

Social media & Travel

Social media has played a crucial role in skyrocketing of all female excursions. There are many groups that post attractive pictures of all women groups. And it is not just the exotic beaches that stand out---women are also foraying into adventure tourism. Some of the trips have a tailored gender-centered content such that even the travel guides are women. 

There is a rise in the number of travel agencies catering only to women. Some hotels are infusing innovation and adding new experiences like cooking lessons and craft making for building a cross-cultural friendship among the women.

The number of solo and all women travelers is on a steep rise. The challenge is to ensure their safety - and this is where efforts like that of Madhya Pradesh government can be emulated on a broader scale.