The travel motivations and experiences of Turkish solo women travellers
Kitapta bölümler > Araştırma Kitabı · 2022
Yazarlar: Gözde Emekli, İlkay SÜDAŞ, Bahar Kaba
Contemporary Muslim Travel Cultures: Practices, Complexities and Emerging Issues, Araştırma Kitabı, Routledge, London/New York , A, Uluslararası, 2022, ss 198-214, İngiltere, Londra
Özet
The recreational demand is increasing and holiday habits are changing both among the secular and conservative groups of Turkish society. The number of travels abroad by Turkish citizens is increasing and there are various types of tourists with their own motivations. A recent and distinct tourist group is the solo women travellers. Many Turkish women, especially from the metropolitan areas, tend to travel abroad independently. Based on fifteen in-depth interviews, this chapter focuses on the motivations and experiences of solo women travellers in Turkey. Results indicate that Turkish solo women travellers are single, well-educated and economically independent, travelling mostly to European countries. Desire for freedom and independence, meeting new people, learning, self-discovery and risk-taking are the main motivations. They encountered socio-spatial constraints such as a limited destination choice and moving only at certain times of the day due to security concerns and fear of harassment. Cultural and economic factors are the other limitations faced. There are certain strategies and tactics developed including asking help from locals, avoiding eye-contact with men, and not visiting places alone that are perceived as dangerous. Solo travel provides benefits to women in terms of sociality, self-confidence and empowerment, and self-discovery. The self-attribution of Turkish women as powerful and courageous suggests that travelling independently provides a way to overcome socio-cultural gender roles that affect women’s lives. They reconstruct their social identity by travelling independently.