A FIFTH of couples prefer to holiday separately, according to research by a former British Airways air hostess who set up her own referral website for solo travellers.
After researching the sector for two years Suzy Cooper set up Singular Travel in June and has deals with 16 operators including Cadogan, Kirker and TransIndus to eliminate single supplements.
Official statistics reveal 48% of the UK population are single, but Cooper¹s own research found the single travel market also covers 20% of couples who like travelling alone.
“A lot of my friends holiday on their own. For example, men will go on a golfing holiday and women will go walking in Tibet,” Cooper said.
“The travel industry doesn’t make it easy or cost effective for people to travel alone. As a single traveller, I’m very aware of the disadvantages of travelling solo.”
Cooper, who is not officially a travel agent but is considering joining a consortium, earns commission based on sales generated from her referrals.
Customers who sign up for free membership can log on to Singulartravel.co.uk, browse offers and then Cooper deals with their enquiry. To date, more than 1,200 people have signed up to the site.
Cadogan, an operator that waives the single supplement on a third of its product, supports Singular Travel. Sales and marketing manager Jennie Mugridge said: “Suzy approached us with her concept and we thought it was quite a good idea because there is a growing demand for single travellers who don¹t want to be penalised for travelling alone.”