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Although you can debate the numbers when compared to men, there's no longer any denying that women are heavily impacting the world of business, both as leaders and as consumers, as well as trendsetters with growing spending power. They account for an extraordinary 85% of all purchases, from autos to health care, and they're the majority of online shoppers.
In the U.S, Forbes reports, women are “transforming entire industries from education to big data in some of the fastest growing private businesses.”
Consider tourism and travel, where experts agree that women are fueling an explosive growth, making 80% of decisions and expected to spend more than $125 billion this year.
“The average adventure traveler is not a 28-year old male, but a 47-year-old female. And she wears a size 12
dress,” writes travel expert Marybeth Bond, based on statistics by the Travel Industry Association of America indicating that women ranging in age between 20 and 70 comprise three-quarters of those taking nature, adventure, or cultural trips.
Doni Belau, CEO and Founder of Girls Guide to Paris knows the statistics well. “Women not only are traveling by themselves, but with other women friends, with their sisters or their daughters," she says. "They make most of the decisions related with leisure travel. They decide on the places to visit, book tickets, reserve the hotels, make dinner reservations.”
Doni Belau, founder and CEO of Girls Guide to Paris, in her beloved city. Photo: Doni Belau
Her site is fully targeted at that travel demographic. "Marketing to women is still an area not well understood,” she explains. “Many businesses are far behind in producing offers specifically for that sector of the population.”
A Francophile lover of Paris, Belau started her site after numerous trips to the city with family and friends. She wanted to share her affection and knowledge of the city with other women. After raising a son and a daughter and tired of working for big companies - first in the film business, then as a political consultant and finally working for nonprofits - she decided to follow her passion.
Her research showed that none of the many guides to Paris were directed specifically toward women. “Women are drawn to Paris because Paris equals beauty,” she said.
Then there's the fact that women between 40 and 60 are the largest growing niche market in travel. That combination explains why most Girl's Guide clients fall into two segments: young women between 18 and 25 and older women between 40 and 65. These are “the times when women travel,” said Belau.
She noted that “women feel safer in communities of like-minded women, giving and receiving advice like they do with girlfriends.” So instead of another travel guide, she decided to offer “all in one site:” advice, tours, special deals, VIP rooms for shopping, exclusive programs, unusual places to visit, restaurant reviews, and cultural tips.
The site's success has led to the recently launched Girls Guide to Europe digital magazine. Belau also has bought the web site names for Girls Guides to London, New York, Rome and most other big cities, and is maintaining the very feminine aspiration to keep growing her business and “to make a living while enjoying myself.”
