More Chinese women are taking the driver's seat in making travel decisions, seeking personalized experiences and leaving male travelers way behind when it comes to spending.

Chen Yan, from Chengdu in Southwest China's Sichuan province, has booked flights to Nepal for the upcoming Holi festival, also known as the festival of colors, which falls on Sunday and Monday. "It is one of Nepal's most widely celebrated events and I'd like to soak in the local folk customs and festival atmosphere," she said.

The 20-something travel influencer said she wants to see how festivalgoers throw colored powder and water at each other, dance and feast on traditional foods.

About two months ago, she went on a trip to join a lantern celebration in Chiangmai, Thailand. "Local festivals are one of the major elements that prompt me to travel," she said.

Chen, who travels to a dozen destinations at home and abroad every year, is at the vanguard of a new wave of Chinese women travelers.

According to the 2024 Women's Travel Consumer Insight Report recently released by the online travel agency Trip.com Group, average annual per capita travel expenditure for women exceeded that of men by nearly 8 percent in the past year.

The report was based on the analysis of data recorded between Feb 20, 2023 and Feb 20, 2024.

The unstoppable spending power of Chinese women in the tourism industry is evident, as tens of millions of them realize their dreams to travel, with significant growth momentum seen in lower-tier markets.

Regardless of their age, travel is a strong desire for all women, according to the report, which looked at female users who traveled for nonbusiness reasons over the survey period.

Middle-aged women born in the 1970s and 1980s accounted for 62.2 percent of the female travelers and were by far the main force when it comes to consumption, the report showed. Young women born in the 1990s and 2000s accounted for 28.5 percent of tourism spending, indicating their emerging potential as consumers. While the older generation born in the 1950s and 1960s constituted just 9.3 percent of female travelers, the research showed they had a strong preference for premium travel experiences.

"Women wield greater decision-making power in travel product bookings, and they excel at meticulous planning and having a good time for their money," said Sun Jie, CEO of Trip.com Group.

Female users account for over 65 percent of the agency's livestreaming audience and are looking for "cheap and cheerful" deals that can save 780 million yuan ($108 million) in travel expenses annually. Moreover, they are more sensitive to travel trends, according to the report.

Since the start of the year, daily average online visits by female users to view the agency's rankings of tourism service operators as well as new travel hot spots have increased by 42 percent.

Female travelers rely on such information to prepare their travel plans, Sun said, adding that for millions of women travel is a way to overcome fatigue and pursue things they find beautiful. "The powerful and beautiful force of female travel is blossoming," Sun said.