WOMEN'S SOLO TRAVEL AND GENDER EQUALITY: INSIGHTS FROM LABUAN

Objective: This study aims to analyze the tourism network of Labuan Bajo, focusing on identifying key destinations and their roles within the network, particularly for women solo travelers. The objective is to enhance tourism management by understanding these dynamics. Theoretical Framework: This research is underpinned by tourist and gender studies, which provide a foundation for examining the connectivity and influence of tourist destinations, as well as the specific needs and patterns of woman solo travelers. Method: The methodology involves creating edge and node lists from TripAdvisor reviews, followed by network construction using centrality measures — degree, betweenness, and eigen centrality. Network visualization techniques are applied to interpret relationships between destinations. Data was collected from January 1, 2020, to September 1, 2023, with 2,843 reviews analyzed. Results and Discussion: The results reveal that Padar Island is the most central and influential destination, serving as a key hub for woman solo travelers. Other significant destinations include Loh Liang National Park, Kanawa Island,Kalong Island, and Cunca Wulang Waterfall. Rangko Cave, however, shows the lowest centrality measurements. The network's division into clusters highlights distinct patterns in woman solo travel behavior and preferences. These findings suggest strategic areas for investment and improvement to enhance tourist experiences and promote women's equality in travel. Research Implications: The study's findings provide practical insights for tourism management, suggesting targeted investments and infrastructure development in high-centrality areas. Improving safety, accessibility, and amenities at key hubs can create a more inclusive environment for woman solo travelers. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by combining network analysis with gender-focused tourism research, offering a novel approach to understanding and improving tourism dynamics in emerging destinations. The insights gained can influence sustainable tourism development and gender equality in travel.


INTRODUCTION
As one of the fast-growing tourist destinations, Labuan Bajo is now attracting attention to solo women's travel, which has shown significant growth as a niche market in the tourism industry.Although the phenomenon of solo women traveling has become a global trend, scientific studies on their patterns, preferences, and behaviors in Indonesia, particularly in Labuan Bajo, are still very limited.Most previous studies tended to focus on more established tourist destinations or on tourists in general without distinguishing between gender and form of travel (Abou-Shouk et al., 2021;Berdychevsky et al., 2013;Freund & Hernandez-Maskivker, 2021;Ilagan et al., 2019).The lack of attention to solo women's travel creates a knowledge gap that needs to be addressed to develop inclusive and sustainable tourism strategies.
It is worth noting that there is still a lack of comprehensive research examining the experiences of women who travel solo in island destination like Labuan Bajo Indonesia.Especially when some may argue that these destinations may not offer a safe environment for woman solo tourists due to potential security concerns and cultural differences (Hashem et al., 2022;McNiel et al., 2012;Wantono & McKercher, 2019).
Existing studies on solo women's travel generally focus more on individual aspects such as motivation and experience but have not specifically explored the patterns and behaviour of solo travel on the development of island destinations (Durko & Stone, 2017;Kong & Zhu, 2021;Pitanatri, Damanik, et al., 2022).This study aims to fill this gap by comprehensively examining the travel patterns, preferences, and behaviors of solo women in Labuan Bajo.This research will not only provide in-depth insights into their needs and expectations but also contribute to formulating policies that can support women's empowerment through tourism.
From this perspective, the study seeks to offer a holistic and comprehensive understanding of the topic, with an emphasis on understanding the dynamics though the mobility of women solo travel.This process involves tracking and visualizing the movements of tourists across different locations, helping us understand patterns, preferences, and behaviors.

WOMAN SOLO TRAVEL
Motivation is the primary factor that drives women to embark on solo trips.Based on research Berdychevsky & Gibson (2015) women are often motivated by a desire for freedom, adventure, and personal growth.These motivations can be categorized into intrinsic and extrinsic motivations.Intrinsic motivation includes the search for self-identity, personal exploration, and freedom (Durko & Stone, 2017;Elsrud, 1998) .The self-Determination theory explains that the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness influences women's decisions to travel alone.Meanwhile, extrinsic motivation involves the urge to escape from daily routines and seek out new challenges (Ghadban et al., 2023;Laing & Frost, 2017;Wang et al., 2023).
The experience of women traveling solo is often distinct from that of other travelers.According to Myers (2017), women who travel alone tend to seek authentic experiences and deep social interactions.They are not only interested in seeing beautiful scenery or visiting popular tourist attractions but also in engaging with local culture, understanding the daily lives of the locals, and having a more personalized and meaningful experience.Ghadban et al. (2023) emphasizes that solo travel can provide greater confidence and independence.Through these journeys, women often face and overcome various challenges on their own, which ultimately increases their selfconfidence and ability to rely on themselves in different situations.This contributes to personal empowerment, where they feel stronger and more in control of their lives (Pitanatri & Pitana, 2019a;Saputra & Pitanatri, 2023).
However, women who travel solo often face unique challenges that other travelers do not always encounter.One of the main issues is security.Research by Laing & Frost (2017) shows that women who travel alone often face higher risks related to physical and psychological safety.This includes the risk of crimes such as theft or assault, as well as potential harassment or intimidation.
Solo women need to be more vigilant and often have to take extra steps to ensure their safety, such as choosing safer accommodations, avoiding dangerous In addition, differences in social and cultural norms can affect women's perception and comfort during travel.Research by Myers (2017) shows that different gender norms across various cultures can pose challenges for solo women.For example, in some cultures, women traveling alone may be considered inappropriate or receive unwanted attention.This can lead to discomfort or even fear, which can diminish the quality of their travel experience.Solo women also have to adapt to a variety of social expectations and may need to adjust their behavior to respect local norms, which can be challenging and exhausting.
In the face of these challenges, women traveling solo often develop strategies to enhance their safety and comfort.This may include conducting indepth research on destinations before setting off, joining women's travel communities, or using technology such as safety apps.Despite these challenges, many women find that the benefits of solo travel, such as freedom, selfexploration, and personal empowerment, far outweigh the risks involved (Berdychevsky & Gibson, 2015;Elsrud, 1998;Kong & Zhu, 2021).

GENDER EQUALITY IN TOURISM
Gender equality in tourism refers to gender justice and equality in access, participation, and benefits from the tourism sector (Pitanatri & Pitana, 2019b).This includes recognition and respect for the needs and preferences of different genders, as well as efforts to address possible discrimination and injustice.Gender theory in tourism highlights how gender roles and norms affect the traveler's experience (Mura, 2018).Zhang & Zhang (2020) further explained that tourism often reflects and reinforces existing gender norms, which can affect women's access and participation in tourism activities.
Therefore, it is important to understand how gender affects interactions in the context of tourism and how this can be changed to create a more inclusive experience.
Gender equality through tourism includes efforts to increase the active participation of women in the sector, both as tourists and as workers in the  (Pécot et al., 2024;Pitanatri, Pitana, et al., 2022).Research by Scheyvens (2006) shows that tourism can be a powerful tool for women's economic and social empowerment by providing jobs, education, and training opportunities.Tourism not only opens up opportunities for women to work in various related sectors, such as hospitality, restaurants, and tour guiding, but also allows them to develop skills and knowledge that can improve their social and economic status.
Job opportunities in the tourism sector are often more flexible and accessible to women, including those who live in rural areas or who may not have access to other formal jobs.Additionally, the education and training provided through tourism programs can help women develop managerial and entrepreneurial skills, which they can use to start their own businesses or take on leadership roles in tourism organizations (Leong et al., 2024;Pitanatri & Priyanto, 2022;Zhang & Zhang, 2020).
Furthermore, tourism can also encourage social empowerment by strengthening the role of women in their communities.Through active participation in tourism, women can gain greater recognition and respect from society, which can ultimately change social norms that limit their roles and opportunities.This participation can also raise awareness about gender issues among the wider community, which is important to drive broader social change.
Women's participation as tourists also plays a crucial role in their empowerment.Woman solo travelers, in particular, experience a form of empowerment through their journeys.They often seek authentic and immersive experiences, which not only enrich their understanding of different cultures but also enhance their confidence and independence.Traveling alone allows women to make decisions independently, manage their safety, and navigate new environments, which can lead to significant personal growth and empowerment (Linao et al., 2024;Wilson & Ateljevic, 2007;Zhang & Zhang, 2020).The raw data includes detailed information such as usernames, dates of visit, dates of review, review titles, textual content of reviews, ratings, likes, and the geographical origins of the reviewers.To maintain a clear focus on solo travelers, the study meticulously selects a subset of the raw data, choosing only those reviews left by individuals who traveled alone, thus excluding entries from families, couples, or groups.
This selection process results in a refined dataset exclusively comprising reviews from women solo travelers.For a more focused analysis, three primary features are identified from the data: the username of the reviewer, their geographic origin, and the textual content of their review.The 'username' feature is analyzed to predict the gender of the reviewer, aiming to classify them into 'Male' and 'Female' categories.This classification is achieved through a gender classification algorithm, such as the BART Large Zero Shot model, which predict gender based on the username.
Next, the network data is prepared by creating an edge list and a node list.The edge list comprises pairs of nodes that represent direct connections between tourist destinations, while the node list includes all unique destinations, detailing their attributes such as name, type, and geographical location.These lists form the basis for constructing the tourism network of Labuan Bajo.
Centrality measures, including degree centrality, betweenness centrality, and eigen centrality, are used to understand the network's structure and the relative importance of each destination (Asero et al., 2016a;Mostafa, 2013;Ying et al., 2016).Degree centrality pinpoints the most popular spots based on the number of connections they have.Betweenness centrality highlights key destinations that act as crucial links within the network, Network visualization creates a graphical representation, making it easier to interpret relationships between destinations (Asero et al., 2016b;Quynh et al., 2019).This process generates valuable insights into woman solo travel patterns.The research framework can be illustrated through the following figure.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
The data collection for this study involved systematically extracting traveler reviews from the TripAdvisor website using web scraping techniques implemented in the R programming language.The focus was on Englishlanguage reviews covering the period from January 1, 2020, to September 1, 2023.The dataset comprises reviews for the top 50 most popular tourist destinations in Labuan Bajo, selected based on the volume of reviews.This selection criterion ensures the inclusion of diverse traveler interactions and perspectives.The results are summarized in Table 1.The parameters ensured the inclusion of a broad spectrum of traveler interactions, as the selection criteria were based on the volume of reviews, indicating the popularity and relevance of the destinations.By focusing on English-language reviews, the study aimed to maintain consistency and comprehensibility in the data analysis.
The extracted data included various attributes of the reviews, such as usernames, visit dates, review dates, review titles, textual content, ratings, likes, and the geographical origins of the reviewers.By adhering to these parameters, the collected data not only reflected the popular opinions and experiences of tourists in Labuan Bajo but also ensured that the dataset was extensive and varied enough to support an analysis of travel patterns and preferences.The data collection results is outlined as follows:  After the dataset is provided, the next step involves the measurement of centrality and modularity to analyze the connectivity and importance of each tourist destination within the network.These measurements offer a deeper understanding of how destinations interact, their relative significance, and the overall structure of the tourism network in Labuan Bajo.
To begin with, data preparation is essential to ensure the accuracy of the subsequent analysis.This process includes cleaning and pre-processing the dataset, verifying the consistency of review data, and ensuring all relevant attributes are correctly formatted.Modularity detection and clustering techniques are employed to identify patterns within the network.All calculations are performed using R-Studio.Degree centrality, which measures the number of direct connections a node (tourist destination) has, reveals that Padar Island, with a degree centrality of 10, is the most connected destination.This suggests that Padar Island is a primary hub within the tourist network, frequently visited and highly accessible.Other notable destinations with high degree centrality include Loh Liang National Park (8), Kanawa Island (7), Kalong Island (7), and Cunca Wulang Waterfall (7).These destinations also exhibit significant connectivity, indicating their popularity among tourists and their role as central points in the network.In contrast, Rangko Cave, with a degree centrality of 1, appears to be less popular or less accessible, potentially due to its remote location or lesserknown status.
Betweenness centrality, which quantifies the extent to which a node lies on the shortest path between other nodes, highlights the importance of certain In contrast, Rangko Cave shows the lowest centrality measurements, indicating that it is less connected and influential compared to other destinations.This could be due to its more remote location, lesser-known status, or limited accessibility.While it may still offer unique attractions, its lower centrality suggests that fewer tourists visit Rangko Cave, and it does not play a major role in connecting different parts of the tourism network.
The two main clusters (modularity) provides further insights into the tourism dynamics of Labuan Bajo.These clusters represent distinct groups of destinations that are frequently visited together, suggesting patterns in tourist behavior and preferences.For example, one cluster might include destinations that are closer to each other geographically or offer complementary attractions, making them more likely to be included in the same travel itinerary.Understanding these clusters can offer valuable information for tourism management and planning.

CONCLUSIONS
The insights from this network analysis highlight the importance of key destinations within Labuan Bajo's tourism network, providing a strategic foundation for enhancing tourism management.By leveraging these insights, Travel and Gender Equality: Insights from Labuan Bajo According to the SDG areas, and keeping family or friends informed of their location.
Pitanatri, P., D., S., Darmawijaya, I., G., Adinda, C., Priliani , N., L., D., Pratiwi, K., A., D. (2024) Women's Solo Travel and Gender Equality: Insights from Labuan Bajo According to the SDG 3 METHODOLOGY This research aims to explore the motivations and characteristics of woman solo travelers, particularly focusing on their experiences in Labuan Bajo.The first phase of this comprehensive study involves gathering a dataset from TripAdvisor, specifically customer reviews for the top-rated travel destinations in Labuan Bajo (50 destinations), referred to as 'raw data'.
Women's Solo Travel and Gender Equality: Insights from Labuan Bajo According to the SDG facilitating movement between different areas.Eigen centrality measures a destination's influence by considering the importance of its connected neighbors, showing its overall prominence.
Figure 1.Research framework Figure 2.Woman Solo Traveler Network stakeholders can make informed decisions to improve the overall tourist experience, ensure sustainable tourism development, and maximize the region's economic benefits.Padar Island stands out as the most central and influential destination within the Labuan Bajo tourism network.Serving as a crucial hub for woman solo travelers, Padar Island attracts significant visitor traffic and acts as a focal point for tourism activities.Its high degree, betweenness, and eigen centrality highlight it's esential role in connecting various tourist routes and providing a rich, engaging experience for woman solo travelers.Conversely, Rangko Cave exhibits the lowest centrality measurements, indicating it is less connected and influential.This may be due to its remote location, lesser-known status, or Pitanatri, P., D., S., Darmawijaya, I., G., Adinda, C., Priliani , N., L., D., Pratiwi, K., A., D. (2024) Women's Solo Travel and Gender Equality: Insights from Labuan Bajo According to the SDG limited accessibility.While it may still offer unique attractions, its lower centrality suggests fewer tourists visit Rangko Cave, and it does not play a major role in connecting different parts of the tourism network.This network analysis aids in identifying key areas for investment, infrastructure development, and marketing strategies to enhance the overall tourist experience in Labuan Bajo.By pinpointing the most central and influential destinations, tourism planners can prioritize these areas for improvements and promotional efforts.Enhancing facilities and services at Padar Island and other high-centrality locations could boost their attractiveness and capacity to handle more tourists.Future studies could explore the impact of seasonal variations on woman solo travel flows and network dynamics in Labuan Bajo.Investigating the socioeconomic effects of increased tourism on local communities would provide a more comprehensive understanding of tourism's benefits and challenges.Researchers could also examine the role of digital platforms and social media in shaping woman solo travel patterns and destination popularity.Comparative studies with other emerging tourist destinations could offer broader insights into effective tourism management strategies.

Table 1 .
Data Collection Overview

Table 2 .
Data Collection