- 8 in 10 travellers recognise the significance of sustainable travel
- COVID-19 significantly fueled individuals’s urge for food to travel sustainably
- 67.7% of travellers are open to paying extra for sustainable choices
SHANGHAI, Sept. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Trip.com Group, a number one world travel service supplier, at the moment launched its inaugural “Sustainable Travel Consumer Report 2022”, celebrating the annual World Tourism Day.
This report sheds mild on the elevated acceptance of sustainable travel and its implications for the travel industry and the wider world.
Across the globe, sustainable travel as an idea and follow has moved from the again of travellers’ minds to assert a dominant place in the decision-making course of, with near eight in 10 travellers (78.7%) acknowledging its significance.
Sustainable Travel an Increasingly Accepted Idea
Based on a survey of 7,705 respondents throughout 11 markets in Asia and Europe, the report finds that the influence of travel has topped the checklist of the explanation why travellers are more and more drawn to sustainable travel.
Some 50.5% of respondents stated they care about the influence of travel on future generations, a 3rd (26.8%) cited its function in bettering the travel expertise, one other 13.2% perceived it as stylish, and eight.4% admitted individuals opted for sustainable travel because of societal strain.
Perception of sustainable travel additionally varies amongst the respondents. The report signifies a rising proportion of travellers now method the time period extra holistically, emphasising the financial, cultural and biodiversity elements along with the traditional environmental concerns.
The extra diversified understanding of sustainable travel manifests itself by a number of ways in which travellers take into account conducive to vacationer locations.
About 30% of respondents recognise the profit of supporting native companies and livelihoods, and a placing 43% consider respecting the tradition and heritage of native locations can be half and parcel of sustainable travel.
The Rising Awareness of Sustainable Travel
The pandemic is a key driver of a stronger need to travel sustainably as a result of of the shift in client mindset and behavior.
The report factors out that over two-thirds (67.8%) of respondents named COVID-19 as a catalyst for their elevated urge for food to decide on sustainable choices. About 38.3% stated travel restrictions enhanced their appreciation for nature, and one other 30.4% yearned to travel nearer to house. The pandemic has led many travellers to find short-haul journeys and realises the way it may help scale back their carbon footprint.
One of the report’s highlights is that it permits a glimpse into how Asian and European travellers perceive and practise sustainable travel in a different way.
Notably, 21.3% of Europe-based respondents acknowledged that folks choose for sustainable travel as a result of “it is trendy”, whereas the portion of Asian travellers who took this view is far smaller, at 7.1%.
They additionally differed of their attitudes in direction of paying a better value for sustainable choices, with 39.1% of European travellers reluctant to pay further for them, in comparison with 29.5% amongst their Asian counterparts.
Despite the regional disparities, nonetheless, it is clear from the report that increasingly individuals have practised sustainable travel in a number of varieties.
Amid heightened sustainability consciousness, greater than half (59.2%) of respondents reveal a bent to pay for carbon offsetting to cut back the influence of their travel.
A major alternative for OTAs
Notwithstanding a spike in the recognition of sustainable travel, solely 20% of respondents did not report any barrier to sustainable travel, whereas the relaxation encountered varied obstacles.
Inadequate visibility of sustainable choices poses a big barrier to their wider adoption. Travellers blame this on the problem of accessing details about sustainable travel merchandise, with 32.9% stating there’s a lack of sustainable choices and 25.4% saying these aren’t clearly marked.
Accordingly, somewhat over half of them (50.7%) believed Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) ought to clearly label sustainable choices, adopted by 41.5% who known as upon OTAs to make it simpler to search out these choices, and 39.4% who advised OTAs provide incentives.
While 67.7% of travellers are open to paying extra to incorporate sustainable choices of their journeys, they show various ranges of value sensitivity to the increased prices it often entails, with solely round 10% of them can be keen to pay over 10% of the complete value for a sustainable choice.
Against this backdrop, on-line travel companies and reserving platforms have a big alternative to faucet into this by showcasing their sustainable travel credentials and endearing themselves to like-minded customers. The report exhibits that an awesome 93.0% of respondents would take into account reserving through OTAs that present sustainable choices.
Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group, stated: “The results reaffirm our vision to educate travellers better and provide a greater volume and variety of reliable, sustainable travel options. Our findings are a clarion call to ourselves as to our allies in the travel sector.
“In the future, we are going to be part of palms with companions, travellers and different stakeholders to enterprise in direction of a extra sustainable world.”
Read and obtain the “Sustainable Travel Consumer Report 2022”, right here Sustainability Travel Consumer Report 2022
SOURCE Trip.com Group