Lorraine Dixon | March 2020

Source: Jordan Harris

The role of tourists is crucial to addressing the challenge of sustainability in a holistic manner. Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful experience to the tourist, raising their awareness about sustainability issues and promoting sustainable tourism practices amongst them (UNEP & UNWTO, 2005). Numerous studies on tourist consumer behaviour indicate that there is a growing awareness of the environmental, social and cultural impact that tourism activity can generate. Recent studies demonstrate the real potential of “sustainable” consumers in different types of companies directly linked to tourism (hotels, restaurants, transportation companies, etc.), showing the profitability of tourists with sustainable behaviour (Pulido-Fernández and López-Sánchez, 2016).

Findings from the 2019 annual sustainable travel report by Booking.com – one of the world’s leading digital travel platforms – revealed that over half (55%) of global travellers report being more determined to make sustainable travel choices than they were in 2018. Sustainable stays are becoming more popular, with 73% of global travellers intending to stay at least once in an eco-friendly or green accommodation when looking at the year ahead. This trend has consistently grown over the last 4 years of the research by Booking.com. Furthermore, 70% of global travellers say they would be more likely to book an accommodation knowing it was eco-friendly, whether they were looking for a sustainable stay or not.

However, concerning the recognition of a sustainable place to stay, 72% of global travellers say that they are not aware of the existence of eco-labels for vacation accommodations. 37% of them state that an international standard for identifying eco-friendly accommodation would help encourage them to travel more sustainably, while 62% would feel better about staying in an accommodation if they knew it had an eco-label.

Through certification programmes such as Green Key, both travellers and establishments are empowered to practice sustainability, within premises and beyond in the surrounding communities through practical initiatives and information sharing. 

References

Pulido-Fernández, J.I. and López-Sánchez, Y.  (2016). Are Tourists Really Willing to Pay More for Sustainable Destinations?

Booking.com (2019). Booking.com reveals key findings from its 2019 sustainable travel report. 

Making Tourism More Sustainable – A Guide for Policy MakersUNEP and UNWTO, 2005, p.11-12

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