It is not surprising that responsible travel is becoming increasingly popular. New climate reports and floods throughout Europe ensure that everyone is once again thinking about the climate problem. Sustainable tourism is a concept that we have known for a number of years, but is also still largely in its infancy. In recent years, the number of people looking for a sustainable holiday has grown considerably. What are the trends of the moment?
Travelers opt for less touristy places
It all starts with the traveler himself. You always make your own choices regarding your trip and therefore have full control over how sustainable your trip will be. Consumers are making these choices more and more consciously. For example, research has shown that 55% of travelers today prefer a place outside the busy city . Travelers indicate that they prefer to sit outside the center for the same comfort. Tourist attractions are also becoming less popular. People nowadays prefer to look for quiet places. In this way, travelers choose not to burden an environment too much, and are leaning more and more towards sustainable travel .
The choice of destination
Because travelers are making increasingly conscious choices regarding their journey, the choice of destination is increasingly a personal choice. People are increasingly booking their own trip and filling this trip with activities themselves. As a result, travel agencies and package holidays are becoming less popular due to the lack of individual options. It is logical that more and more people are celebrating their holiday in their own country in recent years, due to the measures surrounding the corona pandemic. As a result, their own country has become more popular and people have found new places nearby. Whether this trend will continue when it is again possible to travel around the world without any problems, can only be hoped. The closer to home, the smaller the emissions from your holiday.
Fully sustainable travel
The Sustainable Travel Report shows that more and more people are specifically opting for sustainable accommodation. Where in 2016 only 62% had the idea to sleep in such an accommodation, in 2020 this was already 75%. This also shifts the focus for many travelers from sustainable choices in a holiday to a fully sustainable trip. This often means that the transport and activities have also been chosen in an environmentally conscious way and that they do not damage the environment. Also for hotels, if it is eco-friendly, it will be more popular with many travelers. 70% indicate that they would rather book an eco-friendly hotel, even if they are not specifically looking for one.
Locals
Another clear sustainable travel trend is respecting the local population. Travelers are increasingly aware of the effect they and all other travelers can have on a community. The best example of this is perhaps Venice. The local population and the entire community there are under such pressure from tourism that it is better to avoid this location when booking a sustainable trip. Another trend in this area seems to be that travelers are trying to give something back to the population. You can do this by, for example, buying food directly from a local market or going to the small local restaurant.
CO2 compensation
There are also many travelers who want to compensate for their emissions after a while. This is a noble pursuit and the compensation often supports projects such as planting trees or buying CO2 licenses. Yet there is one thing much better than offsetting your emissions; emit nothing. The air that you emit is not directly compensated by the trees that will one day be planted with your money. That is why it is better to thoroughly research how polluting your trip can be before you book the trip.
