Why Sustainability Must Be Tourism's Default Mode

Destination BC - Tom Ryan

As tourism slowly gets back to business, there’s a lot of talk about whether travelers will be more mindful and responsible moving forward. The people who offer the most holistic value to the places they visit, the people they interact with, and the tourism industry as a whole are the people who aren’t traveling right now. Those who are casual travelers have already gone back to checking their bucket lists and booked their next cruise/tour/flight.

The tourism industry has been focused on an upgrade to the search features on Google Flights, which now show consumers information about carbon emissions displayed alongside flight information. This is a huge step in the direction of radical transparency, because now travelers have more information they can use in their decision-making. For those who are conscious consumers, making this data easily accessible may influence what they purchase. Another relevant fact is that Google Maps now automatically defaults to the most eco-friendly route when the time it takes to make a trip is roughly the same as a higher carbon-emitting route.

According to a poll conducted by the UN Development Program (UNDP) of 1.2 million people in 50 countries, in every country surveyed, most people are very concerned about climate change. The statistics range from Moldova, where 50% of people said they were very concerned, to the United Kingdom, where 81% indicated they were. The United States came in at 65%.

The Google Maps development is an excellent example of the sustainability-by-default concept, but it’s not the only major travel-related brand utilized by casual travelers that has taken this route lately. Booking.com recently updated its animal welfare standards and will no longer contract, offer, or promote direct interactions with wild animals, wild animal rides, or aquariums, among other activities. When folks search for activities on Booking.com, they aren’t even given an option to see these harmful animal encounters as possibilities. TripAdvisor did something similar in 2016.

It’s imperative that everyone working in the tourism industry — from the smallest start-up to the most mainstream search engine — make the most responsible options as simple as typing in a destination and letting the map lead the way.

Research Reveals 'Pandemic Effect' Could Tip Sustainable Travel Into Impactful Action

New research from Booking.com, containing insights gathered from more than 29,000 respondents across 30 countries, suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be a tipping point for global travelers to commit to sustainable travel. In fact, 72% of travelers surveyed indicated that they believe people have to act now to save the planet for future generations.

Key findings:

• 83% of global travelers think sustainable travel is vital, with 61% saying the pandemic has made them want to travel more sustainably in the future.

• Almost half (49%) still believe that in 2021, there aren’t enough sustainable travel options available, with 53% admitting they get annoyed if somewhere they are staying stops them from being sustainable, for example by not providing recycling facilities.

• 69% will go as far as avoiding popular destinations and attractions to ensure they aren’t contributing to overcrowding challenges and helping do their part to disperse the positive benefits of travel to less frequently visited destinations and communities.

• While 3 out of 4 accommodation providers say they have implemented at least some kind of sustainability practices at their property, only one-third actively communicate about their efforts proactively to potential guests.

To help boost the visibility of more sustainable stay options, Booking.com is now showing third-party sustainability certifications and details on a range of 30+ impactful practices in place at hundreds of thousands of properties around the world.

Accommodation operators can update their sustainability information on Booking.com, which includes 32 impactful practices across five key categories (waste, energy and greenhouse gases, water, supporting local communities and protecting nature), and can be viewed on the ‘Sustainability Initiatives’ banner on each property page.

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