SINGAPORE, June 3, 2021
/PRNewswire/ -- Easy identification of sustainable eco-friendly
travel options, limited use of single-use plastics and financial
incentives for accommodation providers who maximize energy
efficiencies are the top three additional measures needed to make
travel more sustainable according to Agoda's Sustainable Travel
Trends Survey. Establishing more protected areas to limit tourist
numbers and removal of single-use bathroom amenities round out the
top five global measures.
The findings from the Survey launched today to mark World
Environment Day 2021 (5 June) also revealed globally that
overtourism, and pollution of beaches and waterways are the top two
concerns of the impact of tourism, with deforestation and energy
inefficiencies (including overconsumption of electricity/water)
ranking joint third.
Governments considered most
responsible for making changes to make travel
more sustainable
Globally, the public considers Governments most accountable for
making positive environmental changes around travel, followed by
tourism authorities and individuals themselves. When it came to
holding governments most accountable, those in Indonesia and UK were most likely to do so
(36%), Mainland China followed not too far behind at
33%, with Australia and
Malaysia in fourth and fifth spot
(28% and 27% respectively). The markets most likely to cite
themselves or individuals as most responsible for making changes to
traveling sustainably were Thailand (30%), Japan (29%) and the US (28%). Meanwhile,
Mainland China (11%), the UK (13%), and
Vietnam (14%) were least likely to
attribute responsibility to the individual.
When asked what they would pledge to do better in a post COVID
travel scenario, the top responses globally were #1 manage their waste including using less
single-use plastics, #2 switch off the air con and lights when
leaving their accommodation, and #3 always look for eco-friendly
accommodation. Interestingly, despite overtourism being the biggest
concern, going to lesser-known destinations only ranked seventh of
out of 10 as a pledge to do better.
No 'one size fits all for' sustainability
The top practices most associated with environmentally friendly
or sustainable travel are #1 renewable energy and resources like
solar, wind, hydroelectric and water, #2 no single-use plastics,
joint number #3 animal conservation
and creating a smaller carbon footprint.
Other energy saving solutions such as key cards or motion
sensors, using natural cleaning products are the other key
practices. Interestingly, buying locally sourced products, reusing
bedding or towels during holiday stays and visiting off-the-beaten
track destinations are the bottom three practices out of 10
associated with sustainable travel.
"We can see from the Agoda Sustainable Travel Trends Survey that
the messages of taking simple steps such as switching off lights
and air conditioning when leaving the room or reducing waste by
minimizing use of single-use plastics are being embraced by the
public across the globe. What is also clear is that while globally
the message is Governments need to take the lead on managing
sustainable travel, there is recognition that some responsibility
lies with people's own behavior," explains John Brown, CEO Agoda.
"While there are different interpretations of what practices are
eco-friendly or sustainable, most of the public are keen to be able
to do their part, by actively pledging to choose eco-friendly
properties or make smarter environmental choices when traveling. One of the easiest ways to
counter concerns about overtourism is to consider traveling to off
the beaten track destinations. This past year at Agoda, we have
seen a shift in travel patterns as people, limited to domestic
travel, explore lesser-known areas. If managed well, not only does
this help support independent hoteliers and accommodation providers
that rely economically on the tourist dollar, it can help lessen
the environmental burden on overcrowded areas.
"As an industry, we need to continue to find ways to help
individuals achieve these goals be it making it easier to search
and find sustainable properties on Agoda or supporting and
encouraging more partners to use key cards for power, use renewable
energy sources or offering carbon-offsetting options for travel
products." continued Brown.
COVID negatively impacts attitudes to
sustainable travel
The increase in desire to travel more sustainably was most
prevalent among respondents from South
Korea, India and
Taiwan, 35%, 31% and 31%
respectively. However, looking at the figures globally, while 25%
have an increased desire to travel more sustainably this compares
with 35% whose desire to do so decreased. The markets reporting the
biggest proportional decrease were Indonesia (56%), Thailand (51%) and the Philippines (50%).
"It's concerning that many people see sustainable travel as less
important today than they did before
COVID-19, but I hope that is just a short-term effect,
driven by people's thirst to get back out there and travel any way
they can," John Brown
concluded.
US
- More Americans are most concerned about polluted beaches,
followed by overtoursim, and energy inefficiencies.
- Americans take complete accountability, with 28% claiming they
themselves are responsible for making changes around tourism to
make traveling more sustainable, followed by both tourism
authorities and Governments tied at 16%
- US top pledges to travel more sustainably post-Covid are #1
switch off air conditioner and lights when leaving their hotel
room, #2 reuse hotel amenities such as towels or bedding and
joint #3 shopping local or
independent businesses and managing their waste
- Practices that are considered most helpful to travel
sustainably by Americans are accommodations using renewable energy
or water source, key cards to power electricity in an
accommodation, and destinations that are not high-density tourist
spots
- What do they associate with sustainable travel? Use of renewable energy
36%, energy saving 26%, no single use plastics and buying local
both tie at 25%
- The additional measures to help make travel more sustainable
according to Americans are easy identification of eco-friendly
travel options, limiting use of single-use plastic in airlines or
accommodations, and financial incentives to accommodation providers
who maximize energy efficiency
Diving deep into the data
On additional measures:
- While making it compulsory for travelers to pay a sum for
carbon off-setting is selected by the least as a measure that could
be implemented to make travel more sustainable, respondents in
India were most likely to support
this concept, versus Mainland China which is the market least likely
to do so, followed by US and Taiwan markets.
- Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Mainland
China and Australia are the markets most likely to
suggest financial incentives for accommodation providers who
maximize energy efficiency
- Japan is the market least
likely to recommend more protected areas to limit tourist numbers
followed by South Korea and the
US. Meanwhile, the Philippines,
Indonesia and Malaysia markets are most likely to
- UK tops the list as the market most likely to support limiting
use of single-use plastics in airlines or accommodation, closely
followed by Australia,
Indonesia, and the Philippines. Mainland China, Taiwan, the US and Japan are least likely to suggest this
measure
- Malaysian, Filipinos and Indonesians are most favorable for
easy identification of sustainable or eco-friendly travel options,
such as flagging with an environmental tag on a digital travel
platform. While still their number one measure overall, US and
Japan are the bottom two markets
for such identification
- Removal of single-use bathroom amenities is most favored by
Taiwan, Japan and UK
On responsibility for change to make travel more
sustainable:
- All generations selected governments as the top response for
who is most responsible except for the Silent Gen (those born
before 1946), who has the largest proportion which consider
individuals as most responsible
- Men are marginally more likely to cite governments as most
responsible (28%), followed by tourism authorities (21%) and
Themselves (20%). An equal portion of women hold government and
tourism authorities as most responsible (25%), followed by
themselves, (19%).
On Pledges for more sustainable travel
Global Top Ten pledges to travel
more sustainably
- Manage my waste during my travel period (e.g., use less
single-use plastics)
- Switch the air conditioner and lights off when I leave my
room
- Always look for eco-friendly accommodation
- Try to manage my carbon footprint (e.g., taking most journeys
by bus, train or boat, or paying for a carbon offset)
- Do my part to reuse hotel amenities such as towels or
bedding
- Shop local/choose independent businesses
- Going to lesser-known destinations
- Pick up litter when I visit the beach
- Requesting for no toiletries in the room as I can bring my
own
- Use reef-friendly products on beach trips
- Philippines, Malaysia and India are most likely of all markets to pledge
to look for eco-friendly accommodation
- Singapore, UK and Australia are the markets most likely to
pledge to reuse hotel amenities such as towels and bedding,
compared to Indonesia,
Philippines, Mainland China and Thailand which are the least likely to
- Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia most likely to pledge to go to
lesser-known destinations to travel more sustainably, with
Japan, UK and Taiwan least likely to
- While managing waste including using less single-use plastics
is a top three pledge for all markets, South Korea, Thailand and Philippines are the markets most likely to
pledge this
- Despite pollution of waterways being cited as the number two
concern for the impact of travel, picking up litter off beaches
ranks only #8 out of 10 in pledges to travel more sustainably, with
only 18% pledging to do so
- Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Mainland China are top markets to pledge to pick
up litter when visiting the beach. Respondents in Singapore, Taiwan and Japan are least likely to
- Shopping local is at #6 in the pledges with Australia (35%), UK (31%) and US (28%) most
likely to pledge this, and Japan
(5%), Mainland China (9%) and Taiwan (11%) least likely to
- Higher percentage of women pledge to manage waste (44% versus
40%) and switched off aircon/lights (44% versus 36%) than men
- Bottom five pledges globally from last - using reef friendly
products on beach trips (14%), requesting no toiletries as can
bring my own (17%), picking up litter when visiting the beach (18%)
going to lesser-known destinations (19%), and shopping local
(21%)
- While both women and men's top three pledges are the same,
women's top four is rounded out by a pledge to reuse hotel
amenities, versus men who pledge bigger actions such as trying to
manage carbon footprint in their fourth spot
- Singaporeans are more likely to pledge to switch off aircon and
lights when they leave the room and reuse amenities, compared to
other markets
- Philippines (49%),
Malaysia (43%) and India (42%) are most likely to always look for
eco-friendly accommodation when they travel post COVID-19
- Conversely, public in the UK (14%), Mainland China (17%), US (17%), Japan (18%) and South Korea (18%) are least likely to look for
eco-friendly accommodation as a pledge
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SOURCE Agoda