One in ten European tourists now book eco-friendly holidays

Eco-friendly travel is becoming even more popular but there are big challenges says TUI

Eco-friendly travel is already very popular among many European holidaymakers – however, sustainable tourism also entails major challenges.

Although 11 percent of European tourists book eco holidays, the range is quite wide in different countries – for instance 18% of French TUI customers are going green whereas just 5% of Dutch customers follow this trend.

All this is the result of a global survey carried out by TUI Group which examined people’s attitudes to sustainable travel. The representative survey among more than 3,000 respondents examined people’s attitude to sustainable travel in Germany, the UK, France, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Those surveyed were people who had travelled in the past two years, not necessarily with TUI. , It has shown that as many as one in ten European holidaymakers (eleven per cent) book eco-friendly hotels. German and French tourists show an above-average tendency to book sustainable accommodation, with 17 per cent of all German respondents and 18 per cent of all French TUI customers preferring eco-friendly hotels. No fewer than six per cent of Swedish and five per cent of Dutch customers follow this trend. In the UK and Belgium, nine per cent of customers prefer sustainable holidays.

Other key results were:

More than half of all respondents criticised lack of information and choice

Around two thirds of holidaymakers are prepared to make lifestyle trade-offs to benefit the environment 

The survey has also identified current obstacles to greater sustainability in tourism. More than half of all respondents (55 per cent) criticise a lack of information and choice. Moreover, a large majority of 66 per cent of respondents believe that responsibility for sustainable travel primarily lies with the travel companies rather than themselves. In the customers’ view, tour operators should attach particular importance to offering fresh local or regional food products at hotels – and avoiding waste.

However, the survey findings have shown that sustainability has already found its way into the minds of holidaymakers. 84 per cent of respondents, for instance, consider it important to ensure that every individual contributes towards reducing the CO2 footprint of their trip. 68 per cent indicate they are prepared to make lifestyle trade-offs in order to benefit the environment in their everyday lives. The main motives shaping people’s fundamental attitudes to sustainability are environmental protection and animal welfare.

 "The results of the survey should encourage the entire tourism sector to drive joint sustainability standards further ahead, based, among other factors, on sustainability certification for hotels such as the schemes recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council," says Thomas Ellerbeck, member of TUI´s Group Executive Committee and responsible for sustainability.

 More information is available on http://www.tuigroup.com.

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