Travellers reject sustainable tourism

ABTA Convention Special Report: A third of travellers have no interest in environmental issues when taking holidays – and a large proportion are young people, a new report shows.

These ‘lackadasical’ travellers are simply not concerned by any sustainable tourism issues, and 34% of them are aged under 25.

Meanwhile, a similar number are ‘concerned tourists’, with four out of 10 aged between 35 and 54.

The findings come from a responsible tourism report from First Choice based on more than 1,000 people questioned by Mintel last month.

The report – released to coincide with the ABTA Travel Convention in Marrakech – found that more than half of those surveyed give regularly to charity at home, but only a quarter said they were concerned about the impact of tourism on the environment of the countries they visited.

Only one in five said that it was important that their visit benefited local communities.

Seventeen per cent said they actively didn’t want to think about the environmental consequences of their holidays. And while eight out of 10 said they recycled at home, only half said they’d consider recycling on holiday.

The report said: “There was some recognition of the impact that tourism can have on holiday destinations, although the responses suggest that the public does not have any real engagement with the concept of responsible tourism and it is low on their list of priorities when it comes to selecting a holiday.”

Only 28% would be prepared to pay a small supplement to offset the carbon emissions of their flights and the majority 72% would not.

Other less popular suggestions included reducing the changes of towels and bedlinen (34% agreed), buying locally produced souvenirs (32%), borrowing brochures from travel agents to avoid wastage (30%) accepting a smaller range of food in hotel buffets to reduce wastage (20%), reducing the number of holidays taken (14%), spending a couple of hours to help with local projects such as beach cleaning (11%) and paying more for a holiday so a higher proportion can benefit the local community (11%).

However, more than half said they would be happy to take more public transport to explore on holiday (54%), half said they would recycle on holiday (50%), and four out of 10 said they would accept local drinks if this meant fewer imports (44%).

Only 20% of those surveyed hadn’t heard the term “responsible tourism” while 20% agreed that tourism does more good than harm to most local communities where they had taken a holiday.

First Choice Mainstream Sector managing director Dermot Blastland described the results as disappointing, saying: “People work hard for their holidays so it’s not surprising that many don’t want to worry about issues they may face up to at home. 

“That means we and other travel companies need to make it as easy as possible for people to do the right thing while they are away. It also means we need to show our customers how, with their help we can make a positive difference and preserve holiday destinations for future generations”.

Admitting that the findings were not suprising, the report stresses that it does not mean that the travel industry can be complacent about these issues “which are at the very heart of many of the destinations that they visit”.

It says: “The industry can’t pay lip service to responsible tourism and expect customers to be able to continue to enjoy new and varied destinations for years to come. As an industry we have to work with governments, suppliers, local community representatives and non-governmenal organisations on this challenge.”

The report suggests two types of responsible holidays people may be taking in 2020, prepared in consultation with sustainable development charity Forum For The Future.

“High-tech, high-luxury holidays” will use technology to improve travellers’ experiences and reduce their impact. This could range from taking a hydrogen fuel-cell powered aircraft, to staying in fully solar-powered hotel, where gym users’ exertions help to top up the hotel’s energy bank. 

Another option could be “village holidays” where existing communities develop new buildings for visitors which are handed back to the community over time. Visitors would be welcomed by local families and help out locally, or just relax confident that more money is going directly back into the village.

Report by Phil Davies