Travellers today are increasingly aware of sustainability issues. However, awareness alone doesn’t translate to action. It is important to empower both leisure and business travellers to make informed choices about the environmental impact of their trips. We regularly hear from sources like Booking.com’s 2023 Sustainability Survey that 83 percent of travellers confirm that sustainable travel is important to them, yet this does not always play out in the holidays they take. Likewise, a report by Uber for Business and the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) found that 84 percent of corporate travel managers said that sustainability is at least “somewhat important” in the design of their company’s travel program. However, only 28 percent are tracking sustainability efforts related to ground transportation. This is often called the “intention-to-action” or “say-do” gap. So, what are some of the barriers or blockers to travelling more sustainably and how can the travel industry start to help consumers and corporate travellers bridge this intention-to-action gap?
Concerns about cost, both real and perceived, could be a barrier. Travelers may hesitate if sustainable options appear more expensive, or if the cost benefits of sustainable choices aren’t readily apparent. Additionally, the multitude of sustainability certifications and labels can be confusing, making it difficult to identify lower-impact options. For those booking business travel, sustainability may not factor in their company travel policy yet, so they may not be aware that flying direct, staying longer, and choosing lower carbon-emitting flights would help reduce the impact of their trips and help their company to reduce their Scope 3 emissions.
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This by-line article by Tess Longfield was published on ET Insights.
