Consumers Want to Travel Sustainably, Are They Acting on It?

Seventy-five percent of Americans intend to include sustainability among their priorities when traveling, according to a new report from Washington State University (WSU). But not everyone follows through. Understanding why could help sustainable hospitality businesses increase their share of bookings and encourage a greater portion of the industry to follow suit. This would likely lead to a reduction in the travel industry’s share of emissions, which were estimated to make up 8 percent of the world’s emissions in 2023 and are expected to increase exponentially by 2050 if the right steps aren’t taken. 

Travelers need more information to make sustainable choices

“There is almost always a gap between what consumers say and do, especially when it's about green consumption,” Christina Chi, a professor at WSU’s School of Hospitality Business Management, told TriplePundit. This can happen for several different reasons, including the tendency for survey respondents to choose the option seen as socially desirable. 

“Customers have different experiences and perceptions with green products and services, which can affect their green actions,” Chi said. Those perceptions influence what consumers consider sustainable, and could explain why the choices they intend to make don’t necessarily line up with the greatest emissions reductions. For example, instead of choosing low-emission flights, green-certified accommodations, or using public transportation systems as actions they were likely to take when traveling, survey respondents prioritized activities with less potential to affect their carbon footprint.

“The top four answers there [were] purchase goods from local businesses and sellers, avoiding tourism activities or behaviors that would harm wildlife or the environment, dining at establishments that get ingredients from regional farmers and producers, and doing what you can to avoid contributing to over-tourism of popular areas,” Debbie Compeau, the interim dean of WSU’s Carson College of Business and Research, told 3p. “What that says to me is, behaviorally, the way they are defining sustainability is around supporting the economy of different places and avoiding harm.”

While these steps are all integral to responsible travel, incentivizing and educating consumers on the importance of lower-carbon transportation and accommodations is imperative to making the industry more sustainable. But that’s not happening. Having a green certification doesn’t lead to more bookings or higher revenue for hotels, according to another study led by Chi. She noted that hotels have largely removed certifications from their websites and many no longer advertise their efforts. 

“Hotel greenwashing has eroded customers' trust of hotels' green claims and caused them [to be] less willing to participate in hotels' sustainability practices,” Chi said. Likewise, airlines often fail to disclose emissions details, which would allow passengers to choose flights with the lowest carbon footprint. “Tourism and hospitality businesses that are environmentally friendly often fail to provide essential information,” she added. 

A priority, but not a top priority

While 75 percent of survey respondents cited sustainability as a travel priority, not everyone said it was a top priority. Only 13 percent listed it as such. Meanwhile, 33 percent categorized sustainability as an important travel priority and 29 percent said it was a secondary priority, which is considered a minor influence, Compeau said.

Although three out of four people may consider sustainability in their travel plans, it’s likely that only a small percentage are putting it into action. Compeau said she assumes there is less of a gap between what people say and what they do in the 13 percent who categorize it as a top priority. 

Priorities vary by generation

“We revealed numerous generational differences regarding sustainability in this survey,” Chi said. “For example, Gen Z and millennials are significantly more likely than older generations to say sustainability is a ‘top priority’ when traveling — 20 percent and 18 percent, respectively.”

Their choices of travel practices reflected that prioritization, with almost a quarter of Gen Z and millennials listing “flying with airlines that are committed to greener operations” as important. That’s compared to just 9 percent of Gen X and 7 percent of baby boomers who said the same.

That dichotomy held for low-carbon local transportation, as well. And while a mere 5 percent of Gen X and 4 percent of baby boomers thought it was important to stay in green-certified accommodations, 13 percent of those in the younger generations considered it a priority. 

Parents of young children also reported a greater affinity for sustainable travel than parents of adults or people without kids. Thirty-four percent of parents agreed with the statement “I feel a responsibility to plan and act sustainably when I travel.” 

“Honestly, age may be an important variable here, at least to some degree,” Chi said. “The parents in the survey … are generally younger, making them millennials themselves … Perhaps they have their children, and their children’s future world, on their minds.”

The future of travel depends on acting on sustainable travel intentions

Everyone can take steps to travel more sustainably. From booking lower-emissions flights and accommodations with lower carbon footprints to choosing public transportation at destinations, there are plenty of ways to do so. That might mean doing more research during the planning phase of a trip, such as searching for LEED-certified lodging, checking carbon emissions on Google Flights, and learning about the local public transportation system before arrival. It can also mean choosing hostels and guesthouses — which have smaller footprints due to their smaller size and maximized communal spaces — and focusing on direct flights whenever possible.

Sustainable travel options should increase as more consumers prioritize them, with venues and airlines more likely to advertise their certifications and emissions savings as they see a financial benefit. Moreover, the climate crisis threatens tourism around the planet. Islands and beaches are at risk of rising seas, extreme heat and weather pattern changes can destroy the viability of destinations, and so on. It is imperative that both travelers and the travel industry take the right steps to drastically reduce emissions and embrace sustainability.