Just over three quarters (75.4%) of travellers say that sustainability is ‘important’ to them when making travel decisions, according to a new report from Trip.com Group.
The group’s 2026 Sustainable Travel Consumer Report also found that more than half (56.8%) of travellers actively seek out more sustainable options when planning travel, with environmental responsibility (52.5%) the most cited motivation for this.
Just over half (50.8%) of travellers that choose sustainable travel are motivated by the need to preserve destinations for future generations, while 44.4% believed that more sustainable choices could provide ‘more authentic’ travel experiences.
‘A positive force’
“Making travel a positive force for the world it connects is a shared responsibility, and the travel industry has a vital role to play in preserving the places, nature and communities that make travel meaningful for generations to come,” commented Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group.
However, the report also identified several barriers that would put off travellers from making more sustainable choices, with 37.1% of respondents saying that higher prices make more sustainable options harder to choose.
Inconvenience and additional effort was cited as a barrier by 29.8% of respondents, while 27.1% said that they had difficulty identifying more sustainable options.
Price and quality and comfort were also the two leading considerations when people select travel options in general, at 64.1% and 61.8% respectively.
Making it easy
Elsewhere, the report found that more than two fifths (41.6%) of travellers would like to see clear sustainability labelling from online travel agencies, while around a third (32.7%) would welcome a dashboard showing the carbon impact of their bookings.
Close to two thirds (64.2%) said more sustainable travel offerings would influence their choice of booking platform.
On a generational basis, Gen Z and Millennials show the strongest engagement with more sustainable travel, according to the study.
Nearly seven in ten Gen Z (69.5%) intentionally chose more sustainable travel options, compared to 63.0% of Millennials, 50.6% of Gen X and 40.6% of Boomers.
“At Trip.com Group, we believe every journey can make a difference, and we are working to make sustainability part of the travel experience – from lower-carbon transport and certified sustainable stays to helpful information, personalised recommendations and tools,” Sun added.
The report was based on a survey of 8,777 consumers across 29 markets in four regions. Read more here.
