More than half (53%) of tourists say that they are more conscious of the travel industry’s impact on communities as well as the environment, a study by Booking.com has found.
Booking.com’s research, which incorporated insights from 32,000 travellers in 34 countries, also found that more than two thirds (69%) want to leave places better than they arrived, indicating a growing sustainability– and community-focused sentiment among visitors to other countries.
In addition, tourists are ‘increasingly committed to supporting the economies of the destinations they visit’, the research noted, with close to three quarters (73%) wanting the money they spend to go back into the local community.
Some 84% said that ‘travelling more sustainably’ is a priority for them, compared to 42% in 2016.
‘By 2025, 93% of global travellers say they want to make more sustainable travel choices and to some extent have done so,’ Booking.com said in its report. ‘In addition to increased intent, over the ten years that Booking.com has been gathering insights, there have been shifts in awareness levels, preferences and priorities when it comes to what travellers perceive as having a more positive impact on local destinations, communities and ecosystems.’
Perceptions of tourism
As to perceptions of tourism in their home market, around half (48%) said that they believe there is the ‘right amount of tourism’ where they live, with many respondents highlighting some of the common challenges associated with tourism, including traffic congestion (38%), littering (35%), overcrowding (30%) and rising cost of living (29%).
Just 16% would like to see a cap placed on the number of tourists visiting their home destination – rather, respondents would prefer to see investment in their communities to support increased tourist numbers, such as improved transportation (38%), waste management (37%), and environmental conservation (32%).
‘Keep pace with intentions’
“To ensure that destinations can continue to be enjoyed by both locals and visitors alike, tourism, infrastructure and innovation need to keep pace with travellers’ good intent,” commented Danielle D’Silva, director of sustainability at Booking.com.
“As we look to the future, we are also optimistic about the potential for AI and other technology to play a role. We ultimately want to make it easier for travellers to connect with a more diverse range of local communities and help spread the positive benefits of tourism more broadly.”
This is the tenth edition of Booking.com’s annual research into traveller sentiment. Over the past decade, the online booking platform has surveyed nearly 230,000 travellers in 35 markets. Read more here.
