The 2016 edition of the market study Flash Eurobarometer – Preferences of Europeans towards Tourism, published periodically by the European Commission, highlights preferences of travelers from EU countries and provides some interesting insights concerning their motivations with regard to sustainability, evidentiating national differences at the same time.
As part of a much broader analysis regarding travel patterns of Europeans, the survey covers aspects such as sustainable or environmentally friendly practices in the destination, the environmental impact of the transportation required to get there, as well as environmentally friendly practices in accommodation services, like energy and water saving measures, recycling, fair trade food, etc. Whether the destination or service used a label indicating sustainable practices was equally researched in this survey involving a sample of citizens in 28 European countries.
Synthesizing the results of the survey, European travelers place the highest emphasis on sustainability on the destination level, followed by accommodations in second and transportation in third place. Sustainability labels also play an important role but are not among the highest concerns – instead, consumers are more interested in the presence of best practices that justify such labels in the first place. That said, among the major markets the UK is the country that places relatively high importance on labels suggesting that these provide a sense of reassurance to British consumers that sustainability claims will actually be kept.
Among the major Western European source markets that place the highest importance on sustainability considerations are the United Kingdom, France and Ireland with regard to sustainable practices on the destination level; Belgium, the UK and Ireland concerning the presence of environmentally friendly practices on the accommodation level; the United Kingdom, Ireland and Belgium with regard to environmentally friendly transportation; and again the United Kingdom, Ireland and Belgium with regard to the use of sustainability labels.
Travel Foundation: Why sustainable tourism?
Although Belgium and Ireland obtain consistently high scores in the area of sustainability, these are countries with comparatively small populations. All in all, the United Kingdom clearly profiles itself as the most relevant source market for sustainable tourism in Europe, both in terms of economic importance, expressed by indicators such as population size, available vacation days, travel propensity, and spending power; as well as in terms of a pronounced interest in sustainable tourism.
It comes as no surprise that World Responsible Tourism Day at World Travel Market in London is one of the leading platforms for learning about trends and exchanging knowledge with regard to sustainable tourism in the world; and that sites like Responsibletravel.com and Tourism Concern have many followers in the UK. In addition, the Travel Foundation is an industry charity that offers many practical resources, like how-to guides and online training courses, that facilitate the implementation of sustainable practices among industry partners (see video above).
One thing is for sure: While not all consumers are focused on sustainability yet, it is a megatrend that is here to stay and that is increasingly felt in all areas of consumption, including travel. The companies that adjust to this trend will have better chances in the marketplace and will be more profitable in the long run.
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