Three-quarters of travellers don’t consider carbon footprint
Research by hotel booking platform hoo has revealed that three-quarters of UK travellers fail to consider their carbon footprint when it comes to booking holidays
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) has helped shine a light on how we can do our part to build a greener, more sustainable future. Worldwide carbon dioxide emissions from tourism-related transport are expected to increase by 25.1 per cent to 1,888 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by 2030.
New research found that 74 per cent of people asked by hoo said they don’t consider their carbon footprint when booking a holiday. However, hoo’s research also suggests that a little more awareness of this issue during the booking process could help increase the number of tourists looking to reduce their carbon footprint.
40 per cent of travellers would be inconvenienced for green travel
Forty-four per cent stated they would pay more for a greener flight that produced fewer carbon emissions. Forty-four per cent also stated that they would travel from a different or less convenient airport to take a greener flight that produced lower carbon emissions. Finally, 40 per cent would be happy to travel on different or less convenient dates to those they had initially planned to travel on, to take a greener flight that produced lower carbon emissions.
Adrian Murdock, hoo Co-founder, commented: “It’s not unusual for those in the public eye to come under fire for travelling by plane. But there are more carbon-friendly options when looking to book our holidays. If we can’t travel by car or by boat, then opting for a flight with a lower carbon footprint is one way to make a small difference and it’s these small changes that will help lower our own impact on the environment.”
At the start of the year, the Future of Tourism Coalition and Tourism Declares have come together to develop a blueprint for climate action in travel destinations.