Vietnamese travelers affirm that sustainable travel plays an important role in their desire to take more sustainable trips in the next 12 months. This is part of the results of the Sustainable Travel 2024 report by global online travel service platform Booking.com.
Based on data from more than 31,000 travellers from 34 countries and territories, the ninth annual report reflects the views, priorities and impact of sustainable travel on consumer decisions, with 83% of travellers confirming that sustainable travel is important to them. However, the report also highlights some new findings that global travellers are also feeling the burden of the significant challenges that sustainable travel choices bring.
Vietnamese tourists increasingly value sustainable tourism
In Vietnam, 1,000 people over the age of 18 participated in this independent survey. According to the study, up to 96% of Vietnamese tourists surveyed affirmed that sustainable tourism plays an important role in their choice.
More than a quarter (26%) of Vietnamese travelers are aware of the importance of sustainable tourism, but they do not consider it a deciding factor when planning or booking their trips. In addition, 40% of travelers expressed fatigue with the constant talk of climate change. These findings suggest that now is the right time to call for collective action to ensure progress towards sustainable tourism.
Looking ahead, 94% of Vietnamese travelers said they wanted to take more sustainable trips in the next 12 months. Of those, 56% felt guilty about choosing forms of tourism that have a negative impact on the environment, while 21% decided to act more sustainably because they believed it was the right decision.
Notably, the report found that 80% of Vietnamese tourists said they expected the attractions they visited to improve after they left, and 43% of tourists believed they had a positive impact on social issues related to the tourism industry.
A similar proportion (43%) also said that community solidarity and joint efforts are the most important keys to solving economic challenges, while more than half of survey respondents (51%) said that tourism service providers hold effective solutions to environmental problems.
In Vietnam, feelings of helplessness also increased as tourists realized that their efforts to choose sustainable practices in destinations that do not actually apply sustainable measures were fruitless, with 46% of Vietnamese tourists believing that their personal efforts were in vain in such a context.
Despite the growing frustrations, travelers who say they are making more informed choices also feel that more sustainable travel experiences are actually adding value to their trips.
Strengthening inter-sectoral cooperation to develop sustainable tourism
Booking.com’s ninth Sustainable Travel Report has identified barriers to sustainable travel, such as how the realities of sustainable travel can overshadow positive travel intentions. New factors, included for the first time in this year’s study, reveal that many people are unaware of the impact their actions have on the environment and society.
33% of survey respondents globally believe that the environmental damage that has occurred is irreversible, and that their personal travel choices cannot make a difference.
In fact, 25% don’t believe climate change is as serious as people say it is. Furthermore, some feel that travel time is too precious to put sustainability at the top of their decision-making list (28%).
More than a third (34%) of global travelers believe it makes no sense to become more sustainable in a destination that does not implement sustainable practices.
However, sustainable tourism is still an irreversible trend.
The report found that 75% of travelers said they wanted to travel more sustainably in the next 12 months, and 43% would feel guilty about making less sustainable travel choices. When it came to the motivations behind people wanting to travel more sustainably, (32%) wanted to travel sustainably because they believed it was the right thing to do.
62% of travelers realize they are the best version of themselves when they travel more sustainably and see this positivity as a result, and 67% feel that seeing sustainable practices while traveling inspires them.
Of those who adopted sustainable behaviors during their travels, 96% of travelers took tours or activities to experience local culture, 93% shopped at small, independent stores, and 93% planned their trips so they could walk, bike, or take public transportation.
When choosing a property with a sustainability certification, the survey found that 54% of global travelers find properties with a sustainability label more appealing. Consistency in certification standards is important, with nearly three-quarters (71%) of travelers agreeing that all travel sites should adopt a common sustainability certification system.
However, the number of travelers interested in learning more about why a property is marked sustainable has dropped by 22% year-on-year, highlighting the urgent need for a simple and transparent approach to information at accommodations that makes it easy for travelers to make informed decisions regardless of their personal priorities.
“While many travelers remain optimistic and want to make a more positive impact, this is an important opportunity for the industry to accelerate efforts to make those choices easier for people,” said Danielle D’Silva, Head of Sustainability at Booking.com.
The Booking.com report recommends that community action to promote sustainable travel remains a top priority. The travel industry can ensure that travelers prioritize sustainable travel habits by maintaining consistency in standards and certification labels.
Source
Comment (0)