Booking.com taps new Canadian attitudes towards sustainable travel

Booking.com released a study exploring consumer attitudes, priorities, and influences in relation to sustainable tourism.

And while the annual research reveals a continued sense of desire and awareness — with 78% of Canadian travellers confirming that sustainable travel is important to them — new insights show a sense of weariness could be emerging globally, fueled by the ongoing challenges experienced to make more sustainable travel choices.

Gathered from over 31,000 travellers across 34 countries and territories, Booking.com’s study reveals that half (50%) of Canadian travellers feel travelling more sustainably is important, but not a primary consideration when planning or booking a trip, and 26% even report they are tired of hearing about climate change all the time.

In this context, collective action is now more important than ever to ensure that progress towards a more sustainable tourism industry remains a top priority.

Positive intentions and new challenges

70% of Canadian travellers are looking forward to the next year and say they would feel guilty if they made less sustainable travel decisions. When it comes to motivators among those who want to travel more sustainably, (41%) want to do so because they believe it’s the right thing to do.

The study found, however, that a sense disillusionment towards making more environmentally friendly travel choices could be counteracting this intention.

New areas of exploration researched for the first time this year reveal that some Canadian travellers don’t recognize the importance of being more mindful of their impact, as one-third (29%) feel that the damage already done is irreversible and that the travel choices they make are not going to change that.

In fact, a quarter (26%) don’t believe climate change is as severe as people make it out to be – a dismissal of the issue which may well be impacting travel plans.

Moreover, they feel their time spent travelling is too precious to put sustainability at the top of their decision-making list (28%). Unable to see sustainability in practice also contributes towards a sense of powerlessness. According to a third of Canadians (32%), being more sustainable in a place that does not implement sustainability practices themselves feels pointless.

Critical opportunity for industry-wide enabling

The role that travellers believe they are capable of playing in tackling negative travel impacts also highlights their expectations regarding collaboration.

A noteworthy 73% of Canadian travellers say they want to leave the places they visit better than when they arrived (up from 64% last year), and this year’s additional research shows 49% think they themselves have the potential to counteract the social impacts of travel.

In contrast, 43% of respondents believe that governments are best suited to counteracting economic effects. And 41% say travel service providers can help address environmental factors.

Furthermore, 43% believe that governments are responsible for educating people on the impacts of travel and tourism.

Responsibilities include how consumers are supported in fulfilling their intentions. Nearly half of Canadian travellers (41%) find it more appealing to stay in a more sustainable accommodation. Consistency of certification standards are also important to identify these options, with 66% agreeing all travel booking websites should use the same sustainable labels or certifications.

However, those interested to learn more about why the accommodation was given this label is down 15 percentage points (at 52%) when compared with the same time last year, indicating a need for simple, clear communication that enables easy decision-making regardless of priorities.

Sustainable silver linings

Travellers who are more conscious of their choices feel that they are adding value to their trip.

New areas of research in this year’s report found that 59% of Canadian travellers recognize that they are the best version of themselves when they travel more sustainably and consequently take home this positivity, just as 65% feel that witnessing sustainable practices while travelling inspires them to be more sustainable in their everyday life.

96% of those who chose to shop at small, independent shops and 96% of those who planned their trip so they could walk, cycle, or use public transport viewed it as a positive.

Danielle D’Silva, Head of Sustainability at Booking.com, observed that: “While many travellers have retained a sense of optimism and a desire to have a more positive impact, there is a critical opportunity for the industry to accelerate efforts to make those choices easier for everyone.”

D’Silva continued: “It’s important that we continue ensuring that more sustainable options are not only readily available, but also easy to trust and understand. That’s where we believe further education, clear and consistent standards and credible third-party certification of legitimate sustainable practices across the travel experience can really help.”

And D’Silva concluded: “While the signals of consumer frustration should be a concern, it’s also a reminder to maintain our focus on the impactful work we know can make a difference not only for travellers, but for communities and destinations everywhere.”