Agoda Sustainable Travel Survey reveals tourists' concerns regarding tourism's impact and measures to make travel more sustainable

Easy identification of sustainable eco-friendly travel options, limited use of single-use plastics and financial incentives for accommodation providers who maximize energy efficiencies are the top three additional measures needed to make travel more sustainable according to Agoda’s Sustainable Travel Trends Survey.

The findings from the Survey also revealed globally that overtourism, and pollution of beaches and waterways are the top two concerns of the impact of tourism, with deforestation and energy inefficiencies (including overconsumption of electricity/water) ranking joint third.

Globally, the travellers consider governments most accountable for making positive environmental changes around travel, followed by tourism authorities and individuals themselves.

When asked what travellers would pledge to do better in a post COVID travel scenario, the top responses globally were #1 manage the waste including using less single-use plastics, #2 switch off the air con and lights when leaving the accommodation, and #3 always look for eco-friendly accommodation.

The top practices most associated with environmentally friendly or sustainable travel are #1 renewable energy and resources like solar, wind, hydroelectric and water, #2 no single-use plastics, joint number #3 animal conservation and creating a smaller carbon footprint.

“We can see from the Agoda Sustainable Travel Trends Survey that the messages of taking simple steps such as switching off lights and air conditioning when leaving the room or reducing waste by minimizing use of single-use plastics are being embraced by the public across the globe. What is also clear is that while globally the message is governments need to take the lead on managing sustainable travel, there is recognition that some responsibility lies with people’s own behaviour,” explains John Brown, CEO Agoda.

The full Agoda Sustainable Travel Trends Survey 2021 can be downloaded here: Agoda Sustainable Travel Trends Survey 2021 - Agoda Partner Hub

First Green Key certified establishment in Madagascar!

The Tamboho Boutik Hotel located in Antananarivo is the first tourism establishment to receive the Green Key in Madagascar.

Green Key is pleased to announce its first awarded establishment in Madagascar. Ideally located in Ankorondrano, in the private and secured Tana Water Front, the Tamboho Boutik Hotel provides guests privacy and tranquility just a stone’s throw away from the city center and close to the business area. Settled on the shore of a small lake on one side and on a mini-mall with cinema and shops on the other, the Tamboho provides a perfect blend of Malagasy traditional architecture and western comfort.

Despite the pandemic, the management of the Tamboho Boutik Hotel decided to pursue the Green Key to show their returning guests that they care for the local community and the environment.

The hotel has implemented some fantastic initiatives that showcase its commitment to sustainability. For example, they started the campaign “A brunch @ Tamboho = A tree planted with Bondy”. For each brunch sold, the hotel plants one tree with the organisation Bondy. So far, 1, 250 trees have been planted as part of this project. To ensure that the planted trees are taken care of, Bondy works closely with the landowners and ensures that they can benefit from the trees.

Another great initiative is the hotel’s cooperation with the project “Fanavotana”. The women working in the Fanavotana project collect selected materials from the hotel such as glass, plastic, metal and paper and sell them to professional recycling facilities. Parts of the materials are also used to make jewellery, which is sold at the reception of the hotel

Furthermore, the hotel offers free filtered water to its guests in the guest rooms and the restaurant, replacing the previously offered plastic water bottles with reusable glass bottles. With this initiative, the hotel avoided the use of 37,560 plastic bottles in the guest rooms in the past year.

In addition, the hotel supported the project “Diary Nofy” by “Teach for Madagascar”, which conducted a story writing contest for children. The five best stories were published in a book that was sold at the reception of the hotel. The earnings were used to produce more books which were then distributed to public schools nationwide by the volunteers from Teach for Madagascar. To promote the book, the hotel organised reading sessions in their garden for children from disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

François van Rens, cluster general manager of Tamboho Suites & Hotels about their sustainability efforts and Green Key certification:

Initiatives like these especially with engaged partners give us the opportunity to play an active and positive role in our community and environment. Seeing our efforts recognized by Green Key makes us immensely proud and motivates us to go further.

Green Key congratulates the first certified establishment in Madagascar that is leading the way to sustainable tourism development in the country.

Visit https://www.tambohosuites.com/ to learn more about the hotel.

76% of travellers pledging to seek out accommodation that has sustainability accreditation

Booking.com’s latest Sustainable Travel Report affirms a growing demand for sustainable travel and reveals how the ‘pandemic effect’ could translate the travellers’ intend to travel more sustainably into impactful action.

For the sixth consecutive year, Booking.com released its Sustainable Travel Report which gives some very interesting insights into the demand for sustainable travel. The results prove that sustainable tourism is not a niche market anymore, but that travellers demand that the accommodation they choose take actions to protect the environment and support the local community.

Some interesting results from the report at a glimpse:

• 61 % of travellers state that the pandemic has made them want to travel more sustainably in the future

• 81% of travellers intend to stay in a sustainable accommodation, at least once in the upcoming year, compared to 73% in 2019 and 65% in 2017

• 76% of travellers pledge to seek out accommodation that has reputable third-party sustainability accreditation

• 73% of travellers would be more likely to choose an accommodation if it has implemented sustainability practices

Travellers are furthermore willing to change their behaviour while staying in a tourist accommodation to reduce their environmental footprint:

• 83% want to reduce their energy consumption (e.g. by turning off air conditioning and lights in their room when they are not in it, for example)

• 79% want to use more environmentally friendly modes of transport (i.e. walking, cycling or public transport over taxis or rental cars)

• 76% are keen to reduce water usage (e.g. by reusing towels or opting out of daily room cleaning)

• 69% are committed to reducing the carbon footprint of their trip or pay to offset this whenever possible

Fortunately, these are not only good intentions. The report also reveals that many travellers already take action to reduce their environmental footprint when travelling. In the past 12 months:

• 45% made a conscious decision to turn off their air conditioning/heater in their accommodation when they weren’t there in the past

• 43% took their own reusable water bottle, rather than buying bottled water while on vacation

• 40% reused the same towel to reduce water usage

• 42% shopped at small, independent stores to support the local economy during their travels.

In addition, travellers place clear demand on the accommodation sector to help them lower their environmental footprint and make responsible choices in the destination:

• 35% believe that having electricity controlled by keycards and/or sensors to reduce energy use for air conditioning or heating should be provided

• 32% consider offering guests information about local ecosystems, heritage, culture, as well as visitor etiquette as a step in the right direction

• 27% believe that accommodations should offer guests the option to opt out of daily room cleaning to reduce water usage

• 27%of travellers would prefer only being offered reusable plates and cutlery for all meals, including room service

However, the survey also reveals that travellers struggle with turning their intentions into actions:

• 72% think travel companies should offer more sustainable choices

• 48% say they find it harder to make sustainable choices while on vacation than in their everyday life

• 41% of travellers indicate that they don’t know how to find sustainable travel options

Eco-certifications like Green Key can help to close this gap and answer the travellers’ demand for sustainable tourism. They provide a framework for making a business more sustainable and help travellers find those businesses and providers that really make a difference.

To read the full report, visit Booking.com