You are here
Home > News > Sustainable travel on the cards for most Indians in 2018

Sustainable travel on the cards for most Indians in 2018

To celebrate Earth Day on 22 April, Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, has released the findings from its latest global ‘Sustainable Travel Report’ which states that awareness of eco-friendly accommodation options is growing, with Indian travellers seeking to book more greener stays than ever.  The research highlights that 97% of Indian travellers want to travel sustainably in 2018 with 88% of them willing to pay an extra premium to ensure the same. The study also reveals that while 73% of current Indian travellers always or often opt for sustainable travel, around 32% are willing to pay at least 15% more to ensure as low an impact on the environment as possible.

According to Vikas Bhola, Head for the Indian Sub-Continent, Booking.com, “Sustainable travel is a subjective term that has different connotations for different people.  As Indian travellers increasingly look to explore and experience the world in a sustainable way, we continue to look at ways that can help make it even easier for them to do that, whether by highlighting eco-friendly properties or enabling people to filter their search results on Booking.com. This research reaffirms that sustainable travel is within reach for all of us, which is encouraging as we together strive to make a positive impact for a more sustainable future."

It’s good to go green

Proving that sustainability measures don’t need to come at an inconvenience, many Indian travellers indicated they engage in sustainable travel behaviour because the activity itself adds a positive experience to their trip.

Sustainable vacation activities that add to vacation enjoyment Percentage of Indian travellers who do this
Buying locally made products instead of mass-produced tourist souvenirs 69%
Being adventurous and using public transport instead of a taxi 62%
Going out of the way to find a local restaurant that only uses local ingredients 61%
Skipping tourist highlights in favor of less busy and often more rewarding sights 48%
Opting for a unique place to stay that also a certified eco-accommodation over a traditional hotel 58%

Eco-inspiration

When it comes to what inspires people to travel more sustainably, it seems that travel itself is the biggest motivator.

The factors that inspire sustainable travel % Indian travelers who found this inspiring
Being impressed by natural sights during their own travels (e.g. coral reefs, rain forest) 75%
Noticing a visible impact of tourism at the destinations they have visited 68%
Seeing the positive effect that sustainable tourism can have on the local people 72%
Seeing the unsustainable effects of tourism in their home country 57%
Feeling guilty about the impact their vacation has had on the environment 51%

Overcoming eco-barriers

While perceived extra cost remains the top barrier for Indians wanting to travel more sustainably, 88% of travellers would be willing to spend at least 5% more on their travel to ensure it was as low impact on the environment as possible.  The research states that Indian travellers are the most willing to pay the premium closely followed by Brazilians and Chinese.

Top Indian obstacles to traveling more sustainably Percentage of Indian travellers who do this
Costs – not being able to afford the extra expenditure 37%
Information / lack of certification – not knowing how to make my travel more sustainable 45%
Time – travelling sustainably would be too time consuming 38%
Destination – travelling sustainably would limit travel to less appealing destinations 34%
Luxury / comfort – sustainable travel does not meet the level of luxury / comfort accustomed to 34%

** Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of adults who have taken a trip in the last 12 months/plan to take a trip in the next 12 months. In total 12,134 respondents were surveyed (1000+ from (12 markets) Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Spain, France, India, Italy, Japan, Brazil, the UK and the US). Respondents completed an online survey in February and March 2018. The result in the press release focus on Indian travelers only which consisted of 1018 respondents)

Top