The travel industry must do more to address the “intention action gap” facing consumers when it comes to sustainability.
Kasia Morgan, group head of sustainability at Exodus, told delegates at the Abta Travel Trends Conference that it’s clear “travellers care more and more about sustainability and it factors in their decisions”, but she said consumers are often left confused by how to go about holidaying more sustainably.
Morgan highlighted a survey that showed 82% of respondents said they “tried not to be harmful to the environment” and yet only 59% say they recycle packaging.
“Likewise the statistics show people want more carbon-friendly flights, but only a few choose to actually offset their flights,” she pointed out. “They are confused by all the carbon offsetting schemes.”
Morgan noted that a number of travel companies have started carbon-labelling their trips, but she stressed any business doing so must ensure their labelling is “robust and audited”.
Morgan also noted how it is in the travel industry’s interests to address sustainability, adding “we as an industry rely on biodiversity. Nature is extremely profitable for us”.
“At Exodus, our wildlife and nature offering recovered much more quickly than other tours as we emerged from the pandemic.”