ao link

 

Travel just for the rich?

Asked whether such measures could cause travel to revert to being exclusive to rich people, Bencheikh suggested people should travel less but for longer, and utilise trains and destinations closer to home.

 

Power argued that the “problem lay with those who take multiple holidays a year.

 

“Looking forward to carbon pricing levels of up to $100 a tonne, for a short-haul holiday you’re talking about adding £60 to the cost of a flight.

 

“It’s not catastrophic percentages being added,” he suggested. “It can’t be free.

 

“I wouldn’t overestimate even at higher end of pricing what the true impact would be.”

 

Kinsman flagged however that for some people in lower socio-economic groups, “a cheap package holiday is all they can afford and all they want”.

 

“They don’t have time to take three weeks off work to take a train to Portugal,” she said. “And B&Bs and hotels in the UK can be very expensive and not great quality.

 

“I don’t know what the answer is. I do think there should be subsidisation for people who deserve a holiday.

 

“People talk about planting trees, but we need to be setting out way more community initiatives for people who live in inner cities who perhaps should be subsidised to have time in nature. It’s just not affordable for a lot of people.”

Greenwashing

The panel was asked what clients should be asking businesses with regards their sustainability credentials.

 

Boland said Which?’s audience – which comprises “general travellers”, were taking an interest in sustainability, slowly.

 

“The greater challenge is mass tourism. I have found it better to nudge people rather than push them. If you make people feel bad about their choices then they immediately push back.

 

“We need to do a better job of nudging consumers into making those choices by demonstrating to them what those better choices mean to them and then hopefully they will choose some of those better companies.”

 

He added though, “what makes it really difficult for consumers is greenwashing”.

 

“We almost publish nothing on a regular basis about sustainability because we’re sceptical about so many of the claims that are out there and to interrogate those is really time-intensive and difficult.

 

“All most companies have initially is suppliers’ word to go on.

 

“So for consumers it’s really tough and I do think we are going to need organisations like B Corps that have done some of this interrogation for you.

 

“They then prompt the questions you need to ask. It’s never straightforward – some things can be good, some bad. But if we can cut through questions in consumers’ minds hopefully it will shift them to better organisations.”

 

Kinsman added her belief it will become illegal to make greenwashing claims, in the same way the food industry might have called something “pure”.

 

“People will have to qualify those claims and consumers will demand that.

 

“We’ve all had a wonderful year of reflection and a lot more people are joining the sustainability conversation. Anyone can say they’re eco-friendly. No flight is eco-friendly.

 

“Language-wise people will hold it to account and you won’t be able to make these grand green claims.”

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