Asian Travelers Are Confused By Sustainable Travel: That’s an Industry Problem
Photo Credit: Sustainability has always been at the core of successful tourism destination management. pixabay / Sasin Tipchai
Skift Take
From India to Indonesia, Asian travelers are becoming increasingly conscious about sustainable choices — and perplexed by them. The travel industry needs to understand this — and failing to do so might be tantamount to greenwashing in the eyes of consumers.
Net-zero, carbon-neutrality, sustainable, offset — as popular as these words may be, do travelers really know what they mean? Would they value travel products with a sustainable label more than the run-of-the-mill ones?
Sustainability has always been at the core of successful tourism destination management. Insights from reports serve as a barometer for how broad consumer awareness is evolving over time when it comes to more sustainable travel.
However, most Asian consumers have mentioned that the top reasons that discourage them from making sustainable travel choices are lack of access and information and claims that are hard to verify. And can they be alone among global travelers?
With the growing consumer appetite for sustainable travel options, it is important that the information is shared in a transparent and meaningful way for consumers, so that travelling sustainably becomes an easier choice for everyone.
Compared to other regions, Asian travelers have a higher preference for sustainable travel at 95 percent, compared to 74 percent in the Americas and 69 percent in Europe, according to a recent Expedia Sustainable Travel Study.
Booking.com’s inaugural Asia Pacific Travel Confidence Index also reveals an appetite for sustainable travel amongst travelers.
In Southeast Asia, 51 percent of travelers would spend at least half of their m
