According to a recent survey by TUI Group one-in-ten European travelers book eco-friendly hotels. Some 3,000 holidaymakers were queried on their travel accommodation tendencies.
The target group for the survey was those sojourners who had traveled over the last two years, but not necessarily with TUI. The results showed that German and French tourists were far more likely to book sustainable accommodation, than the UK or even Belgian counterparts. Fully 17% of all German respondents and 18% of all French expressed a propensity for preferring green hotels.
The UK and Belgium, at 9%, were followed by 6% of Swedish and 5% of Dutch travelers. Thomas Ellerbeck, member of TUI~’s Group Executive Committee, had this to add:
“The survey shows that sustainable travel is in vogue among holidaymakers. This trend relates both to ecological and social sustainability. Sustainability factors that are becoming increasingly popular in the tourism sector include environmental protection, biodiversity, and better social standards for the local population in the destination.”
The TUI executive went on to tell of two-thirds of the survey’s respondents feel tour operators should be responsible for offering eco-holidays. Ellerbeck said the findings confirm TUI’s sustainability strategy, aimed at delivering 10 million greener and fairer holidays per year from 2020.
More than half of respondents criticized the unavailability of good information about eco-tourism choices, and some 66% of respondents believe responsibility for sustainable travel primarily lies with the travel companies offering trips.