Travellers growing weary of environmentalism, according to survey

Tourists are growing increasingly frustrated with sustainability requirements for travel, going by a survey by booking.com, in findings that tally with recent polling of consumers in other sectors.

One in three of the 31,000 people surveyed in 34 countries by the accommodation platform said their choices would not make any difference to "irreversible" climate change.

A quarter of respondents said the threat of climate change was "not as severe as people make it out to be" and something that almost 30% were tired of hearing about "all the time."

And while 45% of those asked said they view environmentally-friendly travel as "important," they at the same time said it was not "a primary consideration when planning or booking travel."

And while three-quarters of those who answered said they hoped to "travel more sustainably" this year, booking.com said "a sense of disillusion towards making more sustainable travel choices may be counteracting those intentions."

While travel has largely recovered from the shutdowns imposed during the Covid pandemic, it has become more expensive. Airfares are increasing in part due to measures aimed at getting the aviation industry to reduce carbon emissions, according to industry leaders.

Business research organisation Euromonitor earlier this year published a report suggesting "green fatigue" and disillusionment with "greenwashing" are growing among the continent's consumers, while accounting company EY surveyed around 100,000 people in 21 countries and found consumer fatigue to be setting in from the energy transition from fossil fuels.