Even as the cost of living has continued to skyrocket, a substantial
share of travellers are prioritising sustainable travel features.
Nearly 80% of travellers will pay at least 10% more for sustainable
travel options, according to a new Euromonitor International's newly
released Sustainable Travel Index 2023.
That’s important news at a time when the impacts of global warming
are rapidly intensifying and becoming more deadly around the globe. As
2023 has unfolded, the continued ramifications of worsening climate
change has been significantly altering travel patterns, the quality of
travel experiences, and even the activity options available to
travellers in particularly hard hit destinations.
According to Euromonitor International’s report, these realities are
not lost on travellers. Some of the additional data highlighted in the
report included:
- 41% of travellers are prepared to pay more than 30% extra for adventure and ecotourism
- Europe dominates the Sustainable Travel Index 2023 taking the top 17 places.
- Sweden continues to top the chart, with Finland second and Austria in third.
- South American destination, Uruguay, has made the top 20 for the first time, moving up 15 places from the previous year.
- Egypt and the Maldives, meanwhile, are the most improved countries over the last five years.
“Egypt has outshone other markets by building resilient tourism,
helped by its recovery after travel bans and the pandemic, and driving
up average spend per arrival to increase value creation through tourism
for the benefit of local communities,” says the report.
Top cities worldwide for sustainable travel
When considering cities on their own, in terms of sustainability
initiatives, Melbourne, Australia tops the chart worldwide in the new
report.
“Melbourne stands at the top of the sustainability pillar for
Euromonitor’s Top City Destinations Index with an ambitious target to
reach net zero emissions by 2040,” says the report.
Melbourne’s sustainability accomplishments, according to the report,
include retrofitting buildings to reduce their carbon footprint,
transitioning to renewables, greening streets and hosting carbon neutral
events.
The Sustainable Travel Index is based on 56 indicators across seven
pillars. They include: Environmental, Social, Economic, Risk, Demand,
Transport and Lodgings.
Source: TravelPulse