Despite a strong desire for sustainable travel practices, Booking.com's latest report has revealed a sense of weariness among travelers, highlighting the challenges they face in making environmentally conscious decisions.

Intentions vs. Realities: A Closer Look

While 95% of Indian travelers consider sustainable travel important, a significant portion (24%) prioritise other factors when planning trips. Moreover, 46% express fatigue from continuous discussions on climate change, indicating a gap between intentions and actions.

Disillusionment in Sustainable Travel

New insights from the report suggest a growing disillusionment among travelers regarding the efficacy of sustainable travel efforts. Over half (52%) believe the damage caused by travel is irreversible, while a significant percentage (39%) question the severity of climate change. Time constraints and skepticism toward destinations' sustainability efforts further contribute to the lack of prioritisation of sustainability in decision-making.

Shared Responsibility for Sustainable Travel

The report emphasised the shared responsibility of various stakeholders in promoting sustainable travel practices. While 42% of Indian travelers believe they can positively impact the social aspects of travel, an equal number look to governments and service providers to address economic and environmental concerns.

Industry-Wide Enablement: The Key to Change

To encourage sustainable behaviour, the travel industry must provide consistency in certification standards and labels. Nearly half of travellers (48%) find accommodations labeled as sustainable more appealing, emphasising the importance of transparent certification. Moreover, the majority (73%) agree that all travel booking sites should adopt the same sustainable certifications or labels, with 85% expressing interest in learning more about the criteria behind such designations.

A Call for Collective Action

Santosh Kumar, Booking.com's Country Manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Indonesia, acknowledgef the challenges travellers face in making sustainable choices. He underscored Booking.com's commitment to facilitating sustainable travel and calls for collective efforts to pave the way for a more environmentally friendly future in travel.