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8 / Concious Conscioustravel travel
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world of good The pandemic has revealed the power of travel, for better and for worse. Can agents use this to usher in a new era of conscious travel? Laura Gelder investigates
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e’re more than 20 months into the pandemic and there is a mixed view of how this seismic event will affect travel in the long term. However, a recurring theme pops up in every discussion about travel trends, and that is building travel back ‘better’. The growth in conscious travel – travel that is mindful of its impact on the planet and its communities – is not a new concept, but one built around long-indicated consumer demand. At this November’s ABTA Travel Convention, the organisation’s Chief Executive, Mark Tanzer, opened the event by talking about the challenges of building back customer confidence post-Covid, saying: “Part of that confidence is the confidence to travel with a good conscience.” But according to a Travel Intelligence Report commissioned by representation company Lotus this September, there isn’t much consumer demand. Its survey showed fewer than 10% of the uk population ask for sustainable travel options, just four per cent have compensated their CO2 emissions and six per cent have chosen eco-friendly accommodation if it cost more.
Changing attitudes G Adventures’ recent research begs to differ and shows that 33% of UK travellers are more focused on travelling responsibly now than before the pandemic. “Mindsets are shifting and the pandemic
has given travellers time to rethink their travel decisions,” says the operator’s Managing Director, Brian Young. There is no denying that the travel hiatus has produced hard evidence of the negative impact travel can have on the environment. “We all saw the headlines about marine life returning to Venice and people in India seeing the Himalayas for the first time thanks to the lockdown easing pollution,” says zina Bencheikh, EMEA Managing Director for Intrepid Travel. The shutdown also highlighted the good that travel can do. Giles Hawke, CEO of Cosmos, points out: “As tourism begins again it is great to hear the responses from our local partners, who are finally seeing their livelihoods restarting. We can really see the importance of tourist money in these destinations.” Melissa Tilling, CEO of not-for-profit travel agency Charitable Travel, thinks that agents have a professional responsibility to champion conscious travel. “ultimately, it’s the customer’s decision as to how they holiday but it’s now an agent’s job to present responsible options,” she says. “It’s also a great way to demonstrate knowledge and expertise.” Intrepid’s Bencheikh agrees. “Agents are often the first point of contact for the customer so it’s important that they are primed and ready to talk about this topic in an informed and helpful way,” she says.
SELLINGTRAVEL.CO.UK
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11/2/21 07:11 PM
