Can travelers challenge the green movement to be better?

From carbon offsets to organic restaurants and towel reuse options at hotels, green travel is the fastest growing niche in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries.

However, according to a new survey report, while they may be driving sustainable travel industry practices, green travelers do not believe that the industry is very green yet. When asked to evaluate the green initiatives and messaging in each sector of the travel industry, the best answer most respondents could give was “needs work.”

A large majority of airlines, cruise operators and rental car companies received a substantial number of “terrible” votes from respondents.

Conducted by San Francisco-based market research firm Community Marketing, Inc. (CMI), the 1st Annual Green Traveler Survey Report, is the result of a unique, pan-industry cooperative initiative between tourism businesses and nonprofit, environmental and sustainable business organizations, from the development of the survey to the interpretation of its findings.

The study surveyed the purchasing habits, travel behavior, environmental commitment, expectations and motivations of 1,736 self-defined, eco-conscious travelers.

“This is not a study about how many people recycle; there is sufficient data on that,” says Thomas Roth, president of Community Marketing. “The Green Traveler Survey Report is a comprehensive profile of green travel consumers, and it fills a need for concrete data on this distinct, desirable niche segment. Until now, no one has had a clear idea about who green travelers are or what they want. The ‘green travel’ niche has been defined mostly by spending figures.

“Without this data, it has been difficult for tourism and hospitality leaders to understand and serve the interests of this increasingly important segment,” Roth adds. “Nor has it been possible to establish consistent standards for sustainable travel. In fact, this study found that consumers are often confused and skeptical about green travel claims, which undermines many marketing initiatives.”

The report is being offered free to the tourism and hospitality industries, in order to advance efforts toward greener travel.

No true leader just yet

Often when people think of “green” travel, they immediately envision a commune-like eco “resort” set upon an unkempt beach and with little to no modern amenities or utlitites. This, obviously, could not be any further from the truth.

According to the report, there is a broad spectrum of travelers comprising the green travel niche, ranging from business and leisure travelers who participate in hotel recycling and towel reuse programs to “voluntourists” working on environmental and social development projects in developing countries.

However, it also found a gap between what green travelers say and their actual purchasing behavior, as well as price sensitivity when it came to “green premiums.”

“Marketers, sustainable program designers and other stakeholders at travel and hospitality companies need to understand the green travel spectrum in order to know where their customers fall on it, and what motivates them,” Roth says.

Respondents to the study indicated that virtually no “green brands” had emerged as leaders in the sustainable travel niche.

“There are few ‘top-of-mind’ greener brands, if any, in any segment of the industry,” Roth says. “That told us that travel suppliers and destinations were failing to differentiate themselves with robust, green practices—and that their branding and messaging could be sharper and more meaningful.”

Market growth led by trendsetters

Consumer behavior has the power to dictate economies. At such a critical time in the travel industry, market leaders need to listen to their customers in an effort to avoid a meltdown. If for no other reason than good business sense, the travel and tourism needs to get “greener” while effectively communicating this paradigm shift to its customers in a relevant, non-greenwashed way.

“As the planet continues to heat up and resources become scarcer, every other sector of the economy is going to be adopting sustainable practices—more or less quickly,” continued Roth. “It makes business—as well as environmental—sense. Eco-conscious travelers are trendsetters in our industry. The rest of the market will follow.”

To receive a complimentary pdf copy of the 150-plus page report, e-mail your request to report@CMIgreen.com. Be sure to include your name, title and organization. You will then receive a link to download the PDF of the report, updates to the study and announcements on future initiatives.