A Guide to Eco-Conscious Travelers

Here’s what you need to know about the modern environmentally-conscious traveler.

More than ever, travelers are seeking to decrease the size of their environmental footprint and do business with companies that care for the planet. That means hoteliers need to understand this growing market segment.

“The traveler mindset is changing, and sustainable travel has emerged as a growing trend as travelers hope to lessen the environmental impact of tourism (or overtourism, in some cases),” states Evelina Hederer, director of business development for Expedia Group Media Solutions, which recently did a survey that found 90 percent of travelers look for sustainable options on their trips. “The pandemic seems to have accelerated this trend, with people looking for ways to travel more responsibly, to make meaningful changes to help preserve our planet – especially as demand for travel picks up.”

Here are four things to know about these post-pandemic “green” travelers as you consider how you can draw them to your hotel and provide them with top-notch service:

1. They have a variety of sustainable travel goals

The modern eco-conscious traveler has a nuanced definition of sustainability that goes far beyond saving energy and water, though both of those actions are important, the Expedia survey found. Depending on the traveler, sustainable travel goals may include: seeking out locally grown and seasonal food options, using their tourism dollars to support local artisans and small businesses and choosing transportation options that put less stress on the planet.

2. They are skeptical about “greenwashing”

The rise in eco-friendly tourism also has brought a wave of travel companies eager to attract this lucrative business. Unfortunately, this has led some hotels and other businesses to use marketing to paint themselves as more eco-friendly than they truly are in practice. The survey found two in five travelers will avoid businesses they believe are engaging in greenwashing. The key is being honest about your efforts, what you’re doing and where you are in the process, Hederer states. “Clearly, businesses must be sincere and transparent to establish trust with consumers,” she states. “For example, if you’re in the hospitality industry but your hotel is not yet a green hotel, you can still communicate what you’re doing today.”

3. They will go out of their way to travel sustainably

A 2022 survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults from The Vacationer found that almost one in three (29.8 percent) of the adults who value eco-friendly travel are willing to make sustainable choices on a vacation even if it causes them inconvenience. And the number of travelers willing to go out of their way to travel sustainably is on the rise every year.

4. They are willing to pay more for eco-friendly travel

Almost 80 percent of travelers who value making environmentally friendly choices say they are willing to shell out more cash in order to “lower their carbon footprint on their next trip,” according to the survey from The Vacationer. In fact, about one in three said they were willing to spend $50 to $250 more on a trip, and almost one in 10 said they were willing to spend $250 to $500 additional dollars to travel more lightly.

These surveys reveal valuable takeaways for hoteliers, including the fact that modern eco-conscious travelers are savvy, committed to their values and willing to spend in order to make “green” choices when they travel.