Booking.com’s 2024 Sustainable Travel Report explored the latest consumer attitudes, priorities and influences related to sustainable travel, revealing that while travellers aim to travel more sustainably, they continue to face certain challenges.
Gathering insights from more than 31,000 travellers across 34 countries and territories, the annual research revealed a continued sense of desire and awareness. However, new insights show a sense of weariness could be emerging globally, fuelled by the ongoing issues that travellers experience to make more sustainable travel choices.
The recent study showed that while travellers feel travelling more sustainably is important, it was not a primary consideration when planning or booking a trip. Travellers are tired of hearing about climate change all the time – thus the opportunity for collective action is more pertinent than ever, in order to ensure that progress toward a more sustainable travel industry remains a priority.
Positive intentions meeting new challenges
Looking ahead, travellers say that they want to travel more sustainably over the next 12 months, and would feel guilty when they make less sustainable travel choices.
However, a sense of disillusion towards making more sustainable travel choices may be counteracting these positive intentions. New areas of exploration researched for the first time this year revealed that some travellers do not recognise the importance of being more mindful of their impact, as nearly half (42%) feel that the damage already done is irreversible and that the travel choices they make are not going to change that.
There is even the thought that climate change is not as severe as people make it out to be – a dismissal of the issue which may well be impacting travel plans.
Moreover, some feel their time spent travelling is too precious to put sustainability at the top of their decision-making list (37%). Not seeing sustainability in action is also contributing to the sense of powerlessness, for instance, being more sustainable in a destination that is not implementing sustainability practices itself feels pointless.
Shared responsibility and the critical opportunity for industry-wide enablement
The role travellers feel they can play in tackling the negative impacts of travel also highlights their expectations around collaboration. Travellers say they want to leave the places they visit better than when they arrived, and this year’s additional research shows 48% think governments hold the most potential for countering the economic effects, and 44% believe travel service providers hold the key to addressing environmental factors.
Responsibilities extend to how consumers are being supported to fulfil their intentions. Coming across an accommodation labelled as more sustainable is more appealing, and consistency of certification standards is critical to identifying these options with 69% agreeing that all travel booking sites should use the same sustainable certifications or labels.
Sustainable silver linings
Despite the emerging frustrations, travellers are making more mindful choices and feel that more sustainable travel experiences are actually adding value to their trips. New areas of research in this year’s report found that more travellers recognise that they are the best version of themselves when they travel more sustainably and consequently take home this positivity, becoming more sustainable in their everyday life. This includes travellers who did tours or activities for authentic, local, and cultural experiences, shopped at small, independent stores, and who planned their trips so that they could walk, bike, or take public transport.
“While many travellers have retained a sense of optimism and a desire to have a more positive impact, there is a critical opportunity for the industry to accelerate efforts to make those choices easier for everyone,” said Danielle D’Silva, head of sustainability at Booking.com.
“It’s important that we continue ensuring that more sustainable options are not only readily available, but also easy to trust and understand. That’s where we believe further education, clear and consistent standards and credible third-party certification of legitimate sustainable practices across the travel experience can really help. While the signals of consumer frustration should be a concern, it’s also a reminder to maintain our focus on the impactful work we know can make a difference not only for travellers but for communities and destinations everywhere.”
Booking.com’s full 2024 Sustainable Travel Report can be viewed here.
In hospitality, inclusive leadership and gender balance are becoming important business imperatives, as gender-diverse teams reportedly see up to 19 per cent higher profits. However, gender parity in leadership remains a challenge in this industry, owing to factors such as demanding expectations, work-life balance struggles, and the scarcity of female leaders as role models. A 2022 WTO report noted the insufficient data on women in leadership across Asia-Pacific, and underscored the urgency for action.
Marriott International’s loyalty programmes, Marriott Bonvoy’s latest survey has found that a majority of Gen Zs and millennials in Asia-Pacific excluding China (APEC) prefer the simplicity of belonging to one comprehensive loyalty travel programmes.
While 60% of APEC Gen Zs and millennials are actively subscribed to loyalty programmes, the challenge of juggling several loyalty programmes has led most (57%) to seek out one that meets all their travel needs.
Marriott Bonvoy carried out the survey of 1,000 respondents across ten markets in APEC to better understand the shifting attitudes of millennials and Gen Zs, and their travel behaviours. The survey identified an emerging generation of travel-focused, value-driven Savvy Explorers in APEC who seek to maximise their travel dollars and unique travel experiences.
Travel in 2024 is a priority for Gen Zs and millennials: 73% report their intentions to take at least two trips in the next 12 months and 91% plan to spend the same, if not more, on their trips compared to the year before. Travel is viewed as an essential lifestyle component, and most are willing to reduce everyday spending on dining out (60%), shopping sprees (57%) and their daily coffee (54%) so as to spend more on a holiday.
The trend of greater member growth and activity extends to the Marriott Bonvoy app. APEC member enrolment via digital channels grew by more than 25%, with mobile app downloads and active users more than doubling in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The regional survey also uncovered notable trends among Gen Zs and millennials across the 10 APEC countries.
Travel value unlocked through everyday spend
Savvy Explorers take considered steps to unlock travel value through everyday spend. Leveraging on their familiarity with loyalty programmes, APEC’s Gen Zs and millennials employ varied tactics to maximise their travel rewards: four in five say they have gone out of their way to use a travel-linked credit card for everyday purchases, and 67% actively use a travel loyalty programme to book and redeem local experiences and staycations.
This trend is supported by usage behaviours of Marriott Bonvoy members in APEC. They accumulated points from stays across more than 8,800 Marriott International properties globally, and through everyday spend. Redemption for hotel stays in 2023 registered a 130% increase compared to pre-pandemic times, accounting for the majority of redemptions, followed by points-to-miles conversions on partner airlines.
Hotels become a key destination to explore
Hotel experience is key to winning the hearts and dollars of the Gen Z and millennial segment, with 99% of respondents believing their hotel choice can make or break their holiday. Hotels are also increasingly viewed as a key destination for exploration, going beyond the role of ‘accommodation’. Nearly four in five respondents expect their hotel to provide curated local programming and experiences, while 84% prefer to stay at a hotel with designs and activities reflective of its destination.
The recent debut of Moxy Hotels in key APEC markets exemplifies Marriott International’s commitment to continuously bring new hospitality experiences to the region.
Despite a desire to maximise their travel budgets where they can, their hotel is one area that APEC’s Gen Z and millennials are willing to invest extra travel dollars towards. Top motivations for new-generation travellers to splurge include the hotel’s room offerings (48%) and location (42%). While amenities remain key considerations, these guests value a seamless travel experience, with mobile-first customer service (61%), reliable Wi-Fi (68%) and flexible check-out (64%) outpacing traditional benefits like lounge access (42%).
Destination ‘dupes’ fuel intra-regional travel demand
International travel has returned but APEC’s Gen Z and millennials remain committed to destinations closer to home. While iconic holiday locations like the Swiss Alps and Bora Bora maintain their appeal, 55% are opting for destinations within the region that provide a similar experience. These so-called “destination dupes” are fast gaining traction among this segment because they allow Gen Zs and millennials to stretch their travel expenses (69%), discover something new (63%) and are easily accessible (62%).
As a reflection of robust intra-regional travel demand in 2023, Marriott International saw over 60% of bookings in APEC coming from within the region.
Corporate backpackers on the rise
Gen Zs and millennials are also taking bleisure travel up a notch by capitalising on the opportunity of a business trip to embark on multi-destination tours. In addition to extending their travel plans (68%), 84% plan to explore nearby cities and countries as part of their post-work itinerary.
Off-peak travel maximises destination experience
Gen Zs and millennials are also carefully planning when to travel to maximise their trip experience. The majority (71%) of Gen Z and millennials say they would opt to travel during off-peak seasons so as to beat the crowds and get more out of their trip; 67% feel they can do more during low-peak seasons, and 77% leave their holidays feeling more relaxed and rejuvenated.
“Survey results suggest that Gen Zs and millennials in APEC are purposefully strategising how they can channel value from their everyday spend toward rewarding travel experiences. They also prefer to be part of only one all-encompassing loyalty travel programmes which fulfils their needs. To this end, Marriott Bonvoy – which gives members access to over 30 brands in 10,000 destinations – is well positioned to deliver greater value and unlock more experiences for Gen Zs and millennials,” said John Toomey, Marriott International’s chief sales and marketing officer, Asia-Pacific excluding China.
“As testament to the programme’s appeal, we have seen Marriott Bonvoy’s membership base in APEC grow by more than 50% since 2019. What’s more encouraging is that our members are highly active. They earned 40% more points in 2023 compared to 2022, and are putting their points to good use, with points redemptions increasing by more than 55% in the same period,” he revealed.