Climate, Community and Choice: Booking.com Reveals the Trends Shaping Sustainable Travel for Australians in 2022

• 73% of Australian travellers confirm that sustainable travel is important to them, with 50% saying that recent news about climate change has influenced them to make more sustainable travel choices
• Over a quarter of Aussies (26%) say they opted to travel to a destination closer to home over the last 12 months to reduce their carbon footprint
• More than 100,000 properties globally are now being recognized for their sustainability efforts with a Travel Sustainable badge on Booking.com

SYDNEY, 20 APRIL 2022 - Today Booking.com released new research, with insights gathered from more than 1,000 Aussie travellers across 32 countries and territories, highlighting the impact of their trips remains top of mind, with 60% of Aussie travellers saying they want to travel more sustainably over the coming 12 months, a 51% increase over 2021 report data. 

With 73% of travellers confirming that sustainable travel is important to them, just under half of all respondents (43%) cited that recent news about climate change has influenced them to make more sustainable travel choices. In fact, 58% of Australian travellers say they would be more likely to choose a sustainable accommodation - whether they were looking for one or not.

In search of more sustainable stays

Awareness and visibility of sustainable stays continues, with 30% of Australian travellers confirming they have seen a sustainable accommodation on an online travel site over the past year and 27% indicating they actively look for information on the sustainability efforts of a property before booking. Of the 37% of Aussie travellers who have actually stayed in a sustainable accommodation over the past year, the reasons for selecting one vary:

•  37% said they chose it to help reduce their impact on the environment
• 28% wanted to have a more locally relevant experience
• 30% believe sustainable properties treat the community better

While 70% of Australian travellers intend to stay in a sustainable property at least once in the coming year, there is still more to do to make more sustainable stay options easier to find for everyone. Nearly a quarter (25%) said they still didn’t know how to find sustainable accommodation. Which further underlines the importance of making this sustainability information transparent and understandable for a broad audience of travellers.

Alternative destinations and timing

There is consensus amongst travellers on wanting to avoid busy and over-visited destinations, with a third (30%) saying that they chose to travel outside of peak season and a quarter (25%) choosing to go to a less popular travel destination over the last 12 months to avoid overcrowding. When thinking about future trips 37% said they’d be willing to exclusively travel outside of peak season to avoid overcrowding, and 60% revealed that they would avoid popular tourist destinations and attractions to ensure a more even dispersal of the impact and benefits of their visit. 

Connection to culture and local communities

A regenerative philosophy is influencing decision-making, with 57% of travellers saying they want to leave the places they visit better than when they arrived and two-thirds (63%) wanting to have experiences that are representative of the local culture. One in four (24%) would be willing to pay more for travel activities to ensure they are giving back to local communities. 

Tipping point for transportation

Aussie travellers are mindful about how far they travel, how they get there and how they get around once they’re there. Over a quarter (26%) say they chose to travel to a destination closer to home to reduce their carbon footprint, and just under a third (29%) say they feel ashamed to fly because of its impact on the environment. While 65% reveal that they don’t actively look for more sustainable transport options, it still has an impact on booking behaviour and customer satisfaction.

Continuing the journey to more sustainable travel for everyone

With more than 100,000 properties globally now being recognised for their sustainability efforts with a Travel Sustainable badge on Booking.com, the company has also further expanded the number of third-party certifications and labels that automatically qualify accommodations to receive it. In addition to those officially approved by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Green Tourism and the EU Ecolabel, this now also includes Green Seal, Nordic Swan Ecolabel, Green Hospitality Ecolabel, Ibex Fairstay, Fair Trade Tourism, LEED and Edge.**

“With the undeniable impact our way of life is having on the environment, and the realities climate change is having on Australia , we are 100% committed to leading the industry in building a more mindful and responsible way of travel,” said Melissa Ellison, Area Manager Australia Booking.com. 

“We believe that travel is and should continue to be a powerful source of change, bringing enhanced cultural understanding, socio-economic opportunities for all communities and the ability to rejuvenate and protect our planet long term.”

To download Booking.com’s full 2022 Sustainable Travel Research Report, please visit the Booking.com global media room.

For more details on Booking Holdings’ Climate Action Plan and to view and download the Company’s third annual Sustainability Report, detailing initiatives throughout 2021 to engage responsibly with the world, drive long-term societal value and promote a more sustainable travel industry, please visit: bookingholdings.com/sustainability.

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CONTACT DETAILS

For further information, contact the Booking.com Australia Press Office;bookingau@redhavas.com

Methodology

*Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of 30,314 respondents across 32 countries and territories (1,000 from USA, 958 from Canada, 1,009 from Mexico, 1,001 from Colombia, 1,003 from Brazil, 1,017 from Argentina, 1,000 from Australia, 486 from New Zealand, 998 from Spain, 1,003 from Italy, 996 from France, 495 from Switzerland, 980 from the UK, 998 from Germany, 1,014 from the Netherlands, 991 from Belgium, 985 from Denmark, 984 from Sweden, 964 from Croatia, 976 from Russia, 1,008 from Israel, 1,002 from India, 1,004 from China, 925 from Hong Kong, 1,006 from Thailand, 988 from Singapore, 1,002 from Taiwan, 1,004 from Vietnam, 1,004 from South Korea, 1,003 from Japan, 1,006 from South Africa and 504 from Kenya ). In order to participate in this survey, respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have travelled at least once in the past 12 months and must be planning to travel in 2022, and be either the primary decision maker or involved in the decision making of their travel. The survey was taken online and took place in February 2022.

About Booking.com:

Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world whenever it’s safe to do so again. By investing in the technology that helps take the friction out of travel, Booking.com seamlessly connects millions of travelers with memorable experiences, a range of transportation options and incredible places to stay -from homes to hotels and much more. Booking.com is available in 44 languages. 

**Booking.com remained carbon-neutral in its operations in 2021 and transitioned to 100% renewable electricity towards the end of 2021, an important step as part of the company’s contribution to Booking Holdings’ recently released Climate Action Plan. The first of its kind for any global online travel company, its Climate Action Plan functions as a strategic framework for how Booking Holdings intends to make its operations, services and the travel industry more sustainable. In line with the definitions and measurements established by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the Climate Action Plan includes ambitious targets that aim to help the company achieve a 95% reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions by the end of 2030, 50% reduction in scope 3 emissions by 2030, and net-zero emissions by 2040.