The Future of Sustainable Travel Post-Pandemic
Königsee by Simon Migaj via Unsplash
As the world slowly starts to open back up again, people are getting ready to travel and explore. While it may take some time before things finally become normal, adjusting to the “new normal” seems to be the prominent thought on everyone’s mind. We wanted to take a look at how this “new normal” might affect future travel, specifically sustainable travel.
Before COVID-19, sustainability was growing in popularity and people were becoming more open and supportive of introducing an eco-friendly initiative into the tourism industry. While we do not expect sustainable travel to pick up as quickly as it did, the pandemic has certainly shown people the benefits of going green and protecting our environment. This sentiment is shared by travelers worldwide as per statistica’s survey that found one in ten, around 69%, of travelers believing that sustainable travel is extremely important.
Let’s break down some of the major effects the pandemic has had on the tourism industry. According to DW, the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) saw a loss of 1.09 trillion euros in 2020. The pandemic also had a major effect on jobs in the travel sector, with about 100 million of them currently at stake. Focusing on Germany, DW reported that money spent on leisure travel fell 40%, but domestic trips inside Germany also rose by 4 million compared to the amount taken in 2019. With that in mind, the future of sustainable travel looks bright.
People Want Sustainability
During the pandemic, we saw wide reporting on the effects that staying home was having on the environment. Whilst overpopulated tourist spots were getting a rest, the entire world saw the difference we could make if we start to rethink travel.
There were also reports of the air and water being less polluted which supported the claim that we need to start implementing green ideas into the travel industry. People had an extremely positive reaction to seeing nature come to life and we don’t expect this trend to be going away soon. People want sustainability and it’s time that the tourism industry starts accommodating their travelers.
The Push to Rethink Tourism
The slogan “Rethink, Regenerate, Restart” has been moving around the tourism industry quite a lot these days. Coined by the annual tourism fair in Berlin, the plan to build back the tourism industry with sustainability in mind is starting to take off. The UNWTO has called for the “responsible recovery of tourism”, which should hopefully act as a motivator for companies in the industry to begin working on creating a green plan for themselves.
According to DW, the message has already reached a couple of large travel companies who are getting ready to launch awareness campaigns to promote sustainability to travelers. We hope this trend has a large future and continues to grow as the world opens back up again.
A Sharper Focus on the Industry
During the past year, the tourism industry has had a lot of time to rebrand and rethink their current image. It’s no secret that the industry is responsible for about 8% of the world’s carbon emissions. With this time, companies have been able to grasp a sharper focus on what travelers are looking for in their trips, as well as what the industry should look like going into the second half of 2021.
The two main concerns that have risen from this sharper focus is the need for more climate protection and a need to control overtourism. While the future of tourism still remains rather unclear, we know this is a great time for companies and travelers alike to discover the importance of sustainable travel, which can only mean that it has a bright future ahead.
We’ve Gotten Used to Sustainable Travel
Whether people have realized it or not, they have been engaging in forms of sustainable travel throughout the pandemic – some even getting used to it. During lockdown, low carbon trips have become a huge trend with travelers planning vacations in their own countries, using better means of transportation, connection with nature, going to low populated areas, and even reducing waste consumption. Large crowds will not be as attractive to the average traveler anymore. We expect these sustainable trends to continue in the future, with these kinds of trips becoming the new norm.
So while people are not consciously traveling sustainably, the pandemic has still made them experience eco-friendly travel and, hopefully, how to enjoy it. This means there is a better chance of showing people the importance of being environmentally conscious, and that “sustainable” doesn’t have to mean a completely different lifestyle. We are confident that the travel trends of a pandemic world will convince people to travel more sustainably in the future.
The Downside
While we hope to see a bright future for sustainable travel, we also have to address the difficulties that may arise when trying to implement it. As we discussed above, the travel industry took a major hit during lockdown, which will make it especially hard to build business back up again post pandemic.
It is important to understand that the priority of the tourism sector should be to regain business by whatever means they are able. Being sustainable can come with a rather expensive price tag. With the current economic losses that companies have had to struggle through, sustainability may not be their number one priority. However, the good news is that tour operators are seeing the need for sustainable travel as well as customers’ desire to be sustainable. This means that, although it may take some time before we can start making great strides, there is still plenty of hope for the future of sustainable travel.
In the End…
We are certainly seeing companies make great strides to “rethink, regenerate, and restart”. Although there are still obstacles the travel sector needs to deal with before transitioning into a green industry, we expect to see the current sustainable trends only spreading to more travelers. People want to keep the environment clean and safe, now it’s time for companies to step up and not only rebrand, but also restructure to match these expectations.
Written & researched by Quinn Donovan
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