Environment ‘having little impact on business travel’
Tuesday, 05 Aug, 2009
0
Company environmental policy is playing little part in driving down business travel costs in the current economic climate.
Of the 15% of business travellers who anticipated travelling less this year, three out of five respondents (57%) will be doing this in response to declining business or cost issues and only one per cent as a result of a company environmental policy.
A majority of business travellers (59%) say that environmental concerns have no impact on their travel.
Thirty seven per cent are seeing environmental concerns partially or significantly impacting their choice of business travel.
An overwhelming 64% of business travellers do not think air travel should be restricted to help protect the environment.
But there is a strong belief that airlines should be taxed to compensate for the effect of carbon emissions on the environment.
More than half of respondents (53%) agreeing that a tax should be put in place, of which 62% believe the tax should be passed on to passengers.
This falls to a third of respondents (29%) believing that a similar tax should be brought in for train companies, for which, 58% agree the cost should be passed on to passengers.
The results came from research from the Barclaycard Commercial business travel survey.
It found that more than a quarter (26%) increasingly believe the onus is on employers to manage the effects of business travel on the environment, up eight per cent from last year.
A third (34%) of respondents working in companies with a turnover of more than £100 million believe it is their company’s responsibility to reduce the impact on the environment.
A further third (33%) said the government should have overriding responsibility of the environmental impact of business travel, with a fifth (19%) saying it is the individual’s responsibility and a tenth (12%) the responsibility of airlines and other travel suppliers.
Less than a fifth of those asked (18%) had an environmental policy at work governing business travel. More than a tenth (11%) of those questioned didn’t know whether their company had a policy in place.
Even fewer companies monitor their business travel carbon footprint (7%) or offset their carbon emissions (4%).
Barclaycard Commercial managing director Neil Radley said: “2009 will see the environment make gains as business travel is trimmed back in the face of economic uncertainty.
“But it is sad that this is not due to firm policies putting sustainability at the heart of the business process.
“These policies would ensure that we crystallise long-term gains: both for the environment and for businesses in terms of bottom line and improved competitiveness. It makes commercial sense to nurture green shoots.”
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt