Tourists ‘don’t care’ about environment’, debate hears

Growing awareness of responsible tourism is being driven by the industry and not holidaymakers who still care little about the environment when it comes to travel, TravelMole’s latest travel industry question time heard.

During a lively debate exploring the future of the travel industry, Travel Foundation representative and Sunvil Holidays managing director Noel Josephides claimed tourists still have little or no interest in the subject.

But the view was challenged by Nigel Gifford, managing director of adventure tour operator High and Wild, and Cendant chief operating officer Chris Vukelich who both argued times were changing.

Josephides, addressing delegates at the debate – titled Fly me to the Moon, the next chapters in travel and tourism – said: “We have had environmental initiatives in so many places but no one cares. All people want is to go on holiday to an unspoilt country. We carry 30,000 educated, middle class people from Surrey and Sussex and only 8% actually care what we do.

“Responsible tourism is not being driven by our clients. It’s being driven by the industry. We are setting the pace.”

He said mass market tour operators – while now working with the Travel Foundation – question their involvement when there is no customer demand.

However, Josephides welcomed the industry’s stance and praised the large operators for beginning to tackle the issue.

“About five years ago when the Travel Foundation was founded, mainstream operators thought all environmentalists were cranks and these cranks thought tour operators were irresponsible and were slashing and burning their way throughout the world,” he said. “Now we have people like Dermot Blastland [First Choice managing director] on the committee and Dermot Blastland used to be the biggest philistine when it came to the environment

“It’s the first time we have managed as an industry to even begin to think of the future and it’s not easy to do when there are so many commercial concerns.”

High and Wild MD Nigel Gifford argued that the adventure travel sector does attract people who care for the environment and said other sectors will eventually catch up.

“I add between £12 and £28 on each booking for Climate Care and in four years no one has asked for it to be taken off,” said Gifford. “There is great responsibility in the way people are travelling and adventure is at the forefront. Other tour operators will catch up.”

He added that he receives four enquiries a day from people who have visited the responsibletourism.co.uk website which is dedicated to promoting green holidays.

Cendant’s Vukelich admitted the number of travellers concerned with responsible tourism was “not huge” but said it will become increasingly fashionable.

“More and more people are waking up to it,” he said. “I believe people will go to cocktail parties, have a glass of champagne and talk about how green they were in the last year.”

He added it was the responsibility of individual tourists to request a holiday destination where staff are paid fair wages and environmental issues taken seriously.

When asked about people who couldn’t afford to pay a potential “green tax” on air fares, Vukelich said: “You don’t have to fly to go on holiday.”

See TravelMole later today for further coverage of the travel industry question time.

Report by Steve Jones