Travellers back radical moves to protect environment
More than three quarters of people are prepared to offset emissions as they become more aware of the impact travel has on the environment.
While offsetting came out on top, as many as 43% chose one of the more radical options:
*Boycotting flying for other less damaging modes of transport;
*Airlines reducing the number of flights;
*Increasing flying costs via a carbon tax;
*Everyone having an annual carbon allowance into which they must fit their travel.
The online poll of more than 24,500 consumers from 144 countries by Lonely Planet showed that 84% of respondents said they would consider offsetting their emissions in the future, against only 31% who had done so in the past.
The survey revealed that the majority of travellers are worried about carbon emissions from flying, with only 7% saying that they did not think aircraft carbon emissions were a concern.
Although 36% of people had never purposefully considered the environment in their past travels, 93% of people said they would or might purposefully partake in environmentally friendly travel in the future, according to the poll.
Almost three quarters of travellers said they had purposefully travelled in a low-impact way in the past, by catching a bus rather than flying, for example, and more than 90% of people said they would or might do so in the future, according to the travel guide’s annual Travellers’ Pulse survey.
One of the strongest changes for the future was in volunteering. Almost 80% of respondents said they would or might volunteer overseas in the future, with only 25% having done so in the past.
Lonely Planet spokesman Tom Hall said: “The survey reveals that 73% of respondents feel that travel is ‘in their blood’, so it’s fantastic to see that travellers are consciously considering their impacts, and are willing to alter their actions to protect the destinations they love.
“It will be encouraging to watch whether these intended behaviours follow-through.”
More than 30% said ‘activity’ was their main purpose for travel, highlighting the growing trend towards exploring niche experiences rather than simply visiting destinations for sightseeing.
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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