Increasing recognition of benefits of responsible travel

There is increasing recognition among both travel professionals and consumers of the importance of responsible travel.

Co-director at the Centre for Responsible Travel (CREST), Dr. Martha Honey, made this point during a presentation titled  ‘The Case for Responsible Travel: Trends & Statistics’ at the 14th annual Sustainable Conference (STC-14).

Dr. Honey cited a CREST Meta-Analysis which has found “strong evidence” that sustainable travel is “good for the economic bottom line.”

She also noted that the tourism sector was embracing responsible tourism not as an option, but as a condition for its continuous growth, pointing to numerous survey findings to support this.

A 2012 Nielson Wire survey, she said, found that 66 per cent of consumers globally prefer to buy products and services from companies that have implemented programmes to give back to society; and in 2011 Conde Nast Traveler found that 93 per cent of readers said travel companies should be responsible for protecting the environment.