Travel Trends for 2009: Going Green

Photo Credit: Yosemite National Park, as captured by a TripAdvisor traveler.

Regardless of the value of the “green back” or the United States’ “green currency”, green travel is on the rise. More than 18 million Americans can be classified as ecotourists, according to the International Ecotourism Society and a Geotourism Study by the Travel Industry Association and National Geographic Traveler reports nearly 55.1 million Americans express an interest in nature, culture and heritage tourism activities that protect and preserve the environment.

Consumers are more educated today than ever on “green” choices and their attitudes toward eco-tourism have graduated past a hotel’s linen or towel reuse program or because of an airline’s offering of voluntary carbon offsets.

“They (travelers) want to know a company is committed to sustainable travel and tourism,” Brian T. Mullis, president of Sustainable Travel International (STI) adds. “They’re more interested in hearing about a hotel’s energy conservation and renewable energy systems or an airlines’ holistic approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

The American Ecotourism Association defines eco-tourism as “pleasure travel to nature and culture based areas which minimizes ecological impact and supports the well-being of the local community.” Whereas, geotourism is defined as “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographic character of a place - it’s environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and well-being of its residents,” as outlined by National Geographic Society.

TripAdvisor® annual travel trends survey of more than 3,000 U.S. travelers reveals travelers leaning toward green travel options. “The primary trends identified are that travelers appear to be going lean and green by visiting national parks, hiking, and engaging in adventure activities,” as stated in TripAdvisor’s release. “A greater amount of Americans said they will be environmentally conscious in their travel decisions in 2009, and more plan to visit eco-friendly hotels in the coming year.”

Following are two of the TripAdvisor survey findings:

Park is the Place: Seventy-three percent of U.S. respondents said they plan to visit a national park in 2009, up from 62 percent one year ago. Fifty-three percent will go hiking in the coming year, up from 50 percent last year. Forty-seven percent of those surveyed plan to engage in an adventure activity, an increase from 40 percent in 2008. Thirty-three percent of travelers will go cycling and biking, up from 28 percent, and 11 percent of travelers are likely to participate in an extreme sports activity, compared to eight percent one year ago.

Easy Being Green: Thirty-four percent of U.S. respondents said they will visit an environmentally-friendly hotel or resort in the coming year, up from 30 percent in 2008. Thirty-two percent of those surveyed said they will be more environmentally conscious in their travel decisions this year, than they were the year before. Last year, 26 percent said they would be more environmentally conscious.

“An emerging trend is travelers getting greener. They plan to be more environmentally-conscious, and will be more active outdoors this year, taking advantage of some of the outstanding resources in the U.S., such as our beautiful national parks,” said Michele Perry, vice president of global communications for TripAdvisor.