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30 January, 2020

STUDY: 88 per cent of Aussies willing to change their travel practices to be more sustainable

New research has found that 88 per cent of Aussies are willing to change their holiday habits to lessen their environmental impact.

The most common changes people are willing to make to ensure their future jaunts around the globe are more sustainable are taking public transport (53 per cent), being mindful of their energy use (52 per cent) and booking eco-friendly accommodation (44 per cent).

The findings come from a survey conducted by Rentalcarprotection.com.au of 1,003 Australians, who were asked about their concern for the environment when going on holiday.

Some are willing to make more drastic changes with 32 per cent saying they will look to holiday domestically rather than travel abroad, and 27 per cent would be willing to holiday less frequently to protect the environment.

Over two-thirds (68 per cent) said they would be happy paying extra for their holiday to offset the carbon they use, with the average Aussie willing to pay 4.25 per cent on top of their usual holiday price.

Based on the average holiday cost spent by Aussies according to Visa’s Global Travel Intentions Study 2018, this would equate to an extra $169 on top of the cost of their holiday to offset their carbon emissions.

When asked what motivated them to change their habits, 31 per cent said the nature and wildlife they’ve seen while away inspired them to reduce their environmental impact. A further 30 per cent said they are worried about the future impact of climate change. 21 per cent said they have been influenced by climate change activists such as Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough bringing attention to these issues.

Despite so many Australians expressing willingness to change their habits for the benefit of the environment, 90 per cent identified barriers stopping them from being more eco-friendly when they book their next holiday. The biggest barriers were:

Higher costs to be environmentally friendly (43 per cent)
Lack of information from travel companies (39 per cent)
The desire to holiday where they want (29 per cent)

Education on the subject was highlighted as a barrier and was a common theme throughout the research. 64 per cent of Australians feel there isn’t enough education provided to people around reducing the environmental impact of their holiday. This was further evidenced by the 39 per cent who said a lack of information from companies prevents them being more eco-friendly, and the one-in-ten (10 per cent) who said they don’t know how to reduce the environmental impact of their holiday.

Although many Australians said they would be committing to change, 14 per cent still believe their holiday doesn’t have any impact on the environment.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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