Indian tourists most concerned about polluted beaches, over-tourism: Survey

Governments have the responsibility to help make travel more sustainable, believe as many as 24% of the 18,327 people surveyed for international digital travel agency Agoda’s sustainable travel trends survey

Governments have the responsibility to help make travel more sustainable, believe as many as 24% of the 18,327 people surveyed for international digital travel agency Agoda’s sustainable travel trends survey. At least 20% respondents said they themselves have to ensure it. The survey found pollution of beaches and waterways, and “over-tourism” in India were the top two concerns among the tourists. Single-use plastics and energy inefficiencies including overconsumption of electricity/water ranked third.

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The survey launched to mark World Environment Day on Saturday highlighted that tourists, globally, consider governments most accountable for making positive environmental changes around travel, followed by tourism authorities and individuals. Tourists from Indonesia and the United Kingdom were most likely (36%) to hold governments most accountable followed by those from China (33%), Australia (28%), Malaysia (27), and India (24%).

Managing waste including using less single-use plastics, switching off air conditioners and lights when leaving accommodation, and looking for eco-friendly accommodation were some of the suggestions made by respondents when asked how they will make the post-Covid travel scenario better. “...when asked about what Indians associated the most with sustainability, the top three results were renewable resources (36%), natural cleaning products (32%), and eco-friendly design/furniture (31%),” the survey stated.

Booking.com also came up with their sustainable travel report by conducting a research among a sample of 29,349 respondents across 30 countries and territories. The report revealed that 94% of Indian travellers think sustainable travel is vital, with 88% saying that the pandemic has made them want to travel more sustainably in the future.

The survey revealed that 74% Indian travellers want to have authentic experiences that are representative of local cultures when they travel while 91% of them believe increasing cultural understanding and preservation of cultural heritage is crucial.

“Around 56% of Indian travellers still believe that in 2021, there aren’t enough sustainable travel options available, with 63% admitting they get annoyed somewhere,” stated the survey.

John Brown, chief executive officer of Agoda, said another thing that is clear is that while globally the message is governments need to take the lead on managing sustainable travel, there is recognition that some responsibility lies with people’s own behaviour. “This past year at Agoda, we have seen a shift in travel patterns as people, limited to domestic travel, explore lesser-known areas. If managed well, not only does this help support independent hoteliers and accommodation providers that rely economically on tourist dollars, but it can also help lessen the environmental burden on overcrowded areas.”

The survey found 35% respondents from South Korea, 31% from India and Taiwan each were keener on the need to travel more sustainably. “It is concerning that many people see sustainable travel as less important today than they did before Covid-19, but I hope that is just a short-term effect, driven by people’s thirst to get back out there and travel any way they can,” Brown said.

Ritu Mehrotra, regional manager, South Asia, Booking.com said, “Over the six years we’ve been conducting this research, it’s been inspiring to see awareness of the importance of sustainable travel consistently grow, both with our customers and now with our partners, too. We are constantly working towards supporting our partners in their efforts to become more sustainable by encouraging them to identify, implement and share their sustainability practices with us.”