Trip.com Group, a key global travel service provider in the Asia Pacific region, reveals that while sustainability awareness is rising among travellers, there remains a gap between awareness and action. This is one of the main insights from the Sustainable Travel Consumer Report 2024 that the Group has released.
The report draws from 9,867 survey samples from 109 countries and territories including Singapore in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), North America (NORAM) and Latin America (LATAM). It also looks at Gen Z’s travel preferences and regional variations in motivations and perceptions.
Here are more key findings:
- Globally, there is a gap between awareness and action among travellers for sustainable travel
- 64.7% of Singapore travellers have practised sustainable travel in recent years
- Top sustainable travel preferences amongst Singapore respondents include greener transportation, sustainable accommodations, reduction of single-use plastics, and reduction of food waste
- Gen Z’s attitudes toward sustainability highlight greater need for motivation and targeted engagement
Gap between awareness and action
Amongst the respondents surveyed in Singapore, an overwhelming 96.4% of them may consider sustainable travel – a figure that surpasses the global average of 92.0%. 64.7% of Singapore travellers have practised sustainable travel in recent years. Of those who did not consider sustainable travel options, some cited confusion around what sustainable travel entails. Others doubt the authenticity of sustainable products or initiatives. This highlights the need for better consumer education and more straightforward communication from travel providers.
A series of other factors also contribute to the gap between awareness and action. Primary barriers include the perception of sustainable travel as a collective endeavour or the view that it does not bring added benefits to trips.
These considerations diminish travellers’ appetite for usually more expensive sustainable options. The report reveals a divide when it comes to paying extra for sustainable travel options. In Singapore, 41.0% of travellers are willing to pay a premium for a sustainable travel option. Globally, while some travellers are open to paying a premium (42.5% of travellers), many have clear limits on how much more they are willing to spend.
For example:
- 1 in 5 travellers (21%) are willing to pay up to 5% more for sustainable travel.
- Willingness drops as costs rise: only 4.7% will pay 10-20% more, and 1.7% will exceed 20%.
The report also underscores contrasting attitudes toward cost: APAC travellers are generally more likely to pay a premium for sustainable travel. About a third of them (32.3%) opt out of paying any additional cost at all. Price sensitivity is noticeably higher among travellers in NORAM, EMEA, and LATAM, where 53.0%, 49.4%, and 47.3%, respectively, are unwilling to pay extra for sustainable options.
Demand for sustainable travel information
Travellers may not always practise sustainable travel, but an increasing number of them now seek sustainable options when booking trips online. Over half of those surveyed in Singapore (61.7%) now routinely look for these options – this is higher than the global average (54.7%), and in line with the report’s findings about their expectations for online travel agents (OTA).
Further findings include:
- 81.8% of Singapore travellers anticipate clearly labelled sustainable options when booking from OTAs; and
- Almost two-thirds (65.3%) prefer to see sustainable travel tips online.
According to the report, a significant 72.4% of travellers globally are attracted to OTAs and providers that highlight sustainable travel offerings. These choices act as a feel-good factor, as people express increased interest or positive sentiments when informed about them.
Four out of five travellers from APAC and LATAM expect OTAs to clearly label sustainable options, coming in at 80% and 83.6%, respectively. This reflects a growing demand for transparency and more sustainable choices. Access to sustainability-related information has steadily become a basic consumer right in the eyes of travellers.
Diverse motivations for sustainable travel
While sustainable travel is gaining momentum worldwide, the report shows that priorities differ across regions, with travellers focusing on distinct motivations depending on their location:
- Globally, environmental and cultural concerns lead the way, with 47.3% of travellers prioritising environmental protection.
- APAC and LATAM travellers are driven primarily by environmental factors.
- EMEA and NORAM travellers adopt a broader perspective, considering wildlife protection, cultural heritage, and economic impact.
The report highlights that as sustainability awareness grows, environmental concerns are no longer the sole driver of sustainable travel. Travellers are now motivated by a broader range of factors, signalling a shift toward viewing sustainability more holistically, and their consumer preferences reveal the kind of sustainable options that can be made more available and visible for OTAs. For example, the report reveals that amongst Singapore travellers, the top four choices of sustainable travel are greener transportation, sustainable accommodations, reduction of single-use plastics, and reduction of food waste.
Opinions differ on who should lead efforts to reduce tourism’s carbon footprint. According to the repprt, APAC travellers see it more as an individual responsibility than a shared commitment. In contrast, their counterparts in EMEA, LATAM, and NORAM place a bigger emphasis on collective action from governments, communities, and the travel industry.
Engaging Gen Z in shared responsibility
The travel industry can strategically engage Gen Z travellers by understanding and addressing their views on sustainable travel, the report suggests. Despite greater exposure to sustainability-related information, Gen Z is just as hesitant as other age groups to pay extra for sustainable options.
Gen Z exhibits several distinct characteristics:
- Three in four (73.0%) Gen Zs consider buying from OTAs with sustainable offerings
- More than half (53.6%) say the environment is a key motivator for travelling sustainably
- 48.3% are unsure of what qualifies as a sustainable trip
- 31.5% fail to see any added benefit from sustainable travel
These insights indicate that stronger understanding or motivation is needed to get Gen Z onboard in the quest to advance sustainable travel. The report suggests that to align themselves with this goal, OTAs can guide this generation with clear labelling and incentives for sustainable choices. By closing the gap between awareness and action, they support travellers in making sustainable decisions.
Trip.com Group joined the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) and aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Additionally, the Group also aims to introduce over 10,000 lower-carbon travel products, targeting 100 million travellers to consider adopting lower-carbon travel practices.
To read the full report, please click here Trip.com Group Sustainable Travel Consumer Report 2024
Image credit: Trip.com