US travellers are more familiar with sustainable travel terminology than they were two years ago, but remain unwilling to pay more for eco-friendly travel options, according to the July travelhorizons, the quarterly consumer survey co-authored by the U.S.
Travel Association and Ypartnership. The percentage of American travellers who consider themselves “environmentally conscious” has not changed since 2007 (78%);
however, there has been a remarkable increase in the percentage who report familiarity with the term “carbon footprint” (from 12% in July 2007 to 54% in July 2009). Awareness of the term “green travel” also improved from 9% in July 2007 to 22% in July 2009.
Despite these increases, only 9% of consumers say they are willing to pay more to use travel service suppliers that offer eco-friendly options for travellers, and only 3% have purchased a carbon offset when booking travel. “Although consumers are reluctant to pay more to support green travel service suppliers, they are definitely paying attention to those who are green, even in this down economy,” says Peter Yesawich, chairman and CEO of Ypartnership. “Travel service suppliers should therefore continue to adopt green practices that have a minimum impact on consumers’ wallets.” Among consumers who would pay higher rates or fares for eco-friendly options, roughly four in 10 (39%) would pay as much as a 5% fare or rate premium to an environmentally responsible supplier, and an equal percentage would pay between 5% and 9% more. (http://www.travelgreen.org)