Climate and sustainability ‘The risks of climate change are becoming obvious’
FIGURE 29:
HOLIDAYMAKERS’ SUSTAINABILITY CONCERNS % UK adults who had an overseas holiday in 2023
Don’t know 5%
concern 24%
-9 No
sustainability 71%
+11
Concern about
+5 %
10 15 20 25 30
0 5
% point change YoY Source: Service Science/Kantar
we’ve seen a lot of different certification systems. There is still work to be done in terms of what certification means and consistency. There are gold-standard certification schemes, but others out there that can create consumer confusion.” She pointed to survey evidence which
suggests consumers are considering sustainable travel more but said: “It’s hard to say how much this flows through into consumer choice and behaviour. I don’t think companies should be waiting for consumer behaviour to change.” Deloitte partnered with Abta in 2022 to
produce a Climate Action Guidebook for the sector and Hawkings said this will be followed up by “targeted pieces on topics such as the CSRD, transition risk, the physical risk implications of climate change and addressing scope three emissions”. Pritchard noted: “Abta members are
at different stages in their journey. There is a realisation as businesses start to look at this that there is a cost involved in transition to a greener economy and that could result in some taking longer to invest. There are cost savings to be had by being a more sustainable business. But there are costs incurred in getting there, whether investment in technology
22 Travel Weekly Insight Report 2024 28% +7 28% +6 +11 +4 23% 22% 21% +8 change YOY 19% % point
or processes. How quickly to invest is becoming more of a topic of conversation.” At the same time, fears of being
accused of ‘greenwashing’ are having an impact. Hawkings said: “There is a bit of fear around what businesses put out about marketing and sustainability. It forces companies to look at whether they are taking the actions needed to back up their claims. That is positive.” Asked whether things are moving fast enough, she said: “There are signs of progress, but it’s not enough and that is backed up by the science. We’re not moving quickly enough.” Pritchard agreed, saying: “The
costs businesses are dealing with are a drag on how much investment they can make, and there are technology challenges. But every year eats into the 2030 and 2050 timetables and we’re not making a substantial difference. We’re still tinkering around the edges.” Hawkings acknowledged: “It’s
CONCERN about sustainability when travelling on holiday appears to have risen markedly year on year
(Figure 29), with some marked variations by age (Figure 30)
expensive to transition. But we’re also starting to see the impacts and cost of not transitioning, and we’ll see more of that as the physical effects of climate change increase. The knock-on effects will have their own costs, and these will start to increase significantly.”
FIGURE 30: SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL CONCERNS, BY AGE All
% all UK adults %
10 20 30 40 50
0
Impact on destination
Do locals benefit?
16-24
25-34 35-44
45-54 55+
Impact of flying
No environmental concern*
*Excludes ‘don’t knows’ Source: Service Science/Kantar, November-December 2023
Impact on destination Do locals benefit? Impact of flying
Staff wages/conditions Water use
Waste disposal
22% 22% 25%
31%
18% 20%
24% 18%
25% 25%
22% 25%
20% 21% 21%
25%
17% 18%
36% 21% 20% 26% 45% 49%
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