BackIndian travellers grapple with choice between sustainability and affordability, says study
A majority of Indian travellers, about 97%, expressed a desire to travel more sustainably in the next 12 months, while 84% acknowledged the global energy crisis and increasing living costs are impacting their spending plans. These concerns, however, are not necessarily related.
PremiumNew Delhi: Global economic shifts over the past year have caused travellers to face a perceived choice between sustainability and affordability, with 66% of Indian respondents in a Booking.com survey feeling this dilemma, compared to the 49% global average, according to the company’s Sustainable Travel Report. For these Indians, sustainability and travel combined can seem non-urgent when they are worried about bills and energy crisis.
The study considered opinions of about 1,000 Indian travellers who had recently travelled or intended to travel in 2023.
Eighty percent of Indian participants believed that sustainable travel options were costly, a sentiment shared by the majority of respondents in Vietnam and Kenya. Only 13% of Indian respondents were swayed by, or appreciated, hotels and travel brands offering more sustainable choices, highlighting a trust gap. About 58% of Indians believed that presented travel options were genuinely sustainable, and 49% purchased from companies promoting sustainability, well above the 11% global average.
Santosh Kumar, country manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Indonesia at Booking.com, said India has become one of the top ten countries for sustainability efforts, with 20,000 properties recognized on the platform. The company aims to support travellers and benefit local communities and environments by examining every aspect of the trip.
A majority of Indian travellers, about 97%, expressed a desire to travel more sustainably in the next 12 months, while 84% acknowledged the global energy crisis and increasing living costs are impacting their spending plans. These concerns, however, are not necessarily related.
India’s travel market is predicted to grow to $125 billion by FY27, up from an estimated $75 billion in FY20. The tourism industry in 2020 accounted for 31.8 million jobs, projected to increase to 53 million by 2029, with international tourist arrivals expected to reach 30.5 billion by 2028, according to a report by industry chamber Ficci.
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