Travelers everywhere are now recognizing the need to protect our planet and so they’re looking at ways in which they can reduce their carbon footprint while traveling and are holding travel companies accountable too.
Tasha Hayes, Operations Director & Sustainability Officer at Contiki says “With climate warming firmly in the spotlight and travel rebounding to pre pandemic levels we see that travellers are demanding more from tour operators and hotels. Experiential travel has been a priority for Contiki travellers for some time and we expect this trend to continue into 2023 and beyond.
More than ever they are seeking out authentic experiences and demand to be taken off the well-trodden tourist trail. Whilst 2020 presented a harsh pause for the world, it also demonstrated that both urban and natural environments had the ability to regenerate.
The hope that things can and will get better is exactly what Contiki aged travellers needed to experience to encourage sustainability to be an essential consideration in their everyday lives, particularly when it comes to travel. As greenwashing becomes easier to spot, savvy travellers will look to spend their money with companies doing the right thing.”
Adam Armstrong, Contiki’s CEO says: “Contiki is taking a big leap forward in 2023, as we closed out 2022 by announcing our goal to achieve net zero. Our parent company, TTC, has become the first tour operator with validated net zero targets, which is incredible news for travel. In the last few years we have focused on reducing food waste at Contiki special stays, as well as introducing renewable energy, all of our special stays are now run 100% on renewable energy.
Looking ahead, we’re focusing heavily on how to reduce the carbon footprint of our trips. In the first half of 2023 we will complete measurements on every single Contiki trip through our new carbon measurement tool, created to enable our teams to build in low carbon options and see what that does to the overall footprint.
What’s exciting is the way that low carbon is increasingly being woven into how the brand works – it’s the only way forward!”
The focus on sustainable travel also translates into plant-based eating and a sustained interest to have more vegan options available throughout the whole duration of a trip, a direction that has been embraced both by restaurants / eateries, as well as by accommodation providers and tour operators.
Rebecca Gade Sawicki, Creator of Veggies Abroad, states that plant-based eating will impact travel options even more in 2023. “A recent study revealed that 42% of consumers worldwide believe that over the next ten years, most people will be eating a plant-based option over a meat option. This isn’t a trend that is isolated to our choices in our homes but also when traveling. Aside from restaurants having options, it is becoming more common for hotels, wineries, tour companies, etc., to promote the availability of plant-based (or options produced without animal products – wine, toiletries) options. This also plays into sustainability — at least 15% of greenhouse gases are attributed to animal agriculture. Consumers are concerned about what’s on their plate and its impact on the planet.”
