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SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL
REPORT 2023
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In a world with the turbulence of geopolitical
conict and rising ination, travelers are
increasingly recognizing the urgency to act
now to save the planet for future generations.
The most extensive Sustainable Travel research
from Booking.com to date also highlights
a divide in people’s actions; some are more
intentional about how they spend their money
with the perception that sustainable travel
options are too expensive, while others are
willing to pay more for these options
to feel reassured they are driving impact.
Despite nancial barriers, it’s clear there’s
a huge appetite for sustainable solutions –
especially those that don’t impact spend.
On a micro level, today’s responsible traveler
is converting intent into action with a
meaningful uptick in more sustainable
travel behaviors such as turning off the
air conditioning and reusing towels in
accommodations. Travelers are also making
conscious choices beyond everyday habits
such as choosing more sustainable ground
transport and shopping local.
From the economy to the environment,
travelers are rethinking what ‘value’ means
to them. At a macro level, sustainable trends
point to an increase in more purposeful travel in
The Dilemma
Dividing Sustainable
Travel in 2023
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Now in its eighth year,
Booking.com’s annual Sustainable
Travel Report, which gathered
insights from over 33,000
travelers across 35 countries
and territories, spotlights how
economic uncertainty is informing
meaningful sustainable travel
decisions this year. This highlights
a dilemma where people feel
potentially forced to choose
between cutting costs and making
more sustainable travel choices.
Travelers are
rethinking what
‘value’ means to
them, from carving
out regenerative
experiences to
nding more
meaningful ways to
spend their money
2023, with travelers nding more meaningful
ways to spend their money. More and more,
they are carving out regenerative experiences
that positively impact destinations with
benets to wildlife, conservation and the local
community, and engaging in local philanthropy
and ethical experiences.
While travelers recognize the critical nature
of climate change, there is still some disconnect
between impact and action. From limited
data to a perceived lack of credible options,
this report exposes barriers to traveling
more sustainably and the huge strides travel
providers need to make in order to gain their
trust. Ultimately, building a truly sustainable
industry will take time, but progress
is underway to ensure that it’s becoming
easier for everyone to experience the world
in a more mindful and responsible way.
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“Over the eight years that
Booking.com has conducted
this research, the growing
urgency that people feel
to act now and make more
sustainable travel choices
continues to be encouraging.
The report promisingly
points to the traveler
mindset evolving with some
noticeable shifts in the more
sustainable behaviors that travelers say they
have put into practice over the past year.
We feel that urgency too and at Booking.com,
our ambition is to create a more sustainable
business, as well as contribute to a more
sustainable travel industry. This will take
time, cooperation and systemic changes.
With regards to our own business, in 2022
we set out our ambition to be net-zero by 2040
as part of our Climate Action Plan, aligning
our emission reduction roadmap to the Science
Based Targets Initiative (SBTI). As such,
our aim is to achieve a 95% reduction in scope
1 and 2 emissions and a 50% reduction in
scope 3 emissions by 2030 and to reach
net-zero by 2040.
“With continued
industry collaboration
and the dedication
of our partners, we
are on course for more
sustainable travel
to become the norm,
and not the exception.”
Glenn Fogel
CEO of Booking.com
When it comes to our platform and the impact
we are striving to have across the travel
industry, our Travel Sustainable program
now recognizes the sustainability efforts
of more than 500,000 accommodations
worldwide. We are encouraged by the number
of our accommodation partners that are taking
steps to operate more sustainably, but there
is more work to be done to make it easier
for travelers to nd and book more sustainable
options across the entire travel experience.
At Booking.com, our aim is to nd scalable
ways to surface experiences across the entire
trip that truly enrich the connection between
travelers and destinations, from impactful
activities to supporting local communities.
In order to bring the ethos of traveling more
sustainably into the mainstream, the onus
is on us in the travel industry
to provide more information to travelers in
a credible and trusted way. With continued
industry collaboration and the dedication
of our partners, we are on course for more
sustainable travel to become the norm,
and not the exception.”
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An Urgency
to Act Now
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At a time of general global
uncertainty, with the turbulence
of climate change and rising
cost of living, traveling more
sustainably continues to be front
of mind for travelers.
74%
believe people need to act now
and make more sustainable
choices to save the planet for
future generations
(up from 66% in 2022)
80%
conrm that traveling more
sustainably is important to them
4 Lowest
4 Highest
99% India
97% Philippines
96% Kenya
96% Vietnam
65% Israel
65% Belgium
62% Netherlands
55% Denmark
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The news continues to be a key inuence driver:
Yet the news also speaks to a quandary people are facing when it comes to being more mindful
about when, where and how they travel. Increasingly, people are unsure of what to prioritize
as they work to reconcile what is important to them with the demands of everyday life:
43%
would consider themselves knowledgeable on sustainability, with the
news and social media the two top sources of learning about the topic
53%
say that recent news about climate
change has inuenced them to make
more sustainable travel choices
49%
think the environment will get
worse in the next six months
64%
believe the cost of living crisis will
get worse in the next six months
56%
49%
48%
40%
EMEA
NORAM
LATAM
APAC
73%
70%
60%
52%
EMEA
NORAM
LATAM
APAC
APAC
LATAM
EMEA
NORAM
61%
60%
47%
44%
