While sustainability overall is a priority for a third of Canadian travellers and well integrated into their daily life, Flygreen’s survey uncovers why travels is not an area where they are systematically willing to make sacrifices – and the industry could do more to address this.
MONTREAL, May 21, 2024 – A recent survey conducted by Flygreen among 2,000 Canadian travellers reveals that for over half of them, daily efforts towards a more sustainable living are well adopted when it comes to waste disposal, food, energy, or apparel. However, a “knowledge gap” puts a tax on green travel, with generations of travellers inclined to making better choices, but admitting they do not always know how to fully transition to sustainable tourism.
Work in Progress: Each Generation More Likely to Make Conscious Travel Choices than the Precedent
While close to four-in-ten (37%) Canadian travellers say they adapt their travels to some extent to be more sustainable, it is still the area of their life that comes in last when it comes to developing green habits.
Yet, all generations say they are adapting their travels to some extent: a quarter (24%) of Boomer travellers are paving the way towards more conscious travelling choices, followed by 35 per cent of Gen Xers and 45 per cent of Millennials. Gen Zer travellers are significantly more likely to make conscious choices than their older peers, with close to six-in-ten (58%) saying they adapt their travels, at least a little, perhaps as that generation also reports being more anxious towards the future of our planet (42%).
Of the Canadian travellers who are leaning towards more conscious choices, over half (53%) pointed that they did not want to stop travelling but wanted to do so in a more respectful way. Other incentives that motivated sustainable travellers were the desire to be more respectful of the planet (45%), the belief they needed to make efforts on all areas (36%) or feeling concerned about the planet (36%). Interestingly, three-in-ten also explained that they want to align their travels to reflect their values. When it comes to the solutions they have found to become more sustainable travellers, respondents who made changes to their globetrotting activities cited:
Choosing activities that have a low impact on the environment (58%), notably Boomers (61%)
Spending their money in locally-owned businesses (50%), notably Boomers (56%) and Gen X (55%)
Favouring transport options with low environmental impact (44%)
Selecting eco certified accommodations (38%)
Turning to ‘undertouristed’ destinations (28%), especially among Gen Zers (34%)
Donating money to local charities (26%)
“These numbers indicate that sustainable travel is slowly becoming a top consideration across generations of Canadian travellers, and it is interesting to see that each generation has its own way of implementing more sustainability into their travels,” says Ryan Saroli, Co-Founder of Flygreen. “More and more, Canadian travellers are shifting some of their consumption habits to factor in both the environment as well as the local impact of tourism, which will pave the way towards a greater awareness of all the pillars that compose travel sustainability and how each can fuel conscious travel choices.”
The Roadblock to Sustainable Travel: Not Knowing How
According to the survey, 36 per cent of Canadian travellers indicated that one of the main reasons they have not made changes to make their travels more sustainable is because they are not aware of the sustainable options available to them while travelling. Millennial travellers seem to be the more informed generation, with 27 per cent only reporting not being aware, while other generations span from a third to close to half admitting they just do not know how.
Additionally, 28 per cent of those who have not made any changes towards more sustainable travels reported that travelling is an important leisure activity they are unwilling to sacrifice, that they’ve prioritized making changes in other life areas (27%), or that they find sustainable travel too complicated (20%).
Sustainable Travel Contributing to all Aspects of Durability
When asked about the meaning of sustainable travel, Canadian travellers identified many of the various pillars that compose sustainability. Nearly half of them said that sustainable travel meant having little impact both on the planet and society (47%), about four-in-ten agreed it was about eco certified accommodations, transports and activities (41%) and ensuring tourism would contribute to the local economy (37%), while for others, green globetrotting is about using tourism to preserve and improve conservation (28%), or buying carbon offsets (16%).
“The survey also unveils clear roadblocks to green travel, starting with offering and clearly communicating sustainable options to travellers to provide them with more alternatives, collectively, within the travel industry”, concludes Saroli. “The good news is that Canadians already seem to have a comprehensive vision of what sustainability entails: the easier we will make it to integrate sustainable options to travel plans, the more sustainability will become part of a natural traveller’s journey.”
About Flygreen
Flygreen™ is a trusted partner for clients across North America, providing rapid, reliable private aviation solutions with the ability to organize flights on as little as four hours’ notice. Leveraging our technology and deep aviation knowledge, we have access to over 7,000 certified operators to choose from. Flygreen ensures each flight is efficiently tailored to meet the diverse needs of our clientele, whether from sectors such as oil and gas, health, and entertainment, catering to individuals and groups. Our dedication to technology makes Flygreen the go-to choice for discerning travelers seeking a seamless alternative to commercial air travel. Learn more: https://www.flygreen.co.