At Skift’s Megatrends event in London, some of the travel industry’s most commonly repeated statements about emissions and climate change were put to the test.
Are these widely heard claims actually true, or are they myths that need busting?
1: Travelers Won’t Pay a Sustainability Premium. Full Stop.
While Skift research found sustainability ranks dead last in traveler priorities behind comfort and location, the real problem isn’t willingness to pay, it’s visibility and trust.
Some 42% of U.S. travelers now express interest in greener options, up from 32% in recent years.
China and India show even stronger signals that travelers would be willing to look at greener options if they were given the choice.
But there is growing research that shows that information around sustainability is either not offered or unclear: 30% of U.S. travelers report encountering zero sustainable messaging when booking.