An interesting question, Loki. I think in many cases that eco travel (and many other green concerns, e.g. buying organic) is still seen as a predominantly middle class issue.

With regards to travel, I think there is a strong perception, often bourne out in reality, that eco holidays will be at the upper end of the price scale, that eco must necessarily equate with exclusive/expensive, and this may be one factor that prevents green travel from appealing to a mainstream audience.

We have focused very strongly from the beginning on trying to show that ecotourism can be inclusive, not exclusive, and to build a portfolio of experiences in Sweden to suit a wide range of tastes and budgets. We therefore tend to attract clients from quite a varied background, from students to doctors.

As with green consumerism in general, there are often very good reasons why a responsible travel product should carry a higher price tag, but this does not always need to be the case. Like you, we very much hope in the future that green travel concerns and green issues in general will become much more mainstream.

Bob Carter
Nature Travels
UK specialists for responsible outdoor experiences in Sweden
Website: www.naturetravels.co.uk

Tel: 01929 463774

Hi Loki, thanks for your comments. I think there are signs the eco travel movement is moving mainstream. In the UK, the Green Tourism Business Scheme, which vets accommodations, visitor attractions and conference venues on about 150 green criteria, from energy and water conservation to how food and supplies are sourced, has now accredited over 2,000 places, and while most of these businesses are small firms, some of the larger companies are also making moves to go green.

Further afield, the Federation of Tour Operators, whose members carry around 18 million UK travellers annually, has developed a common environmental standard for its members’ hotels, known as the Travelife Sustainability System. First Choice, Virgin Holidays and Thomas Cook have already introduced the Travelife logos in their brochures to flag up green hotels, all of which will have been visited by a trained sustainability auditor.

Plus there are lots of indirect signs that travellers are increasingly looking to go green, for example, there has been an increase in people choosing alternatives to air travel, such as taking the Eurostar to the Paris and Brussels, and Rail Sail to Holland.

In January, The Guardian reported the following: “One in three holidaymakers is ready to pay more for ‘green’ travel.” That’s quite a statement. One that makes any eco-conscious traveller prick up their ears. And any travel business owner too, for that matter.

“These were the findings of research company emedia following a recent survey. They found 34% respondents were willing to spend more to reduce the impact of travelling on the environment, while an overwhelming 76% were more likely to take environmental issues into account when booking their next holidays than they were last year.

“Typically, as with most of these surveys, the results are far from representative. Their sample was 700-odd well-paid business executives, which makes the “one in three holidaymakers” claim suddenly seem far less tangible.

“Nonetheless it’s positive news, and indicates a clear shift in the way we approach booking holidays.”
You can read more on this on Guardian.co.uk.

The downside to the rise in the buoyant green market is that lots of companies are jumping on the green bandwagon. There’s an excellent article by Tom Robbins in the Observer on this, see Are you being green washed?

Richard Hammond, The Editor.