ABTA’s Travel in 2022 Report.

ABTA’s Travel in 2022 report highlights 4 key trends that will shape travel next year, including the Catch-Up Consumer as people go big on holidays to make up for lost time, the New Age of the Expert that sees travel agents come back into their own, a New-to-Cruise Craze due to the 2021’s rise in sea-cations, The Package is King for that added reassurance when booking, and Travel for Reconnection both in terms of those we’ve missed and making new memories as a family.

The report also highlights a huge leap in consumer awareness of sustainability when booking a holiday. In the ten years since 2011 the number of people who said that the sustainability credentials of a holiday provider were important to them has almost tripled from 20% to 54%. Over this same period willingness to pay more for a holiday with a company with strong ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) credentials has doubled from 19% to 38%.

According to Accenture, 86% of travellers want to travel more sustainably, but only half manage to do so. We need to find a way to correct this disconnect. Has consumer behaviour just not quite shifted from ‘would like to’ to ‘will’ or is it up to us to make sure that they have the right information, and options, to make an informed decision?

Some of the big companies have made this easier including Skyscanner’s Greener Choice option that helps identify the most eco-friendly option based on routes, airlines and aircraft; and Google Eco-Certified which highlights hotels with a globally recognised third-party certification like Green Globe. This shows that accountable eco-credentials in whatever form they might take are becoming an important business differentiator to help people make this leap.

If you’d like advice on accreditation or green goals for your company please get in touch.