Survey on sustainability in travel: still lacking awareness and choices

Last December, Rakuten Travel conducted an internet research survey targeting 1,082 men and women aged 20 to 69 who had arranged their own accommodation and had traveled within the past 2 years.

The survey revealed that over 40% of respondents had an increased awareness of sustainability, with “food waste and food crises” being the most cited reason, followed by “rising energy prices/supply uncertainty” and “destruction of the natural environment/natural disasters”. The percentage of respondents who were “conscious of sustainability” when traveling was highest among those in their 20s, and the more frequently they traveled or the higher the amount they spent on accommodations, the higher their awareness tended to be. The top priorities for travelers seeking sustainability in accommodations and travel destinations were cost-effectiveness, services that were not inconvenient, and facilities. However, many travelers were unwilling to compromise on price or service, even when considering sustainability.

Rakuten Travel summarized their survey in the following points:

• Approximately 1,000 male and female travelers aged 20 to 60 were surveyed about their awareness of sustainability when traveling. More than 40% responded that their awareness had increased, with “food waste/food crisis” being the most cited reason, followed by “rising energy prices/supply uncertainty” and “destruction of the natural environment/natural disasters”.
• When asked about their level of awareness of sustainability when traveling, more than 55% of respondents answered that they were not aware of it. The awareness was highest among those in their 20s and lowest among those in their 40s.
• When the level of awareness of sustainability was compared by travel frequency, those who travel five or more times a year had the highest awareness, surpassing the average by more than five points. On the other hand, those who travel only once a year had the lowest awareness, falling more than five points below the average. Furthermore, when the accommodation price was compared, those who spend between 15,000 and 40,000 yen per night had a higher level of awareness than the average by more than five points, while those who spend less than 5,000 yen per night were more than 10 points below the average.
• When presented with multiple sustainability issues during travel and asked if they felt they were problems, about 70% of respondents answered that they felt some sort of problem. The top three were the issue of garbage and waste at the travel destination (31.4%), food waste at the travel destination (28.8%), and excessive service at the accommodation facility (22.2%).
• The top three sustainability initiatives that travelers wanted to undertake while traveling were carrying back and cleaning up garbage at the travel destination (42.9%), traveling with consideration for food loss (38.7%), and coordinating service provision with the accommodation (33.3%). Approximately 80% of travelers showed a willingness to take action in some kind of sustainability initiative.
• The top three sustainability initiatives that travelers would like to refer to when choosing an accommodation facility were “reducing waste such as food loss and amenities” (43.8%), “reducing water usage such as by minimizing the exchange of towels and sheets during multiple-night stays” (34.5%), and “providing regional food culture such as locally produced and consumed food” (33.6%).
• When it comes to what they want from accommodation facilities that implement sustainability initiatives, “affordable accommodation fees” (88.7%) ranked highest, followed by “services and facilities that are not inconvenient” (87.8%), and “high-quality, sophisticated services and facilities” (76.7%). On the other hand, what travelers want from tourist destinations that implement sustainability initiatives is “services and facilities that are not inconvenient” (86.7%).
• When asked if they had obtained information on the sustainability initiatives of their travel destination or accommodation facility before their trip, about 70% felt that they had not received information on major initiatives in advance.

The survey sheds light on the fact that 60% of travelers do not prioritize sustainable travel, while the more concerning is how less than 8% have strong opinions on traveling sustainably. 7.5% felt strongly in their increase in awareness for sustainable travels between 2020 and 2022. And even though awareness of the need for sustainable travel is still lacking, it is also true that there is a significant gap in the availability of sustainable choices.