The Swiss want to travel greener – but they’re not doing it for these reasons

Airports around the world will be very busy in the coming weeks and months. After they were virtually empty during the corona pandemic, the pent-up wanderlust is reflected in the airlines’ booking figures. The distance is picking up – especially in the frequent flyer country of Switzerland.

But as the Covid crisis fades, another topic is coming to the fore: sustainability. Because tourist escapism goes hand in hand with higher CO2 emissions. The booking platform Booking, which belongs to the American Booking Holdings, has carried out an extensive study on this subject among about 33,000 people who love to travel. CH Media has exclusive access to the results for the Swiss market.

costs are likely to rise

“The answers show that many people face a dilemma when booking their holiday,” says Nadine Stachel, Head of Booking for the German, Austrian and Swiss markets. 58 percent of travelers from Switzerland indicate that they want to travel more sustainably in the next 12 months. On the other hand, 63 percent say the higher cost of living, either due to increased energy prices or inflation in general, has an impact on their vacation planning spending.

About three quarters believe that immediate action is needed to save the planet for future generations. However, about the same number also expect their costs to rise further in the coming months. And so almost half currently think that more sustainable travel options are too expensive.

A year ago this value was significantly lower. Just under a third are willing to pay more for travel options with a sustainability certificate. Customers here are much more stingy than in the rest of Europe, where 43 percent are willing to pay a higher price for a good conscience.

Difficult to find sustainable options

However, prices are not the only obstacle, Stachel admits: “Despite good intentions, 38 percent of travelers from Switzerland don’t know where to find more sustainable options.” The travel industry must adapt to the expectations of conscious customers. “We also.”

Booking is therefore launching new measures. When searching for a rental car, the results can also be filtered by type of drive, so that only fully electric and hybrid cars are shown. When booking a taxi, you can also choose the option “100 percent” electric. And when buying a flight, the respective CO2 emissions are shown, as well as more sustainable connections. It is also the intention that the emissions on the website can also be compensated.

For the past two years, the platform has also provided hotel results with the “sustainable travel” label, which identifies the accommodation with a maximum of three green tree leaves. 500,000 accommodations participate in this programme. According to Stachel, 4,700 of the 16,000 partner hotels in Switzerland are involved.

A new label should help

The label was developed with the consultancy firm Sustainalize and is based on 32 defined sustainability measures in the areas of energy, greenhouse gases, waste, water, environmental protection and support of local communities. These include requirements that only water-saving toilets are installed, that 100 percent renewable energy sources are used, that there is a bicycle rental service or that no plastic disposable hoses are used.

However, a test search shows that Booking is not consistently tackling this sustainability offensive. The hotel results are not only displayed based on the tree leaf rating. “Sustainability is not the only factor in the presentation of results, customer benefit and commercial aspects also play a role,” admits Stachel. This means that a less sustainable hotel can also appear high, for example if it is centrally located. And if the price is right.

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