24% of 18,327 people surveyed for Agoda’s Sustainable Travel Trends survey for the international digital travel agency believe that governments have a responsibility to make changes to make travel more sustainable. At least 20% said they had to take care of it themselves. The survey found that beach and waterway pollution and “overtourism” were the top two concerns among tourists in India. In third place are single-use plastics and energy inefficiencies (including excessive electricity / water use).

The poll, launched on World Environment Day Saturday, showed that tourists around the world hold governments most responsible for positive environmental change in travel, followed by tourism authorities and individuals. Tourists from Indonesia and the UK were most likely (36%) to blame governments, followed by those from China (33%), Australia (28%), Malaysia (27) and India (24%).

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Waste management, including using less single-use plastic, turning off air conditioning and lights when leaving the property, and finding environmentally friendly accommodation, were respondents’ responses to how they can improve the post-Covid travel scenario.

“… when asked what Indians associate most with sustainability, the top three scores were renewable resources (36%), natural cleaning products (32%) and eco-friendly design / furniture (31%),” the survey report said.

John Brown, Agoda’s chief executive officer, said it was also clear that while the message around the world is that governments must take the lead in managing sustainable travel, there is some responsibility in people’s own behavior. “Over the past year, we at Agoda have seen a change in travel behavior as people who limit themselves to domestic travel explore lesser-known areas. If well managed, it will not only help independent hoteliers and accommodation providers who are economically dependent on tourist money, but it can also help reduce the environmental impact of crowded areas. “

The survey found that respondents from South Korea (35%), India (31%) and Taiwan (31%) are more likely to value the need for more sustainable travel. “It is worrying that many people consider sustainable travel to be less important today than it was before Covid-19, but I hope this is only a short-term effect, driven by people’s thirst to get out and travel in every possible way. Said Braun.

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