According to new research published by ABTA and the Travel Foundation, nearly half of all Brits forget about saving the environment the moment they step off the plane.
Despite the fact that record numbers of families are making an effort to go green at home, it seems nothing could be further from our minds once we get into the holiday mood. Nearly 90 per cent of families surveyed said they regularly perform waste recycling such as paper recycling and plastic recycling, but less than half do the same while on holiday.
The findings were published last week as part of the first ever “Make Holidays Greener” week. The national campaign organised by ABTA and The Travel Foundation aims to convince holidaymakers to consider the environment and local communities when travelling abroad.
Supported by travel organisations including ABTA, Thomson, First Choice and Thomas Cook, the “Make Holidays Greener” initiative is the first to target mainstream consumers and not just those travelling with specialist green and ethical travel providers.
Organisers hope to persuade travellers that being green on holiday is just as easy and important as saving the environment at home.
ABTA spokesperson Nikki White said: “Make Holidays Greener isn’t about being super-green or making carbon-neutral claims, but about how you can take some very simple steps that won’t cost you money and won’t mean you have to compromise on comfort, luxury or style”.
They also hope that children will be a driving force behind making family holidays more eco-friendly. Sue Hurdle of the Travel Foundation added:
“Children are often the ones nagging mums and dads to turn off the lights when they’re not needed or to turn off the taps when they’re brushing their teeth. We now want them to replicate their green habits when they go on holiday.”
Some of the activities being suggested include taking showers instead of baths, turning off air conditioning and saving water by not washing towels daily.
The survey also revealed that nearly a third of holidaymakers believe holiday accommodation providers should provide more information to guests as to how they can protect the environment during their stay.
Given that many overseas hotels and villas don’t provide recycling and power saving facilities as standard, the ability of holidaymakers to meet their green commitments is often determined by their villa or hotel. But if efforts to raise consumer awareness are redoubled with property owners abroad, perhaps 2010 could be the year green travel goes mainstream.
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