As of: February 22, 2024, 3:00 p.m
By: Franziska Kaindl
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The Germans are among the most travel-loving nations.
But what about sustainability?
A current survey provides information.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC),
up to eleven percent of global CO₂ emissions can
be attributed to tourism.
Nevertheless, traveling is something that few Germans want to do without - this is also what the
German Travel Association (DRV)
is predicting for the current year.
Holiday demand for the summer months is high and the industry expects sales growth of four percent.
The association also sees an increase of eleven percent in long-distance travel - for example to the USA, Thailand or Indonesia - after the corona pandemic compared to the summer of the previous year.
Long-haul flights are considered to be particularly harmful to the climate.
German travelers are open to more sustainability
A representative study of 1,002 people between the ages of 16 and 69 commissioned by the booking portal
HolidayCheck shows that German vacationers are concerned about sustainable travel.
This showed that 45 percent of those surveyed now place more value on sustainability when choosing a travel destination than in recent years.
When planning travel in the next twelve months, a total of 58 percent would like to pay more attention to sustainability or climate and environmental protection at their vacation destination.
Only 13 percent do not want to engage with sustainable travel at all.
Germans love traveling.
Giving up is not necessarily an option, but there is a willingness to change travel behavior.
© Matthias Ledwinka/Imago
However, sustainability is still not a top priority for travelers.
What is more important to German vacationers is safety from natural disasters (90 percent) and extreme weather events (79 percent).
The numerous forest fires, earthquakes and heat alarms in popular holiday destinations such as Greece and Italy in the past seem to have stuck in travelers' minds - more than half want to avoid travel areas that have been affected by extreme weather events in recent years.
Intact nature also plays a major role when planning a trip (85 percent).
This is reflected, among other things, in the fact that more and more holidaymakers are drawn to Scandinavia.
The topic of sustainability when traveling seems to have particularly resonated with younger people: half of them would even be willing to spend up to 20 percent more of the total travel price if it were a consideration.
Sustainable travel: Too little knowledge available
The crux of the matter seems to be that many Germans feel poorly informed about sustainable travel.
24 percent of those surveyed don't even know what sustainable travel options are available.
Only just under 20 percent have heard of accommodation and package tour providers offering sustainable certifications.
And when it comes to the question of which certifications and seals of approval exist in the travel industry, around 61 percent of survey participants are in the dark.
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However, there is obviously a willingness to adapt travel behavior.
Two thirds would forego cruises in order to make their vacation more sustainable.
More than half are also willing to forego air travel or longer car journeys and use alternative means of transport.
However, there is reluctance when it comes to the previously mentioned sustainability certificates and CO₂ compensation payments - those surveyed do not have the feeling that they can make a difference by booking sustainable accommodation and when it comes to the CO₂ surcharge, they do not know what it is used for.
According to HolidayCheck,
the travel industry still needs a lot of educational work.
What options for sustainable travel are there?
The environmental protection organization
Greenpeace
gives five tips on how vacationers can make their trip more sustainable:
Vacation at home
: If you save a long journey to your vacation destination, you also protect the environment.
Greenpeace
therefore recommends
that German tourists look for travel options in the Federal Republic - for example on the Baltic Sea or in the form of a bike tour.
Fortunately, locals already enjoy vacationing in Germany: This is also shown by regular analyzes by the holiday home provider
HomeToGo
.
Choose a climate-friendly journey
: According to
Greenpeace
, short-haul flights should be avoided completely, as they can usually easily be replaced with a train journey.
As an example, the organization calculates a train journey from Hamburg to Bordeaux and back: per capita it would generate CO₂ emissions of between 0.01 and 0.11 tons, depending on the connection.
For a flight it would be 0.48 tonnes and for a car journey it would be 0.65 tonnes - assuming there is only one person in the vehicle.
Ecological accommodation
: The most sustainable accommodation is, for example, camping, vacationing on an organic farm or couch surfing, as
Greenpeace
writes.
There are also environmentally friendly options for classic hotels and holiday homes: holidaymakers should ensure that plastic is avoided on site, that waste is separated and that water and energy are used consciously - for example in the form of green electricity.
Sustainable food
: Just like at home, travelers can pay attention to regional organic or fair trade products at their vacation destination.
The products should be minimally processed and seasonal.
Environmental protection at the travel destination
: If you want to pay attention to sustainability at your holiday destination, you can use public transport instead of renting a car.
Cycling, canoeing and hiking are also environmentally friendly.
In the hotel, electricity and water should be saved as much as possible.