WTTC Report Reveals Shifts Toward Sustainable Tourism

A major new report by World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Trip.com Group, together with Deloitte, reveals a heightened appetite for sustainable tourism among consumers, with 69% of travelers actively seeking sustainable travel options.

In this follow-up report, WTTC joined forces again with leading global travel service provider, Trip.com Group and its major consumer brands Trip.com, Ctrip and Skyscanner, with additional data sourced from Deloitte, to analyze the trends that shaped the Travel & Tourism sector last year and will continue to do so over 2023.

The report, "A world in motion: shifting consumer travel trends in 2022 and beyond," shows that sustainability is a key element of the travel agenda, with travelers eager to reduce their carbon footprint and support sustainable tourism.

According to a survey included in the report, three-quarters of travelers are considering traveling more sustainably in the future and nearly 60% have chosen more sustainable travel options in the last couple of years.

Another survey also found that around three-quarters of high-end travelers are willing to pay extra to make their trips more sustainable.

Last year, following more than two years of travel disruption, travelers made clear their wanderlust is very much alive, with a 109% increase of international overnight arrivals, compared to 2021.

According to the report, last year consumers were willing to stretch their budget for their holiday plans, with 86% of travelers planning on spending the same amount or more on international travel than in 20193, with U.S. tourists leading the list as big spenders.

But 2023 is looking even better in terms of travelers' spend. Despite concerns about inflation and the cost-of-living crisis around the world, nearly a third (31%) of travelers said they intend to spend more on international travel this year than in 2022.3

Additionally, according to Deloitte's 'Global State of the Consumer Tracker,' last year more than half (53%) of global consumers surveyed during the summer said they plan to stay in a hotel over the following three months.