# 2021 Sustainable Travel Report

**Publisher:** Booking.com  
**Published:** 2021-07-24  
**Category:** Travel tech  
**Type:** Survey  
**Access:** Free PDF  
**Official source:** https://news.booking.com/en/bookingcoms-2021-sustainable-travel-report-indicates-potential-watershed-moment-for-industry-and-consumers-gb  
**Canonical:** https://tourismintel.ai/reports/booking-coms-2021-sustainable-travel-report-indicates-potential-watershed-moment

## At a glance
- 72% of UK travellers view sustainable travel as vital; 43% say pandemic motivated them to travel more sustainably.
- 64% of UK travellers want sustainable accommodation next year, up from 50% in 2020 and 44% in 2016.
- 82% of accommodation providers view sustainability as important, but only 31% proactively communicate efforts to guests.
- 51% of UK travellers have not stayed in sustainable property; 55% believe insufficient options exist in 2021.

## What the report covers
Booking.com's 2021 Sustainable Travel Report surveyed 29,349 travellers across 30 countries and 3,390 accommodation providers to assess pandemic-driven shifts in sustainable travel intent and behaviour. The research measures traveller priorities, barriers to sustainable accommodation adoption, and alignment between guest expectations and provider practices, published June 2021.

## Key findings
The pandemic crystallised sustainability commitments. According to the survey, 70% of UK travellers believe immediate action is necessary to preserve the planet, and 43% state the pandemic motivated them to travel more sustainably. Beyond travel, 55% report the pandemic shifted everyday behaviour positively, with recycling (52%) and reducing food waste (49%) as top home priorities.

Traveller intentions substantially exceed past actions. Among UK respondents, 85% want to reduce general waste, 83% wish to lower energy consumption, and 80% prefer environmentally friendly transport. Yet reported past-year actions are lower: 34% turned off air conditioning/heating when absent, 36% brought reusable water bottles, and 27% undertook community-supporting activities.

Significant barriers persist despite rising demand. While 64% of UK travellers want sustainable accommodation in 2021—up from 50% pre-pandemic—51% have not stayed in such properties. Among non-users, 32% were unaware sustainable options exist, 33% found no options in chosen destinations, and 27% did not know how to locate them. Overall, 55% believe insufficient options are available.

Accommodation providers implement sustainability but fail to communicate it. Among 3,390 provider respondents, 82% view sustainability as important and 75% report implementing sustainable measures. Yet only 31% proactively communicate these efforts to potential guests, with 59% doing so only at check-in. Separately, 58% of UK travellers report annoyance when accommodation prevents sustainable choices.

## Key numbers
| Metric | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| UK travellers believing people must act now to save the planet | 70% | UK subsample, survey March 2021 |
| UK travellers whose pandemic experience motivated more sustainable travel | 43% | UK subsample, survey March 2021 |
| UK travellers wanting sustainable accommodation in upcoming year | 64% | Observed 2021; compared to 50% in 2020 and 44% in 2016 |
| Accommodation providers viewing sustainability as important | 82% | Sample of 3,390 providers across 20 countries, April 2021 |
| UK travellers who have not stayed in sustainable property in past year | 51% | Observed behaviour, survey March 2021 |
| UK travellers who want to reduce general waste | 85% | Intention statement, March 2021 |
| UK travellers willing to avoid popular destinations to prevent overcrowding | 74% | Intention statement, March 2021 |

## Why it matters
**DMOs & destinations** — 74% of UK travellers willing to avoid overcrowded attractions and divert spend to less-visited communities. DMOs can leverage this pro-dispersal sentiment to market secondary destinations. However, 55% believe sustainable options are scarce, creating opportunity for destination-wide certification and transparent sustainability communication.

**Hotels & hospitality** — Critical communication failure exists: 75% of hotels implement sustainability, but only 31% actively market these efforts. Travellers penalise properties for enabling unsustainable practices (58% report annoyance) yet lack visibility of sustainable options. Hotels should shift from check-in disclosure to pre-booking transparency via third-party certifications and platform visibility.

**Travel tech & distribution** — Search and filtering for sustainability is persistent friction: 27% of interested UK travellers don't know how to find sustainable properties, and 33% find no options in chosen destinations. Distribution platforms can differentiate offerings by adopting standardised certification displays and sustainability filtering to capture growing demand from conscious travellers.

## Methodology and limits
Booking.com commissioned independent online survey research conducted March 2021 among 29,349 respondents across 30 countries (1,000 UK respondents included). Eligibility: aged 18+, travelled within past 12 months, planning 2021 travel, involved in travel decision-making. Separate survey conducted April 2021 among 3,390 accommodation providers across 20 countries. Online format; no sampling error margins provided in source.

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© Booking.com for the original report. This brief is an original editorial summary by TourismIntel (https://tourismintel.ai). Read the original: https://news.booking.com/en/bookingcoms-2021-sustainable-travel-report-indicates-potential-watershed-moment-for-industry-and-consumers-gb