Sustainable tourism the choice of post Covid-19 travelers

In 2022, tourists want to prioritize more private and natural destinations. (Photo: Vietnamplus)

Climate change, sustainable tourism, low peak travel times, and community connections are the main thing on the minds of Vietnamese holidaymakers as they plan their trips.

Booking.com collected the data from more than 30,000 travelers from 32 countries and territories including Vietnam, highlighting the social and environmental impact of trips as the primary concerns of tourists.

Accordingly, 96% of Vietnamese tourists want to travel more sustainably in the next 12 months. In particular, up to 97% of respondents confirm this is very important, 72% revealed climate change has prompted them to choose more sustainable travel options.

Likewise, for 79% of Vietnamese tourists, sustainable tourism-related efforts of accommodation and transportation play an important role when they choose where to stay and how to get around.

In fact, 93% of travelers said they're more inclined to choose a more sustainable property.

Tourists seek sustainable accommodations

Sustainable accommodation has become more and more popular. Some 76% of Vietnamese travelers confirmed that this past year they have kept an eye on sustainable accommodations featured on online travel websites. 81% said they have actively looked for more information related to sustainable tourism on the destination before making a reservation.

A more positive sign is that 87% of Vietnamese tourists said they had stayed at sustainable accommodations in the past year. The global pandemic has made people pay attention to their health and safety more than ever before.

Priority on quiet destinations

Most travelers want to avoid crowded destinations due to concerns about disease and pandemic related issues. In fact, when it comes to future trips, 48% responded that they prefer to travel in low season to avoid crowds, 63% revealed they will avoid going to busy tourist destinations or famous places to ensure health and safety.

However, 49% of Vietnamese tourists said they have difficulty when they want to go to attractive destinations that are too quiet. Another 41% said that sustainable tourism options are in the city, and popular destinations near famous tourist destination are almost impossible to obtain.

This has created opportunities for travel platforms to join hands with accommodation providers in many destinations to provide tourists assistance on their sustainability journey. Travel platforms are helping to promote more sustainable options while assisting to tourists to find reasonably priced accommodations.

Deep connection with local cultural values

The philosophy of reincarnation and good karma is influencing people's decision-making, with 75% of Vietnamese travelers saying they want the places they leave after their trip to be in better condition than they were before they arrived. Also, 77% want to have experiences imbued with local cultural identity.

In fact, nearly half (43%) of survey respondents said that they have actively familiarized themselves with the local cultural values and traditions at the tourist destination before their trip, and 38% are willing to pay more for tourism activities to ensure they benefit the local community.

The results of the above study were commissioned by Booking.com and were conducted independently on a group of 30,314 participants from 32 countries and territories. To participate in this survey, respondents must be 18 years of age or older, have traveled at least once in the past 12 months, and plan to travel in 2022. They also need to be the primary decision maker or participate in the decision-making process for their trip. The survey was conducted online and took place in February 2022./.