Travelers prioritize eco-friendly options, yet cost remains the decisive factor, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) report.

Travelers prioritize eco-friendly options, yet cost remains the decisive factor, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) report.

In a recent report titled "Bridging the Say-Do Gap: How to Create an Effective Sustainability Strategy by Knowing Your Customers," the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has outlined seven key recommendations for Travel & Tourism businesses to address the disconnect between travelers' sustainability desires and their actual behaviours.

According to the report, sustainability is a primary factor for only a small minority of travellers, ranging from 11% to 7%. Moreover, over 10% of respondents reported no exposure to sustainability messaging or information through any channel. However, the report also explores the potential for change, highlighting the economic and personal benefits of sustainable travel.

The WTTC's recommendations aim to close this "say-do gap" by aligning business strategies with travelers’ sustainability attitudes and turning intentions into tangible, sustainable actions in travel behaviour. Here's a summary of the seven key recommendations:

1. **Understand Customer Motivations Deeply**: Businesses should invest in detailed customer insights to understand the specific reasons behind travelers' sustainable preferences and the barriers preventing action.

2. **Tailor Communications to Specific Sustainability Issues**: Instead of generic messaging, focus product and marketing communications on clear, specific sustainability challenges that resonate with customers’ values and concerns.

3. **Incorporate Sustainability into the Entire Customer Journey**: Ensure sustainability is embedded at every touchpoint—from booking and pre-trip information to on-site experiences and post-trip communications—to reinforce sustainable choices continually.

4. **Provide Transparent and Credible Information**: Transparency about sustainability practices and impacts helps build trust and empower travelers to make informed decisions aligned with their values.

5. **Offer Practical Tools and Incentives**: Make sustainable choices easier through tools like carbon calculators, eco-friendly product filters, and incentives such as discounts or rewards to encourage environmentally responsible behavior.

6. **Collaborate with Industry Partners and Stakeholders**: Work collectively across the travel ecosystem—tour operators, accommodation, transport providers—to ensure consistent sustainable options and messaging.

7. **Measure and Report on Sustainability Outcomes**: Track progress and communicate achievements in sustainability to customers and stakeholders, reinforcing accountability and encouraging ongoing engagement.

Many Travel & Tourism companies are already adopting sustainable practices. For instance, Intrepid Travel labels trip itineraries with their carbon impact and offsets emissions automatically. Iberostar reduces food waste with AI technology, prioritizing underutilized fish stocks. Hilton equips over 1,800 hotels with EV charging points, and nearly a third of its EMEA properties are powered entirely by renewable energy.

The WTTC's report also emphasises the importance of cost and making sustainability hassle-free in encouraging consumers towards more sustainable action. Trip.com, a WTTC member, has released The Sustainable Travel Consumer Report 2024, supporting WTTC's findings. As climate action becomes an imperative, these reports equip businesses with the tools and insights they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

1. To foster personal-finance growth and contribute to sustainable living, many individuals are investing in businesses that prioritize finance and sustainability, such as travel and tourism companies aligned with the World Travel & Tourism Council's (WTTC) recommendations.
2. For career-development purposes and to stay competitive in the technology-driven world, the education and self-development sector may focus on courses that encompass sustainable living, home-and-garden, and personal-finance, using the insights from reports like the WTTC's "Bridging the Say-Do Gap."
3. Companies that understand their customers' preferences for sustainable practices and deliberate lifestyle choices can differentiate themselves in the business landscape by emphasizing their commitment to finance, lifestyle, and home-and-garden sectors while following the WTTC's recommendations for bridging the say-do gap.
4. Incorporating sustainable living and practices into an overall lifestyle plan not only benefits the environment and promotes a healthy home-and-garden environment but also offers financial advantages, such as lower utility bills and reduced daily expenses, making it an attractive option for those seeking to improve their personal-finance situation.

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