Green hospitality opportunities

The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) conducted a comprehensive survey of Canadian travel trends and intentions for the upcoming year, which identified important trends with respect to the “environment” which hoteliers should note including increasing awareness of environmental issues among hotel guests, and an increased importance related to both green certified hotels and hotels promoting eco-friendly practices to their guests.

According to a new Green Traveler Survey Report, produced by Community Marketing in San Francisco, no supplier brands have firmly established themselves as industry leaders, and most industry segments got poor grades when green travelers were asked to rate them. More than 60% of respondents were unable to name a single hotel brand that they saw as a stalwart in eco-friendliness. Likewise, two-thirds could not name a single airline that they regarded as an environmental leader, though Southwest garnered 4% of the votes. Among cruise lines, the leading response was “none,” with 73% of the vote. And among destinations, only Costa Rica was cited by 6.8% of the respondents.

The survey report also suggested that “the idea of green travel agents does hold appeal” for this group of travelers. A big challenge (beyond the start up costs) would be taking the lead and getting the word out about the existence of certification programs or rating services for agents and suppliers alike. Despite their credentials as green travelers, 90% of survey respondents could not name any green travel or hospitality certification system. The most well known was the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, but it was mentioned only by 2%.

The travel industry apparently has a long way to go in convincing green travelers that it is environmentally friendly. Therefore, taking the lead in truly going green is still like a real opportunity all around for leading travel brands and independents.