Responsible Tourism is growing at a faster rate than the rest of the industry, claims the annual report from the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST). CREST’s The Case for Responsible Travel – Trends and Statistics 2016Â gathers together the latest findings, statistics and quotes concerning the state of responsible tourism and the various niche sectors that relate to it.
Some of its key findings this year are:
- The percentage of consumers who are willing to pay more for sustainable brands that showed commitment to social and environmental values went up from 55% to 66% between 2014 and 2015. About 73% of the younger generations — Millennials and Generation Z — are more likely to pay more for sustainability, compared to 51% of Baby Boomers.
- Adventure tourism, valued at $263 billion is one of the fastest growing categories of tourism that attracts high value customers, supports local economies, and encourages sustainable practices. From 2009 to 2012, the adventure travel market had an estimated average yearly growth of 65% in Europe, North America, and South America.
- Adventure operators have reported an average of US$3,000 spent per person, with an average trip length of eight days. US adventure tour operators polled estimated that 65.6% of the total trip cost from an adventure package remains in the destinations visited. In comparison, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have estimated that in most all-inclusive mass tourism package tours, about 80% of travelers’ expenditures go to the airlines, hotels, and other international companies instead of to local businesses or workers.
- Rural tourism growth in Europe is three times greater than the increase in tourism in general.
You can download the report for free here.
