This time last week, I was busy hosting a lively sustainability session at the spring 2022 edition of LISTEX, organised by the Mountain Trade Network.

Consumers want sustainable travel

Hopefully the session was valuable for those who attended. We covered topics as diverse as train travel to wind power, EVs to upcycled clothing, but the key point that I tried to impress upon attendees is that consumers want sustainable travel.

In February Booking.com surveyed more than 30,000 people from 32 countries who had travelled at least once in the past 12 months and who plan to travel in 2022. Their conclusions are unequivocal:

  • 81% say sustainable travel is important to them
  • 71% say they want to travel more sustainably in the next year
  • 40% say they actively look for sustainability information about transportation

Are you communicating about sustainability well enough?

So, the question should not be “Should we have a sustainability policy?” but “Are we communicating about sustainability well enough?”

Five things you can do today

With that in mind, here are five things you can do today to act on sustainability, win new clients and help the planet.

  1. Actively promote train travel via your website to let potential customers know which resorts are most suited for train travel

  2. Demystify the ‘Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon’ option by sharing Snowcarbon’s video about taking a taxi or my video about taking the RER across Paris

  3. Contact ‘Protect Our Winters’ and Ask for their free advice on reducing your carbon footprint through their ‘POW Pledge’

  4. Ensure your office electricity is 100% renewable by changing to a provider such as Octopus, Ecotricity or Good Energy

  5. Let your customers know that it’s possible to rent ski clothing instead of buying new (and encourage them to recycle their old kit and support the circular economy through sites like Who.Ski)  

You can find more resources at Ski Flight Free, Snowcarbon, Protect Our Winters and One Tree at a Time