Survey & Sustainable Tourism: “The gap between words and action”
- Voyageuse Passion
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has published an interesting report entitled “Bridging The Say-Do Gap: How to Create an Effective Sustainability Strategy by Understanding Your Customers”.
This in-depth study addresses the persistent challenge of sustainable travel: the disparity between consumers' expressed environmental concerns and their actual purchasing behavior, known as the “gap between talk and action”.
The report begins by acknowledging the global urgency of climate action, highlighting government commitments and large-scale societal movements. However, it highlights an important paradox: while many travelers declare themselves to be in favor of sustainable development, their purchasing habits often prioritize price and quality over environmental considerations. This complex behavior poses a dilemma for travel providers seeking to promote sustainable options without alienating their customers.
Central to the report is a segmentation of consumers according to their attitudes and behaviors towards sustainability, derived from a survey of over 10,000 UK adults conducted in partnership with YouGov. The six consumer profiles identified are
The hopeful worrier: urgently concerned about climate change, believes that individual action matters as much as government and corporate responsibility, and is most likely to take sustainability into account when making purchases.
The outward-looking worrier: Shares environmental concerns, but attributes greater responsibility to governments and corporations; is moderately committed to sustainable behavior.
The clueless environmentalist: Skeptical of the impact of individual actions and considers it difficult to bring about significant change; less likely to prioritize sustainability in their spending.
The responsible optimist: positively engaged in personal sustainable actions such as recycling, but reluctant to pay more for sustainable products.
The action avoider: Shows little interest in climate change or sustainable development when making purchasing decisions.
Climate change agnostic: Doubts the reality of climate change and considers sustainable lifestyles prohibitively expensive.
Although these segments are based on UK data, WTTC suggests that they are a useful proxy for wider markets, providing a basis for tailored marketing and product strategies.
The report offers seven strategic recommendations for effectively bridging the gap between talk and action:
Emphasize economic and personal benefits: Focus on the affordability and personal benefits of sustainable travel to attract a broad audience, as cost and quality remain top priorities.
Make sustainability easy: Simplify access to and understanding of sustainable options to encourage adoption.
Offer tiered reward systems: Respond to different levels of consumer engagement by offering progressive incentives for sustainable choices.
Highlight corporate sustainability initiatives and partnerships: Build trust by highlighting leadership and collaborative efforts in sustainability.
Show that environmental actions have wider benefits: Frame sustainability messages to include social and economic impacts, not just ecological ones.
Tailor marketing: Personalize communications to resonate with different consumer segments.
Seek feedback: continually involve customers to refine approaches and remove barriers to sustainable behavior.
The WTTC report concludes that while travelers are increasingly price-sensitive, especially when economic conditions are less favorable, they are quite willing to engage in climate action if sustainable travel options are affordable and of high quality.
What's more, consumers expect governments and major corporations to take more decisive action, with tour operators playing a transparent and supportive role in this transition.
This comprehensive analysis provides travel and tourism stakeholders with nuanced information and practical tools to transform sustainability from a declared ideal into everyday consumer practice, ultimately fostering a more responsible and resilient industry.
Download the document
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