1SUSTAINABLE TRAVELREPORT 2023

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In a world with the turbulence of geopoliticalconflict and rising inflation, travelers are
increasingly recognizing the urgency to act
now to save the planet for future generations.

The Dilemma
Dividing Sustainable
Travel in 2023
Now in its eighth year,
Booking.com’s annual Sustainable
Travel Report, which gatheredinsights from over 33,000
travelers across 35 countries
and territories, spotlights how
economic uncertainty is informing
meaningful sustainable travel
decisions this year. This highlights
a dilemma where people feel
potentially forced to choose
between cutting costs and making
more sustainable travel choices.

The most extensive Sustainable Travel researchfrom Booking.com to date also highlights
a divide in people’s actions; some are more
intentional about how they spend their moneywith the perception that sustainable travel
options are too expensive, while others arewilling to pay more for these options
to feel reassured they are driving impact.
Despite financial barriers, it’s clear there’s
a huge appetite for sustainable solutions –especially those that don’t impact spend.
On a micro level, today’s responsible traveler
is converting intent into action with ameaningful uptick in more sustainable
travel behaviors such as turning off theair conditioning and reusing towels inaccommodations. Travelers are also making
conscious choices beyond everyday habits
such as choosing more sustainable groundtransport and shopping local.
From the economy to the environment,
travelers are rethinking what ‘value’ means
to them. At a macro level, sustainable trends
point to an increase in more purposeful travel in

2023, with travelers finding more meaningful
ways to spend their money. More and more,they are carving out regenerative experiencesthat positively impact destinations with
benefits to wildlife, conservation and the local
community, and engaging in local philanthropy
and ethical experiences.
While travelers recognize the critical natureof climate change, there is still some disconnect
between impact and action. From limited
data to a perceived lack of credible options,this report exposes barriers to travelingmore sustainably and the huge strides travel
providers need to make in order to gain theirtrust. Ultimately, building a truly sustainableindustry will take time, but progressis underway to ensure that it’s becoming
easier for everyone to experience the world
in a more mindful and responsible way.

Travelers are
rethinking what
‘value’ means tothem, from carving
out regenerative
experiences tofinding moremeaningful ways tospend their money

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Glenn Fogel
CEO of Booking.com“Over the eight years thatBooking.com has conducted
this research, the growing
urgency that people feelto act now and make moresustainable travel choices
continues to be encouraging.
The report promisingly
points to the traveler
mindset evolving with somenoticeable shifts in the moresustainable behaviors that travelers say they
have put into practice over the past year.
We feel that urgency too and at Booking.com,
our ambition is to create a more sustainablebusiness, as well as contribute to a moresustainable travel industry. This will taketime, cooperation and systemic changes.
With regards to our own business, in 2022
we set out our ambition to be net-zero by 2040
as part of our Climate Action Plan, aligning
our emission reduction roadmap to the Science
Based Targets Initiative (SBTI). As such,
our aim is to achieve a 95% reduction in scope
1 and 2 emissions and a 50% reduction inscope 3 emissions by 2030 and to reachnet-zero by 2040.

When it comes to our platform and the impact
we are striving to have across the travelindustry, our Travel Sustainable program
now recognizes the sustainability efforts
of more than 500,000 accommodations
worldwide. We are encouraged by the numberof our accommodation partners that are taking
steps to operate more sustainably, but there
is more work to be done to make it easierfor travelers to find and book more sustainableoptions across the entire travel experience.
At Booking.com, our aim is to find scalable
ways to surface experiences across the entire
trip that truly enrich the connection between
travelers and destinations, from impactfulactivities to supporting local communities.
In order to bring the ethos of traveling moresustainably into the mainstream, the onus
is on us in the travel industry
to provide more information to travelers ina credible and trusted way. With continued
industry collaboration and the dedicationof our partners, we are on course for moresustainable travel to become the norm,
and not the exception.”“With continued
industry collaborationand the dedicationof our partners, weare on course for moresustainable travel
to become the norm,
and not the exception.”

480%

An Urgency
to Act Now

confirm that traveling moresustainably is important to them

4 Highest

At a time of general global
uncertainty, with the turbulenceof climate change and risingcost of living, traveling moresustainably continues to be frontof mind for travelers.

74%

believe people need to act now
and make more sustainablechoices to save the planet for
future generations(up from 66% in 2022)

99%India

97%

Philippines

96%

Kenya

96%

Vietnam65%

Israel65%

Belgium

62%

Netherlands

55%

Denmark

4 Lowest5The news continues to be a key influence driver:43%
would consider themselves knowledgeable on sustainability, with thenews and social media the two top sources of learning about the topic

53%
say that recent news about climatechange has influenced them to makemore sustainable travel choices

APAC 61%
LATAM 60%
EMEA 47%

Yet the news also speaks to a quandary people are facing when it comes to being more mindful
about when, where and how they travel. Increasingly, people are unsure of what to prioritize
as they work to reconcile what is important to them with the demands of everyday life:

NORAM 44%

49%

64%

think the environment will getworse in the next six months

believe the cost of living crisis will
get worse in the next six months

56%

EMEA

73%

EMEA

49%

NORAM

70%

NORAM

48%

LATAM

60%

LATAM

40%

APAC

52%

APAC

676%

Cost vs Conscience

The economic weather haschanged drastically in the past
12 months, and the big topics at
the front of people’s minds today
are the cost of living crisis andthe climate crisis.

say they want to travel moresustainably over the coming 12 months

On the flip side, with bucket-list travel
well and truly back for others and amore urgent focus on conscious choices:76%
think the global energy crisis and rising costof living is impacting their spending plans49%
believe moresustainable travel
options are too
expensive

With rising inflation, travelers are stuck in the notion that they must make a choice between
sustainability and spending. For these people, sustainability and travel combined can seem nonurgent when they are worried about bills and the energy crisis.

2023
India 66%
Average 49%
Indonesia 32%

49%
believe moresustainable travel
options are
too expensive47%(up 11%from 2022)

would like tips on how to travel
more sustainably on a budget

43%
would be willingto pay more fortravel options

3 Highest
80%

India

75%

Vietnam

72%

Kenya

22%

Belgium & Japan

20%

Croatia19%

Israel3 Lowest

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With an increasing number of travelers feelingthe pinch, they are seeking more sustainable
travel options rich in rewards, with the needfor incentivization:

49%
want discounts andeconomic incentives to opt
for eco-friendly options(up 12%from 2022)

42%
would be encouraged to travel more sustainably withreward points for making more sustainable choices thatthey could use for free extra perks or discounts throughonline travel booking sites

874%
want travelcompanies to offer
more sustainable
travel choices

Breaking ThroughBarriers
It’s not just cost that is a perceived
hurdle to traveling moresustainably. From limited data to aperceived lack of options, barriers
to traveling more sustainably
appear higher than ever, withsome telling shifts in the past
12 months.

(up from 66%
from 2022)

2023
Thailand 70%
Average 51%
Netherlands 35%

51%
believe there
are not enoughsustainable travel
options

Despite good intentions, 44%of travelers don’t know whereto find more sustainableoptions. For example:

75%
seek authentic
experiences that are
representative of thelocal culture

40%
don’t know how or
where to find tours
and activities thatwill ensure they giveback to the local
community

9The Responsible
Traveler
Despite existing barriers
and the tightening of purse strings,
it’s clear there’s a huge appetite
for solutions, with two thirds(59%) more determined to makemore sustainable choices now
than when they traveleda year ago.

In the past 12 months, people say they have been
converting intent into action by taking active small steps
at home – and increasingly when traveling – to drive amore sustainable future.

Sustainable Steps
taken at Home
68%

used reusable shopping bags

64%

recycled waste

58%

carried their own reusable water bottle

56%

reduced their usage of single-use plastic

39%

took public transport or bicycle over car

39%

favored small, independent shops

13%

have eaten an exclusively
plant-based or vegetarian diet

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Sustainable Steps
taken on Vacation
67%

turned the air conditioning off at
accommodations when they weren’t there60%

re-used the same towel multiple times

55%

used their own reusable water bottle

77%

turned off the lights and appliances ataccommodations when they weren’t there

45%

recycled their garbage when traveling40%

opted out of having their room cleaned daily

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From Touristto Changemaker
The responsible traveler is switching up
responsible travel in 2023 – and their every
small step counts. This shift in behavior
highlights the urgent action travelers
are taking as they strive to make moresustainable choices to save the planet for
future generations.
Even more promisingly, travelers took
action to make conscious choices onvacation that went beyond everyday microhabits in the past 12 months.

Buying Local

Transportation

43%
planned their sightseeing
so that they could walk,bike or take public
transport

Highest60%

Philippines

31%

USALowest

43%
traveled outside of peak season
in a bid to avoid overcrowding

Highest55%

Colombia

29%

China

LowestThere is also consensus amongst travelers onadopting the ‘buy local’ mantra on vacation andusing their currency as a force for good:

LATAM 54%
EMEA 44%
NORAM 42%APAC 39%

43%
favored small,independent stores

122023
Indonesia 83%
Netherlands 69%
55%

The Rise ofRegenerative Travel

69%

Travelers are also rethinking
what they consider to be moresustainable forms of travel:

want the money
they spend whentraveling to go
back to the localcommunity

66%
say they want to leave the places theyvisit better than when they arrived

65%

4 Highest

Amid rising climate anxiety,today’s travelers are increasingly
adopting a regenerative
approach to travel and searchingfor vacations with maximum
positive impact.

85%

Kenya

83%

Vietnam81%

Indonesia

81%

Thailand

52% Israel
51% Belgium
51% Germany
41% Netherlands
4 Lowest

consider protecting
the naturalenvironment a moresustainable form oftravel55%
43%
consider activities
and tours that boost
the local economy
a more sustainable
form of travelconsider preserving
wildlife and natural
habitats at the travel
destination a moresustainable form oftravel

13Trust, truth
and the Travel
Industry
Travelers are becoming
more responsible amid risingclimate anxiety – from theiraccommodation to their transport
choices. As a result, they are
seeking credible assurance
when booking across the entire
travel experience.

65%
would feel better about staying in aparticular accommodation if they knew it
had a sustainable certification or label

In response, the travelindustry must adapt
to meet the changing
expectations of thesemore conscious
travelers, and makestrides to gain their trust:

44%
like it when brands offer products or services
that are more sustainable, but it doesn’t always
influence their decision

61%

Croatia

13%

India

39%
don’t trust that the sustainable travel options
labeled are truly more sustainable

59%
want to filter their options for those58%

India & Italy

with a sustainable certification nexttime they book23%

Indonesia

30%
69%
are interested to learn more about
why specific options are recognized as
more sustainable

are always on the lookout
for brands that promotesustainability

11%
only buy products and services from brands that
promote sustainability

49%

India

2%

Denmark & Japan

14Making solutions
Easier for Everyone
Travelers can choose moresustainable options across theworld for their next trip throughBooking.com search filters.

500,000+ more sustainableaccommodations available, no matterthe property type, labeled with acertified Travel Sustainable badge
Rental car search filters to quickly
find fully electric and hybrid cars
across 111 countries
95 cities worldwide where travelers
can now find and book greener taxi
options by looking for the 100%
Electric tagging in the search results
47 cities worldwide where public transport
ticketing options are now available after making
an accommodation booking
Tagging to indicate when a certain route or
carrier is offering a relatively lower emissions
option – for transparency on the impact offlights and to compare CO2 emissions fordifferent options

15Methodology

Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conductedamong a sample of 33,228 respondents across 35 countries andterritories (1,019 from USA, 1,002 from Canada, 1,007 from Mexico,
1,005 from Colombia, 1,008 from Brazil, 1,015 from Argentina, 1,008
from Australia, 504 from New Zealand, 1,008 from Spain, 1,002 fromItaly, 1,008 from France, 502 from Switzerland, 1,008 from the UK,
1,000 from Ireland, 1,008 from Germany, 1,006 from the Netherlands,
1,006 from Belgium, 1,004 from Denmark, 1,007 from Sweden, 1,016
from Croatia, 1,012 from Israel, 504 from UEA, 1,012 from India,
1,001 from China, 1,000 from Hong Kong, 1,000 from Thailand, 1,020
from Singapore, 1,001 from Taiwan, 1,000 from Vietnam, 1,002 fromIndonesia, 1,007 from Philippines, 1,002 from South Korea, 1,009 fromJapan, 1,005 from South Africa and 510 from Kenya).
In order to participate in this survey, respondents had to be 18 yearsof age or older, had to have traveled at least once in the past 12 months
and must be planning to travel in 2023, and be either the primarydecision maker or involvedin the decision making of theirtravel. The survey was taken
online and took place
in February 2023.