A minority of travelers are willing to pay for green travel but the vast majority, while paying attention to which travel providers are going green, will not pay for it, according to a new survey out this morning. The survey seems to confirm the experience of aviation companies, who, in the last few years, have offered carbon offsetting programs that have not been widely used. The survey was co-authored by the U.S. Travel Association and Ypartnerships.

Still four in 10 (39%) of those who said they would pay extra for traveling green would pay as much as a 5% premium on fares while an equal percentage would pay between five and 9% more. The survey also said that most travelers are familiar with sustainable travel and their understanding of the terminology has increased.

The survey indicated that the percentage of American travelers who consider themselves “environmentally conscious” has not changed since 2007 (78 percent); however, there has been an increase in the percentage who report familiarity with the term “carbon footprint” (from 12 percent in July 2007 to 54 percent in July 2009). Awareness of the term “green travel” also improved from 9 percent in July 2007 to 22 percent in July 2009. Despite these increases, only 9 percent of consumers say they are willing to pay more to use travel service suppliers that offer eco-friendly options for travelers, and only three percent have purchased a carbon offset when booking travel.

“Although consumers are reluctant to pay more to support green travel service suppliers, they are definitely paying attention to those who are green, even in this down economy,” said Peter Yesawich, chairman and CEO of Ypartnership. “Travel service suppliers should therefore continue to adopt green practices that have a minimum impact on consumers’ wallets.”

“Consumers are looking for ‘green travel’ choices at the right price. The travel community has developed thousands of options and we are adding more daily,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel Association, who noted the creation of TravelGreen.org launched with American Express earlier this year. The site provides the latest research on green travel trends and highlights best practices for adoption throughout the industry.

Other key findings:
• While consumers believe travel service suppliers should be good stewards of their environment, over half (54%) also believe that individuals themselves have the greatest responsibility for preserving and protecting the environment.
• Six out of ten (58%) travelers say they believe that environmental programs by travel service suppliers could have a positive effect on the environment.
• The majority (51%) of consumers will continue to patronize “green” travel service suppliers regardless of an economic downturn. In fact, nearly half (48%) of travelers say that continuing to support environmentally-responsible travel service suppliers is a necessity, even in an economic downturn.
• Less than one-third (29%) say it is easy to find out about environmental policies and initiatives of travel service suppliers.


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