We owe the idea of a holiday to Ancient Rome! Whether we’re holidaying across the UK or taking a trip abroad, we always look forward to our short break away from work. However, did you know that a lot of wealthy Romans took holidays that lasted two years?
You may have noticed that our holidays don’t last that long, but they don’t have to as we’re now looking to have fun-filled adventures. So much so, the Office for National Statistics reported that in 2017 there were 72.8 million visits overseas by UK residents, showing a 3% increase on the previous year. This figure is only set to increase even further after a survey of 25,000 British travelers found that 11% of respondents would like to travel more in the future.
Alternative holidays are undeniably becoming a thing. But what does that actually mean for holidaymakers, local communities and businesses across the globe?
Holidaying with good intentions
When analysing search trends around ‘green holidays’, they showed a positive increase. Along with veganism, flexitarianism and other lifestyle choices, these types of holidays have captured the public’s attention and will likely become the norm for future generations who will be more environmentally conscious.
Did you know that 87% of travelers want to holiday sustainably? With such high figures, it’s clear that this is a market more businesses in the hospitality and travel market should be tapping into. You could argue that sustainable travel is subject to a person’s environmental standpoint, and while this is true, the same report also revealed that 46% of people believe sustainable travel is staying in an eco-friendly or green accommodation.
Holidaymakers do have reason behind selecting these types of accommodation. For example, 40% said that they wanted to reduce their environmental impact. On the other hand, 34% said this was to have a locally relevant experience and a further 33% said they wanted to feel good about where they rested.
However, travelers did seem to have different reasons behind these decisions. 60% said that this idea sparked from taking in the natural sights from their previous trips – such as coral and rain forests. Also, 54% said that they had noticed the visible impact tourism had on places that they themselves had visited, while 47% went on to say that their decision was after seeing the positive impact sustainable tourism had on local communities. Furthermore, 32% said they felt guilty about how their holidays impact the environment.
As these trips tend to require fine planning and research, they could potentially be more costly than your average trip to Spain. However, 67% of travellers in the report said that they were prepared to spend up to 5% more on their travel to ensure it had a low impact on the environment.
When people are booking a trip away, they want an easy process. Figures from the same survey found that four in 10 people say that booking sites should offer an eco-friendly filter. Although this doesn’t seem like a step a lot of travel sites are taking, some have began adding pages to represent these trips and advertise them publicly. As well as this, 32% of people call for an international standard that can identify eco-friendly accommodation.
This is something that travel companies must be taking notice of, as it can capture an entire new audience. Hopefully, 2019 will be the year where we see more sustainable trips!
What new type of holidays are there?
You’ll encounter experiences like never before on a fair trade holiday such at the Meet the People Tours. Holidaymakers can integrate themselves into the communities who are behind the products they frequently buy!
People who venture on these trips will learn more about different cultures, their beliefs and how they lead their daily lives. Just like the fair trade products we buy, these trips are organised so that the people living and working in these communities are better off as a result.
You’ll never look back from this kind of trip, and you’ll likely find yourself drinking plenty of organic coffee depending on where you go! From visiting development projects and having your ideas of developing countries challenged, you’ll truly feel that you’re making a difference from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave.
Sources:
https://www.travelex.co.uk/travelex-hub/travel-inspiration/history-of-the-holiday
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/leisureandtourism/articles/traveltrends/2017
https://yearoutgroup.org/gap-year-statistics/