Ethical travel gains ground

AS many as 1.2 million Brits would be “very willing” to pay a premium for an ethical holiday, a new survey has revealed.

Results in a survey conducted by research giants TNS revealed 3% of 2,000 respondents said they were “very willing” and a further 25% “quite willing” to pay more for such a holiday.

TNS head of travel and tourism Tom Costly said: “The results point to growing concerns about the environmental effects of mass air travel and the impact which tourism development can have on local communities, both from a physical and a social perspective.”

Among those who were “very willing” most were aged 25 to 45. Costly added: “Under 25s are more cost conscious and likely to choose a package holiday within their budget.”

He added people older than 65 were the least likely to fork out extra cash as they do not see it as an important issue.

Costly claimed while not everyone is prepared to pay extra, more people are aware of the issue.

But he admitted safety and security, facilities, overall cost and sightseeing opportunities were more important considerations when choosing a holiday. A total of 53% surveyed said safety and security was very important, 40% rated accommodation and cost very important, compared to 9% for ethical tourism. However, 29% deemed ethical tourism quite important when booking.

The survey has been attacked by the Federation of Tour Operators, which believes ethical tourism is being pigeon-holed as a specialist product rather than the emphasis being placed on it as an ongoing concern for all tour operators.

FTO responsible tourism co-ordinator Chris Thompson said: “We’ve worked hard to get all holidays to be seen as ethical and have spent the last three years challenging the mindset of tour operators to get them to adjust accordingly. This survey suggests it is a niche issue.”