Consumer interest in Sustainable Travel is on the rise. According to a recent report from CMIGreen, consumers are more actively engaging in activities and purchasing decisions that are inline with their values. When consumers made the same value alignment with fish and paper products big changes were seen in those respective industries.
Study after study has shown that companies that provide certified sustainable products see positive economic impacts both in the short and long term. At www.whyfsc.com, there are several reports showing the positive economic impact of FSC certification. You can read here what 10 years of MSC work have done to improve the economic conditions for fishermen.
Creating a credible, transparent system for the tourism sector is the first step toward similar results. Travelocity reports that their consumers overwhelmingly prefer green hotels. “Consumers gave 83 percent of non-green hotels three smiley faces or more – but they gave a whopping 94 percent of green hotels three smiley faces or more.” This does not indicate that those consumers chose green hotels over non-green hotels but it is directionally good news.
MSC and FSC have operated for 10+ years and have had time to develop their programs, engage their respective industries and educate consumers. The GSTC Criteria and Council are still in the earlier stages but there is no evidence that suggests that similar results should not be expected.
To top it off, the GSTC Council will undertake an impact assessment in the near future to help provide clarity to these questions. Stay tuned!
