Travellers are young and green

Fairfax

GREEN AND YOUNG: Social and green issues are becoming more important as travel becomes less about the individual and more about the societies and cultures which travellers visit.

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The new breed of Australian traveller has a strong desire to be involved in environmentally friendly and sustainable tourism.

Young people still want to have fun during their travels, but while painting the town red, they want to travel green, new research commissioned by Contiki Holidays has revealed.

International travel is the number one aspiration for young men and women with property, domestic travel and owning a car further down the list.

But they are now jetsetting with a conscience.

Social and green issues are on their radars, with travel becoming less about the individual and more about the societies and cultures in which travellers visit, the research reveals.

But the research also showed there was "jetlag" between intentions and actions. While 54 percent said they wanted their travel to be carbon neutral, only 9 percent had made that happen.

The findings were part of the latest Contiki Travel Trends Research. The Shades of Green report is a snapshot of the views and opinions of 18 to 34s in the world of travel, with a focus on green and social issues.

The report says young Australians' top priority is experiencing the local customs of the places they visit.

Also high on the list is supporting the local economy, with 87 percent feeling this was important. On top of that, 84 percent believe it's important to use local resources sparingly and 81 percent feel it's important to avoid having a negative social or environmental impact on the places they visit.

But how much young people earn makes a difference as to how green they are.

There was a significant difference in the importance placed by lower income earners on certain elements of their travels, particularly in the areas of carbon offsetting and volunteering.

Of those earning under $40,000 annual income, 75 percent believed it was important to offset personal travel as compared to 45 percent of those earning above $75,000.

Of those earning lower incomes, 41 percent believed it was important to volunteer while on an overseas trip, while 16 percent of those of the higher income took this tack.

But there was only a 10 percent difference between high and low income earners when it came to avoiding having a social or environmental impact on the places they visit.

Of those earning under $40,000 a year, 87 percent wanted to avoid having a social or environmental impact on the places they visit, while of those earning above $70,000, the figure was 77 percent.

However, high income earners ranked as more active in some areas such as requesting hotel towels not be washed daily and supporting the local economy rather than multinational shops and businesses on their last trip.

There were some interesting gender differences too. The research revealed that almost double the number of women than men requested their towels not be washed daily.

Men, however, are more than twice as likely to have offset their carbon emissions in the past three to four years -- 12 percent of men between 18 and 34 have reduced their carbon footprint, while 5 percent of women did the same.

There is one area where females and males see eye to eye, the report says. Both sexes thought understanding local culture and meeting locals was important in an overseas trip, with almost all respondents agreeing.

Tammy Marshall, managing director of Contiki Holidays, says the study revealed the importance young travellers place on having authentic cultural experiences.

"We can see by the other positive actions that travellers are taking while on holiday to reduce their environmental footprint that the tides of travel are certainly turning," she says.

"The green movement is broader than simply carbon offsetting for young Australians.

"The research shows their concerns go beyond only consideration for their eco footprints, it is the shades of green that rate as the most important, understanding, appreciating and having a positive impact on the places visited, all the while keeping their eye on their carbon footprints."

Details: http://contiki.com.au/ShadesOfGreen.

- AAP