Sustainable Tourism

A survey taken in 2003 of US travelers conducted by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) and National Geographic Traveler found:

• More than 47 million travelers believe that it is important that the travel companies that they use employ local residents and support local communities;
• More than 55 million travelers exhibit a high degree of commitment to travel that protects the local environment, engages visitors in the local culture, and returns benefits to the community;
• 61% of travelers agree that their travel experience is better when the destination preserves its natural, historic and cultural sites and attractions;
• 71% indicate that it is important to them that their visit to destinations does not damage local environments

This is the first examination of its kind of American travelers – a tremendous undertaking in ferreting out traveler attitudes that lead to potential sustainable tourism behavior and in giving the travel industry insight into future consumer expectations. The travel habits of the top three segments in this study—Geo-Savvys, Urban Sophisticates, and Good Citizens—are guided by their high awareness of the world around them. These travelers have ceaseless expectations for unique and culturally authentic travel experiences that protect and preserve the ecological and cultural environment. In addition, the other segments represent close to 100 million traveling Americans that could be moving in that direction.

The next steps will be to devise wide scale marketing and promotional campaigns to attract these travelers while the travel industry must respond to their needs and meet their expectations.

To read more about this survey click on the link below.
Geotourism Survey