Skift Take

Tourism providers can make big claims about their sustainability credentials, but is anyone really listening?

Series: New Luxury

Luxury Travel News

The Skift New Luxury column is our weekly column focused on the business of selling luxury travel, the people and companies creating and selling experiences, emerging trends, and the changing consumer habits around the sector.

Despite the multiple environmental issues affecting our planet, sustainable tourism isn’t always a major decision-making factor for consumers.

For plenty of people, it’s the last thing on their minds when booking their city break or two weeks in the sun, but plenty of destinations now think it’s worth ramping up their green credentials in a bid to boost tourism.

Perhaps this has the most traction at the luxury end of the market. People spending thousands of dollars on a trip are going to be a lot more demanding, and for some, the environmental impact of a hotel, resort, or city will play a part.

The desire to be more responsible is only going to grow as conditions worsen with rising temperatures, water shortages, and plastic pollution featuring heavily in the media.

The fact is that tourism stakeholders need to do as much as they can, regardless of whether consumers care or not.

For feedback or news tips, reach out via email at [email protected] or tweet me @paddywhyte.

— Patrick Whyte, Europe Editor

6 Looks at Luxury

Destinations Push Green Credentials to Entice Luxury Travelers: While many destinations are upping their sustainability game, a few are actually actively promoting it as a way to attract higher-end visitors. Monaco and Slovenia are trying to prove that selling green will positively color tourism perceptions…and revenues.

Michelin Guide Owner Buys Tablet Hotels to Build a Travel Business: Tablet Hotels found itself a world-class strategic buyer to propel its growth. Tablet as part of Michelin will face huge marketing hurdles, and the challenge of trying to reshape Michelin’s legacy guide offerings.

What Marriott’s Data Breach Means for the Hotel Giant and Guests: Starwood Preferred Guest elite members thought that not getting full stay credits would be the absolute worst of this mega-merger.

Tiffany Blames Chinese Tourists’ Spending Slump For Poor Growth: While Chinese tourists aren’t spending as much in Tiffany’s major stores like the flagship in New York, the company does see more opportunities for mainland China.

Rail Tour Operator Rocky Mountaineer Targets Cruisers Through Agent Sales:
Rocky Mountaineer relies heavily on travel advisors to sell its luxury train experiences through the Canadian Rockies, but there’s room for improvement. The rail tour company launched a new agent training program to clear up misconceptions about its mode of travel.

Cruise Trade Group Taps Political Insider as New CEO: The incoming Cruise Lines International Association CEO knows her way around Washington, D.C. and has a background in travel and tourism. That should be enough for a good start, but the cruise industry is complicated enough that she’ll have plenty of work ahead.

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Skift Europe Editor Patrick Whyte [[email protected]] curates the New Luxury newsletter. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday.

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Tags: climate change, luxury, slovenia, sustainability

Photo credit: The Bohinj lake in Slovenia. The country is pushing its green credentials. Tomo Jesenicnik / Slovenian Tourist Board

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