The Often Overlooked Role Travel Advisors Play in the Path to Responsible Tourism

While hotels, cruise lines, tour companies, and destinations are under increasing pressure to implement sustainability practices, where do travel advisors fit in the movement toward responsible tourism? Pointing to the influence that travel advisors have over their clients’ choices, sustainable travel experts say travel advisors can and should play a leading role. “Responsible tourism is everyone’s job, not just the hotels and airlines, but travel advisors too,” said Susan Sweeney, a tourism digital marketing expert who led a session at the recent Ensemble Travel Group International Conference about the travel advisor’s role in sustainable tourism. “You have a big impact on where people go and how they behave,” she told the audience. “As a travel advisor, you can do a lot. No one comes in and asks for a sustainable vacation. You have to take the initiative.” Good for Business Along with being good for the planet, consumer trends indicate that promoting sustainability makes good business sense. Surveys such as Booking.com’s annual Sustainable Travel Report show growing interest among travelers in making responsible choices. Almost three quarters (73 percent) of the global travelers surveyed in 2019 said they intended to stay in at least one eco-friendly accommodation this year, up from 65 percent in 2017 and 68 percent last year. Concern over the impact of tourism on destinations is such that some in the travel industry are concerned that a growing number of people will decide the best solution is to not travel at all. “There are potential clients out there who are staying home because they view travel as not sustainable and are turned off by overtourism,” said Gary Pollard, owner of Ambassador Tours,