Skift Take
Coming out of the pandemic, some hostels hope to do well by doing good.
Travel Beyond Plastics is a groundbreaking new Skift series about the travel industry’s addiction to plastics and what happens when companies and travelers try to kick this unsustainable habit.
The pandemic derailed this year's push by the travel sector to trim its plastic waste. But some industry leaders see a sustainability pitch as a way to grab market share once demand rebounds.
On January 22, the United Nations World Tourism Organization launched a Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, with support from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Days later, Accor Hotels committed to getting rid of single-use plastics by 2022, as Skift reported.
The pandemic then short-circuited the campaign's momentum.
Yet some eyes have begun to look again at plastic use. Younger travelers the environment is a high priority for them. A recent Censuswide survey found that many American, Australian, and British travelers were willing to spend a modest premium averaging $24 ($24 Australian or £17) for more for en