Travellers seek sustainable options survey reveals

Travellers are keen to make significant changes to their behaviour to travel sustainably as a new global survey by travel information company Lonely Planet reveals. Lonely Planet’s annual Travellers’ Pulse survey, which polled over 24,500 people worldwide, showed 84% of respondents said they would consider offsetting their emissions in the future, where only 31% had done so in the past.

One of the strongest changes for the future was in volunteering. A huge 79% of respondents said they would or might volunteer overseas in the future, with only 25% having done so in the past.

70% of travellers said they had purposefully travelled in a low-impact way in the past, (for example catching a bus rather than flying) and over 90% of people said they would or might do so in the future.

Travellers also have good intentions when it comes to protecting the environment. Although 36% of people had never purposefully considered the environment in their past travels, 93% of people said they would or might purposefully partake in environmentally friendly travel in the future.

Lonely Planet’s Adam Stanford said it was encouraging to see travellers embracing change, “The survey reveals that 73% of respondents feel that travel is ‘in their blood’, so its fantastic to see that people are consciously considering their impacts, and are willing to alter their actions to protect the destinations they love. It will be encouraging to watch whether these intended behaviours follow-through.”

The survey also revealed that the majority of travellers are worried about carbon emissions from flying, with only 7% saying that they did not think aircraft carbon emissions were a concern.

In the survey, respondents were given several options and asked to choose the one that they would primarily support for being most effective in reducing emissions from flights. While offsetting came out on top, with a quarter of all votes, surprisingly 43% chose one of the more radical options: boycotting flying for other less damaging modes of transport; airlines reducing the number of flights; increasing flying costs via a carbon tax; or everyone having an annual carbon allowance into which they must fit their travel.

Activity or interest has been a strong reason for travel in previous Travellers’ Pulse surveys. This year it was even stronger with 32% saying activity was their main purpose for travel, highlighting the growing trend towards exploring niche experiences rather than simply visiting destinations for sightseeing.

Lonely Planet has encouraged responsible travel since its first guide was published more than 30 years ago, and in recent years has stepped up its sustainable travel advice. Recently, Lonely Planet released a new volunteering handbook called Volunteer: A Travellers Guide to Making a Difference Around the World, and in November 2007 Lonely Planet’s new Australia guide will feature a new GreenDex – a quick-reference index of sustainable accommodation, tours and experiences.

Lonely Planet’s annual Travellers’ Pulse Survey was conducted online at lonelyplanet.com and via 49 partner websites, and is arguably the world’s most authoritative independent travel survey. The survey’s 24,500 respondents were from 144 countries.

Data for ASIA respondents only:

(Respondents from Asian countries including India, Singapore, Malaysia and China)

• 45% of respondents in Asia said they had offset their carbon emissions from flying in the past, and 88% of respondents in Asia said they would or might offset their emissions in the future
  
  
• 22% of respondents in Asia say they have volunteered in a foreign country in the past. 85% said they would or might do so in the future
• 80% of Asian travellers said they had purposefully travelled in a low-impact way in the past, (for example catching a bus rather than flying). And 94% said they would or might do so in the future
  
  
• 24% of Asian travellers had never purposefully considered the environment in their past travels, however 97% of Asians said they would or might purposefully partake in environmentally friendly travel in the future

Visa Waiver expansion good news for travel industry says NTA

The National Tour Association, a strong supporter of the Visa Waiver Program expansion, welcomed this latest legislation which has been signed by President Bush, noting that it will help the United States regain lost market share in international travel and improve the U.S. image abroad.

"As part of NTA`s 2007 advocacy priorities, NTA is committed to addressing border crossing issues to ensure a secure, timely and seamless transportation experience," said NTA Legislative Counsel Jim Santini. "This is welcome news for NTA tour operators and other travel companies that stand to benefit from the new spending that will be generated by the millions of additional annual visitors to the United States."

The new legislation will expand the program — which currently allows citizens from 27 countries to visit the United States for up to 90 days without a visa — by 12 nations. Countries can qualify for the program by demonstrating that their citizens observe visa stay deadlines and maintain a refusal rate of 10 percent or lower for applicants seeking U.S. travel visas. Previously, the refusal rate was set at three percent. The new language also gives Homeland Security flexibility to approve a country`s application based on its law enforcement and anti-terror cooperation with America.

The legislation, which addressed recommendations proposed by the 9/11 Commission, also contained provisions to improve the welcoming and arrival process at America`s top 20 overseas inbound airports. The provisions should decrease the time it takes to get through customs, since more than 200 customs officers will be hired, and provide better information in the Federal Inspection Services area through promotional videos and brochures.

"The new Visa Waiver provisions will allow more legitimate travelers to visit the United States visa-free while enhancing our security," said Santini. "NTA believes this will stimulate international inbound tourism to the United States, welcoming friendly nations that deserve to be incorporated into the existing Visa Waiver program."
Theodore Koumelis - Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Viva Macau beefs up flights for Macau — Jakarta direct route

Viva Macau has increased flight frequency to its Macau-Jakarta direct service to four times a week. Currently flying three times a week directly between Macau and Jakarta, Viva Macau will launch one additional flight to its weekly schedule, commencing August 28, 2007.

The new schedule will see the airline flying from Macau to Jakarta every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. In return from Jakarta to Macau, the schedule will be every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

The service is operated by the airline’s Boeing 767 wide-body aircraft, offering two-class seating — Premium Class and Economy Class.

Viva Macau’s Chief Executive Con Korfiatis said the increase of frequency offers flexibility to different travelers in both Macau and Indonesia.

Korfiatis said, “Business travelers, especially for Indonesians who come to Macau for meetings, events, and exhibitions, will find it more convenient with our additional flights. The new schedule with Saturday and Sunday flights will also be attractive to more leisure travelers who are looking for weekend getaways.”

With Jakarta also being one gateway to Bali, Korfiatis said the new schedule will also benefit Macau holidaymakers looking for a beach holiday.
Vicky Karantzavelou - Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Czech Airlines wins top awards

Czech Airlines (CSA) have been awarded as "Best Airline in Central Europe" Skytrax, an independent British organisation, as part of the World Airline Awards, in which airlines are ranked, based on the votes of millions of passengers from all over the world.

In addition to this regional recognition – as the best airline in Central Europe – CSA`s cabin crews were also recognized by receiving the "Best Cabin Staff" award for the Central European region. On a European-wide scale, CSA`s cabin crews took third place. T

"We greatly value this recognition. The fact that CSA has been able to win this award at a time when competitive pressures are continuing to build throughout the industry confirms CSA`s strong position on the market – especially in Central and Eastern Europe. This award is also evidence that the ongoing restructuring taking place at CSA has not had any impact on the quality of the delivery of our product, which continues to be among the best offered in Europe," said Czech Airline`s President, Radomír Lašák, in commenting on the award.

The award received from Skytrax is not the only professional recognition recently received by CSA. For the fourth year in a row, the Airline has been able to maintain its rating as the "Best Airline Based in Central and Eastern Europe", which is an award given out annually by the Official Airline Guide (OAG), an international airline organisation. These awards are voted on by frequent business travellers. Earlier this year, CSA also received – for the seventh time – the "Best Airline" award, given out as part of the TTG Travel Awards 2007 competition, organised by the travel sector magazine TTG Czech.

Vicky Karantzavelou - Wednesday, August 08, 2007