Luxury travel is pushing to go green, but big spenders are still hot on fossil-fuel-powered air travel.
CANNES: From Robinson Crusoe wilderness retreats in the Seychelles to high-design eco-lodges in Chile, luxury travel is pushing to go green, but big spenders are still hot on fossil-fuel-powered air travel.
“Green will be the hot colour in the luxury products and travel sector for years to come,” Ed Ventimiglia, vice-president and publisher of the American Express travel magazine Departures, said at the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) that opened on Tuesday.
While the global luxury travel business accounts for some 25 million annual arrivals — or just three percent of total international arrivals — when it comes to spending, wealthy tourists don’t hold back.
Rich travellers spend an estimated 10,000-20,000 dollars per trip, which could include more than one destination, the ILTM said at the fair.
Speaking at the crowded event, Departure’s chief editor Richard David-Story said today’s ultimate luxury was a sustainable environment. “We need to innovate and agree on goals that will help sustainability,” he said.
Hotels and resorts worldwide have taken up the challenge with such simple measures as removing the option of a daily sheet and towel change.
Some, like the Intercontinental Hotel in Bali, re-cycle waste water to irrigate their tropical gardens and have dropped tractor-power in favour of cattle to rake their endless stretches of beach sand. Rental car firms and travel agents are also trying to do their bit for the environment. Hertz has just launched a new Toyota hybrid rental car fleet.
And some travel agents, such as Penelope Bannerman of South African-based Far East Tours, have stopped producing glossy paper-hungry travel brochures, instead offering customers a chance to adopt a giant panda in China’s Wolong Panda Reserve. “But hotel clients seem largely unaware of these efforts and their carbon-offset and other initiatives,” said a report.
And a survey showed private jet travel still popular, with readers making more than 1.5 million trips in private jets in the last year, and a quarter of those interviewed likely to switch from commercial airlines to private jet or chartered flight in the next year.
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