Stats: 90% of Millennials Consider Company Ethics When Booking Travel

Ninety percent of Millennials consider a travel company’s commitment to ethical travel important when booking a trip, according to recent research commissioned by small group adventure tour operator Intrepid Travel. Catering to this conscious segment of travelers, Intrepid Travel has added 80 affordable 18 to 29s Adventures

With tours priced from $335 per person and up, the company will also be offering $99 deposits on all of its 18 to 29s trips. Highlights from the new tours include a seven-day camping trip in Iceland, a nine-day tour in Egypt that includes a cruise along the Nile River and an eight-day trekking trip to Machu Picchu in Peru.

Results of a new study commissioned by Intrepid Travel revealed that travelers under 30 consider the ethical impact of their trips more than any other age demographic, at 76 percent. The survey of 2,000 North American travelers, conducted by OnePoll, confirmed that sustainable and ethical travel options are increasingly important considerations for Millennials, with other significant findings from the research including:

Millennials expect travel companies to offer socially-conscious travel options:

  • 86 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds consider it important when booking a trip for a company to offer sustainable travel options.
  • 90 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds consider a travel company's commitment to ethical travel important when booking a trip.
  • 18- to 29-year-olds are the most likely demographic to think that travel companies have a greater responsibility to provide sustainable experiences.

Millennials care about how they spend their money:

  • The two things 18- to 29-year-olds consider the most important when booking travel are affordability (52%) and knowing their travel dollars are supporting local communities (51%). 
  • 86 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds are willing to spend more on their travel if it meant the experiences included were completely ethical.
  • The main reason why 18- to 29-year-olds would book a holiday with the same company they've already traveled with is that they felt like their dollars were put towards a truly local and immersive experience.

Millennials are more socially conscious than older generations:

  • 58 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds would spend more on their travel if they knew their money was going into the local communities they're visiting, compared to just 32 percent of travelers aged 51+.
  • 77 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds say that sustainability impacts their decision to travel, compared to 48 percent of travelers aged 51+.
  • 43 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds believe it is important that a company focuses on environmental and social causes they care about, compared to 32 percent of travelers between the ages of 41 and 50, and 17 percent of travelers aged 51+.

“In an increasingly connected world, younger generations are more aware than ever of environmental and societal issues around the globe, and how their decisions impact those issues,” said Darshika Jones, director of North America, Intrepid Travel, in a written statement. 

Source: Intrepid Travel

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