Vietnamese highly keen on sustainable tourism post pandemic

Vietnamese and Indian respondents topped a survey of 30 nationalities wanting to travel more sustainably after the Covid-19 pandemic at 88 percent.

They were followed by people in Colombia and Chile, both at 84 percent, and Mexico, 82 percent, according to Sustainable Travel Report 2021 released by the Netherlands-based online travel agency Booking.com.

The survey interviewed more than 29,000 respondents in 30 countries and territories, including 1,005 from Vietnam.

The survey found 97 percent of Vietnamese travelers stating that sustainable travel was an important issue and 79 percent believing action had to be taken now to save the planet for future generations.

Vietnamese travelers' day-to-day sustainable commitments are consistent with their intentions for future trips, the report said.

Eighty-eight percent of Vietnamese travellers also wanted to reduce general waste and 86 percent wish to reduce their energy consumption by turning off air conditioning and lights when they are not in a room; while 81 percent were committed to using more environmentally friendly modes of transport including walking, cycling or public transportation over taxis or rental cars.

A majority of Vietnamese respondents (84 percent) also expressed their desire for authentic travel experiences that respected local communities, while 93 percent believed increasing cultural understanding and preservation of cultural heritage was necessary, the report said.

A significant 64 percent of Vietnamese tourists agreed to avoid popular tourist destinations to limit overcrowding.

The survey, conducted this March, also found that while on vacation in the past 12 months, 52 percent of Vietnamese travelers made a conscious decision to turn off their air conditioning or heaters in their accommodation when they were out. An equal percentage took their own reusable water bottles instead of buying bottled water and 44 percent participated in activities to support the local community.

Every Vietnamese respondent wanted to stay in a sustainable accommodation in the upcoming year, the report said.

Marianne Gybels, Director of Sustainability for Booking.com, said: "Over the six years we’ve been conducting this research, it’s been inspiring to see awareness of the importance of sustainable travel consistently grow."

The 30 countries and territories covered by the survey were: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, the U.K., the U.S. and Vietnam.

Survey participants were 18 or older and had traveled at least once in the previous 12 months and planned to travel in 2021. They were also the primary decision maker or directly involved in the decision to travel, the travel website said.

In a recent survey released this month by Agoda, the world's leading online accommodation reservations provider, Vietnamese respondents expressed concerns about over-tourism, deforestation and the use of single-use plastics in destination accommodations.

However, Vietnam finished in the bottom five of a global sustainable tourism ranking, placing 96th out of 99 economies, according to a Euromonitor International report published in April.