A recent survey* carried out by holidaycottages.co.uk revealed that the hard-hitting eco-headlines of recent months appear to be having a positive effect on people when it comes to booking their breaks, with 55% stating that they will consider the environmental impact [of their plans] in some way when booking holidays.
This means an increasing number of us are planning to take a more environmentally-friendly break during 2019 and will consciously make more responsible decisions when booking, such as: selecting holiday accommodation with eco-credentials, opting to stay in the UK rather than travelling abroad and planning pollution free activities whilst away like walking and cycling.
In addition to the concern about the environmental impact of their down-time, 45% of the people surveyed also stated that they wanted to get ‘back to nature’ during their next holiday, which without doubt strongly relates to our increasing desire to regularly spend a few days off-grid, with digital-free holidays quickly moving from a niche product to a readily accessible option, initiated by travel companies in response to the 72% of UK people wanting to spend a few days without technology.
Marketing Director, James Starkey said: “The number of people looking to use their hard-earned time-off as a chance to leave their smartphones behind and reconnect with nature has risen exponentially over the past 12-months. We offer a huge selection of unique UK properties that allow people to do just that, such as Wood Shack in Abergavenny , which is a log cabin situated in private woodlands at the foot of the Sugar Loaf Mountain. The emphasis at properties like this is on enjoying the simple pleasures in life, but many of them also come with eco-features such as composting toilets and solar panels which our guests seem to love. This means that the landscape of travel is moving to a more environmentally-friendly one and we’re going to work hard to continue to support this movement by putting even more focus on our environmental impact as a business.”
In addition, events such as National Tree Week (24th November to 2nd December), the UK’s largest tree festival involving around a quarter of a million people, raise the profile of important environmental projects within the UK, which over time should help people better understand the impact of every purchasing decision they make; from chocolate to travel.
*Survey conducted in November 2018 among a cross section of 2000 UK adults aged 18+.
