The impact of environmental awareness on young tourists’ sustainable travel choices
Abstract
Increasing interest in the environmental protection in recent years due to the worsening
situation with climate change put pressure on many industries, tourism including. Tourism
can lead to major environmental pollution and damage of the natural environment and it is
also one of the biggest contributors to the climate change. With the recognition of need for the
environmental protection the consumer behaviour is changing and people now seek more
sustainable purchases. Recent years have noted a new wave of tourism, the youth
tourism, which is becoming increasingly important in the tourism industry. Young tourists
are believed to be the future of the tourism industry and they will lead the development of the
sector. It is, therefore, essential to understand the new generation of tourists and
to determine their environmental awareness and perception of sustainability, as they are the
drivers of future tourism development and potentially the promoters of sustainability within the
industry. Following an analysis of 85 surveys collected from a random sample of people aged
between 18 and 30, this study aimed (a) to asses to what extend young tourists are aware of
the environmental impacts of travel, (b) to analyse the relationship between
their environmental awareness and their consumer behaviour while traveling and (c) to
evaluate to what extent otherwise environmentally friendly young
tourists considers sustainability while travelling. The quantitative data analysis uncovered
patterns in young tourists’ behaviour, confirming that young people have generally a high level
of environmental awareness and tend to have well established sustainable habits in their
everyday lives, however, they do not seem to practice these to a large extent when
travelling. Therefore, the study revealed a gap between youths’ sustainable believes
and their behaviour in leisure settings, such as on holidays