European Hoteliers Say Imposing Fees Could Help the Green Transformation of Accommodation in EU

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• A survey of 1,040 executives and managers in the European accommodation industry revealed that 42 per cent of respondents believe that more fiscal and tax incentives could help towards green transformation.
• European hoteliers believe that by having better access to capital and financing, the goal of green transportation can be achievable, as 36 per cent of respondents said.
• Ecology and climate change are emerging reasons that impacted travellers’ enthusiasm and desire to travel in 2023, as 49 per cent of French travellers, 55 per cent of Italians, and 61 per cent of Portuguese, respectively, said that climate change has somewhat affected their enthusiasm to travel.

Alongside financial incentives, European hoteliers believe that by having better access to capital and financing, the goal of green transportation can be achievable, as 36 per cent of respondents said. Having more technical and operational support would also help, with 33 per cent of respondents claiming so.

Education is also viewed as another factor that contributes to European hoteliers developing a more environmentally friendly model, with 31 per cent of respondents listing additional training and skills development as important factors.

According to sources from Statista and Booking.com as well as the European Accommodation Barometer Summer 2023, another 29 per cent of respondents said that easier access to sustainability labels and certifications could help them towards reaching their green goals, while a better understanding of consumers’ expectations was another factor, as 28 per cent of respondents claimed.

Overall, having more access to training and skills development, as well as gaining better access to knowledge, is considered a key factor, as another 28 per cent of executives and managers in the European accommodation sector pointed out.

According to a report by Ipsos, Holiday Barometer for Europ Assistance, ecology and climate change were emerging reasons that impacted travellers’ enthusiasm and desire to travel in 2023. This response was the most common among respondents in France, Italy, and Portugal, with 49, 55, and 61 per cent of these respondents, respectively, saying that climate change has somewhat affected their enthusiasm to travel.

The same report shows that Portuguese and French travellers are most likely to choose their destination country carefully, as they had the highest percentage of things they would avoid during their decision to travel.

French (71 per cent) and Portuguese travellers (76 per cent) would avoid travelling to certain countries, while Italians (63 per cent) and Portuguese (72 per cent) would favour close destinations.

Czech (58 per cent), French (57 per cent), Italian (56 per cent), Poles (53 per cent), Portuguese (76 per cent), and Spaniards (52 per cent) said they would avoid travelling to crowded places, which can result in more unpopular destinations being their main travel destinations. Booking.com further proved this claim as it previously revealed that Vlorë – a small coastal city in Albania, is the second out of the ten most trending destinations for 2024, while two EU destinations are also on the list of trending destinations.