Green Travel trends
PRESS NEWSLETTER | If the various statistics are to be believed, environmentally conscious and socially responsible travel is the trend. Most reports and surveys show that people are willing to opt for a greener holiday. While a survey by TripAdvisor in 2017 showed that 60% of travellers were still interested in environmentally friendly travel, a survey by booking.com in 2018 indicates 87% of travellers worldwide intend to make their travel more sustainable. As many as 39% confirmed that they were able to realise their green plans, while 48% said that they never or only rarely succeed in travelling in an environmentally friendly way.
But what exactly does sustainable travel mean? Sustainable travel has a different meaning for every traveller: for most people it is the choice of eco-friendly accommodation, a sustainable destination or local and authentic experiences.
Communication and Transparency
A major point of criticism from many travellers continues to be a lack of communication and transparency. Travelers often criticise that there are not enough green offers and demand more sustainable travel ideas, however, there are many attractive offers worldwide. What is often missing is clear: comprehensive and transparent communication. This concerns both destinations and their surrounding regions along with many hotels and holiday homes. Travellers do not want to spend hours searching the Internet for green destinations
The story of Green Pearls®
When Green Pearls® was launched in 2012, sustainable travel was more of a niche market. The development over the last seven years shows that responsible tourism certainly has reached many people worldwide. Our green pearls, which can be found all over the world, show what can be achieved, even as a small hotel. And behind each of these hotels is a visionary, creative individual.
The Incubator
One of the first green pearls and also the incubator for Green Pearls® was Tongsai Bay on Koh Samui in Thailand. It was built by Khun Akorn Hoontrakul, the owner of the Imperial Hotel Group. In 1985 he spotted the bay from the sea and it was love at first sight. Within days he bought the land with a plan to build a resort with minimal impact on the natural environment. He slept on the beach for three months to ensure that the cottages were correctly positioned, that no trees were cut down, no animals were injured and that there was as little interference with nature as possible.
After his death, his son Gob and daughter-in-law Goya continue to run the resort in line with his philosophy. This story is all the more remarkable as it takes place in 1987, a time when nobody really thought about travel and the impact on our environment. In 2009 Stefany Seipp, the founder of Green Pearls®, met the current owners of Tongsai Bay Gob and Goya and the story of Khun Akorn has never left her mind. The aim was to give visionary hoteliers a voice and worldwide recognition.
After his death, his son Gob and daughter-in-law Goya continue to run the resort in line with his philosophy. This story is all the more remarkable as it takes place in 1987, a time when nobody really thought about travel and the impact on our environment. In 2009 Stefany Seipp, the founder of Green Pearls®, met the current owners of Tongsai Bay Gob and Goya and the story of Khun Akorn has never left her mind. The aim was to give visionary hoteliers a voice and worldwide recognition.
Green Pearls® all over the world
Even then, there were people for whom conscious travel was important, who were looking for local experiences and after intensive research, the label, communication agency and information platform Green Pearls® was founded in 2012. Here, travelers can find sustainable accommodation, green destinations, restaurants, business hotels and projects – worldwide.
All these hoteliers are united by the conviction that tourism should be designed in such a way that future generations can still experience and enjoy tourism. They are all committed to environmental protection and socially responsible travel. As a pioneer starting 2013 with less than a handful of green pearls, Green Pearls® now has 82 partners worldwide.
Partners such as the country of Thailand, with whom they develop concepts to make tourism more environmentally and socially responsible with the idea of tourism that benefits the communities. Green Pearls®, for example, are the small hotels and holiday homes in Piedmont away from the tourist streams, hotels in Austria with the ambitious goal of “import self-sufficiency” or a manor house in Germany that accommodates families and provides for small and large guests alike with maximum.
2019 was a good year for sustainable development. Many people around the world have made a strong case for sustainability. Whether it’s people like Greta Thunberg, Prince Harry, Larry Fink of Blackrock, or issues such as flying ashes, climate change and plastic, or the global Fridays for Future movement, travelers around the world have begun to be more mindful of their environmental impact.
Let us overcome the crisis together and plan your next holiday after Corona in one of the many green pearls worldwide. Support the many people who work every day for a more harmonious coexistence and future for the environment.
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