Most travellers will opt for lesser-known destinations in 2020, report reveals

In 2020, over half (54%) of world travellers claim to want to reduce the impact of mass tourism, while 51% will opt for a lesser-known destination in order to lessen their carbon footprint. According to Booking.com’s annual trend report, the first year of the next decade’s big travel trend will all about sustainability.

While “flight-shame” marked 2019 in the world of tourism, 2020 will be the occasion for travellers to prove their conviction while they continue to explore the world. Sixty-six percent of Indians are likely to choose a “second city” destination to avoid mass tourism, and reduce their travel’s carbon footprint, the biggest proportion of this ranking, which questioned 29 nationalities on the question, with Colombians (65%) and the Thai (65%) coming next.

Tourists are also likely to take advantage of mobile apps providing inspiration for their next destinations, with 60% of respondents approving of the concept. And to further reduce the environmental impact of their transportation needs, solutions includes opting for the train.

Almost half of respondents (48%) claim not to mind extending their travel time, notably to be able to take in the landscape (61%). Sixty-four percent would also love to hop aboard a historical train such as the Orient-Express.

Likewise, 62% of travellers would choose a destination combining a maximum of activities to shorten their total trajectories. A very practical initiative that provides further positive impacts on the environment.

Have food will travel

Another aspect dictating travellers’ choices is the possibility to experience new cuisines, with the large proportion of vacationers from each of the countries surveyed who are willing to reserve a table in a specific establishment before their departure proving this point — 87% of Mexicans, 86% of Colombians, 85% of the Thai, and 80% of Argentines.

The independent survey was conducted among a representative panel of adults having travelled over the course of the preceding 12 months or planning to do so in the next 12 months.

A total of 22,000 subjects were interrogated, including 1,000 participants in each of the following countries: Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, China, Brazil, India, the US, the UK, Russia, Indonesia, Colombia and South Korea, and 500 participants from Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Croatia, Taiwan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Sweden, Singapore and Israel. All of the participants took the survey online between August 9 and 28, 2019.

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