The environmental impact of aviation is not new news. Aviation emissions have
doubled since the
mid-1980s, growing
hand-in-hand with the tourism
industry.
But it wasn’t until teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg popularized the
flygskam (flight shaming)
movement
in 2019 that public sentiment in staying grounded went mainstream.
According to a survey conducted by
Swiss bank UBS in late 2019 of 6,000 people in Germany, France, the
United Kingdom and the United States, 21 percent of people had reduced
how often they were flying. But interest only goes so far within the tourism
industry, which has long been driven by the ability to easily and affordably hop
on a plane to just about anywhere on the planet.
“For many people it was just a curiosity rather than a practical alternative;
but when the pandemic hit and flights were grounded, it felt like the perfect
opportunity to bring people back to travel in a new direction,” said Catherine
Livesley, founder and director of No Fly Travel
Club.
It may have taken
COVID-19 to put a hard
and fast stop on flight travel, but during the pandemic pause, a more mindful
approach
to the tourism industry began to take shape. The perfect storm of the climate
crisis, travel trends focused on slower-paced and locally oriented experiences,
and pandemic-related restrictions has resulted in a wave of flight-free
offerings specifically intended to keep people out of the sky.
“We were certainly seeing signs of shifting consumer expectations pre-pandemic;
but COVID does seem to have accelerated these trends, alongside a heightened
awareness and desire to support local experiences, products, and businesses,”
said Jeremy Sampson, CEO at The Travel
Foundation and chair of the Future of
Tourism Coalition. “Of course, it remains to
be seen if sentiment will translate to action and all-important purchase
decisions as recovery takes hold; but companies are doubling down on these
trends in anticipation.”
Asian destination management company Khiri
Travel
is currently rolling out its new product line, Rediscovering The Art of Slow
Travel, in response to increased traveler interest in cultural immersion while
supporting its commitment to operate as a carbon-neutral company. Its seven
itineraries — one for each of the seven destinations in which it works — include
no regional or domestic flights, rely on public transportation when possible,
are at least 15 days long, and emphasize less-developed destinations and
sustainable accommodation options. “The new itineraries are intentionally
designed to provide clients with the opportunity to lower their carbon footprint
when traveling,” said Nia Klatte, the company’s regional sustainability
coordinator.
Similarly, Exodus Travels recently announced it was including rail travel
from the UK as part of 18 of its escorted tours aligned with its science-based
climate target to halve its
carbon footprint per passenger by 2030. As part of its decarbonization
strategy, Intrepid
Travel
is also removing all flights under 90 minutes from its top 50 trips, where
possible, by the end of 2022. Additionally, Intrepid released 25 new walking
tours and 15 new cycling tours around the world over the past year, which suit
the needs of travelers seeking active, outdoor adventures after months of indoor
quarantining, as well.
While many well-established travel companies relying on international travelers
were forced to close their doors over the past 18 months, those embracing
grounded experiences fared well. Livesley established No Fly Travel Club — which
curates experience-focused European rail trips — in January 2021 and said
response has been overwhelmingly positive: “It really feels like change is in
the air, and we are simply providing the options that people have wanted for
some time.”
Cat Jones, who founded flight-free agency Byway
in March 2020, said her company has also been overwhelmed with interest.
“The response has been exceptionally amazing. Better than we could have ever
expected, to be honest,” she said. Byway is not actively marketing its offerings
but UK-based travelers, in particular, have been clamoring for outdoor
adventures and crowd-free destinations: “The biggest challenge for us is scaling
really, really quickly in response to the demand.”
Just as flight-free trips have held up in the face of travel restrictions,
establishing these offerings now may also buffer tour companies from fees levied
on the aviation industry in the future. While airlines have started to focus
more heavily on decarbonization
efforts,
it is far from reaching a carbon-neutral
future.
According to a recent article published by
Skift,
the European Union’s executive Commission is discussing whether to strip
European airlines of a tax break on jet fuel. Additionally, it might phase out
free CO2 permits by 2026. Both of these could force airlines to pass additional
costs onto consumers.
“Of course, there are situations where people have to fly. However, I do believe
that those of us who can make a choice have a duty to make a responsible one.
That could be traveling less often and staying longer, or it could be choosing
alternative transportation options,” Livesley said. “It is a mindset change as
much as it is a practical one: This is not giving up travel; this is changing
our expectations of travel.”
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JoAnna Haugen is a writer, speaker and solutions advocate who has worked in the travel and tourism industry for her entire career. She is also the founder of Rooted — a solutions platform at the intersection of sustainable tourism, social impact and storytelling. A returned US Peace Corps volunteer, international election observer and intrepid traveler, JoAnna helps tourism professionals decolonize travel and support sustainability using strategic communication skills.
Published Jul 19, 2021 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST