g-Think | Issue 11 | The Travel Survey

The results are in from g-Think’s latest survey – The Travel Survey. g-Think asked several questions that sought to elicit opinions from what people are looking for when they travel to whether or not they are concerned about the environmental impact of their travel.

First, g-Think asked respondents to identify their primary motivation for travel. 47% listed “rest and relaxation” as the primary reason for travel, while 32% opted for “adventure.” Other reasons – “a challenge,” “interaction with others” and “to refocus” were further down the list.

In terms of thinking about the environment impact of their travel, most of the of respondents (68%) fell somewhere in the middle or towards the high end of the scale (“It’s my top concern”). Only 9% said they never think about the environmental impact of their travel.

When considering the impact on the local inhabitants of the places they visit the picture is not so rosy. A full 53% ended up on the lower end of the scale, with 20% saying they never think about this. No one said it was their top concern.

Many hotels and destinations feature certification from an environmental organization (see the article in this issue – The Complex World of Benchmarking). When asked whether or not this affects the choice of where to stay the results were fairly evenly spread along the scale. However, no one listed it as their top concern, while 47% fell somewhere in the middle.

On the question of home-stays, work programs or some other element of giving back/assisting the local community (see the article in this issue – Giving Back While Traveling), 44% said they would definitely consider this, 48% said they might consider it, while only 6% said they were unlikely to or would never consider it.

Finally, g-Think asked responders to state what their most meaningful travel experience was. This question elicited some interesting responses. The range of experiences and the description of them would seem to indicate that a travel experience can be truly life-changing:

“A visit to the pristine wilderness of Tasmania’s Overland Track. It challenged me to greater things than I had ever done before.”

“Living and working in Paris, France for five months when I was 20. It stretched the boundaries of what I thought was possible for me.”

“Burning Man 2005 … it was a collection of environmentally-centered individuals unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. It was the most global even I’ve experienced in America.”

“Niagara Falls – the sheer beauty and power of these falls leaves you feeling totally spell-bound and with a lasting image of romance and delight.”

“New York one year after 9/11 because it was interesting to speak to New Yorkers about their experiences and understand the breadth of the implications from such an event.”

“I’ve stayed with families in Ireland, Spain and France. It makes all the difference in the world to see a place through the eyes of those who live there.”