Posts by Diane Clarkson from April 22, 2008

Diane Clarkson | April 22, 2008, 05:30 PM
Going Green

Many providers within the travel industry are trying to facilitate travel decisions for environmentally concerned travelers. Check out Orbitz’s section on energy-efficient hotels and Expedia’s “Going Green” store.

Hybrid car rentals, volunteer vacations and carbon offset programs are all a part of the travel industry’s efforts to go green. There are varying levels of cynicism about the travel industry’s “green”; on one hand, it may be facilitating travel booking in ways that will be less harmful to our environment and, on the other hand, the number of people who will stay at an eco-lodge is pretty small and cynics would ask if this is all a marketing ploy.

We will have a report coming up soon looking at US online travelers’ attitudes and behaviours around “green” travel. We’ll address the pendulum of cynicism in that report. Until then, happy Earth Day.