Sustainable Travel Trends in 2024 – how is the world pivoting to a more responsible future for tourism?

As we enter a new year of travel, it is clear to all those in the industry that sustainability and responsible, ethical travel is only going to continue to grow as a trend.

Off the back of the hottest year on record and an ever-increasing awareness of how global tourism impacts the planet, at Not In The Guidebooks we believe it is the responsibility of both travellers and travel companies to not only minimise the damage they cause to the environment as they explore the world, but to actively protect ecosystems and local communities in the process.

So how are consumers and traders alike pivoting in 2024 to create a more responsible industry? In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the newest sustainability trends in travel that can help inspire businesses, hosts and travellers towards a more sustainable way to get off the beaten track.

What trends can we expect in the travel industry?

It’s clear that in order for the tourism industry to survive, it needs to adapt to the rapidly changing world. From blue sky thinking like sustainable aviation to the locally-focused community based tourism, here are some of the changes happening right now to help us achieve a more sustainable approach to travel.

1.     An Increase in Train Travel

Of all the activities that we, as consumers, undertake over a year, short-haul flights are one of the most carbon intensive. Just one round trip from London to Madrid adds 0.4 tonnes of carbon to your individual footprint, the equivalent of eating a plant-based diet for 6 months.

Clearly then, one of the most effective alterations to our travel habits would be to opt for train travel where possible, as opposed to short-haul flights.

But how is the industry encouraging this change in consumer behaviour?

In France, the government has passed a new bill putting a ban on domestic flights where a 2.5 hour train would complete the same journey. Whilst many critics argue that they may have gone much further with this bill (flights from Marseille to Paris or Lyon are unaffected for example), it is at least a statement of intent that train travel will start to take precedent over aviation.

There have also been moves to expand Europe’s network of high speed and overnight trains, linking more of the continent by rail than ever before. With plans for a Brussels to Prague and an Amsterdam to Barcelona sleeper already well underway, as well as a new Eurostar link to help skiers reach the French Alps from the UK in more responsible manner, it’s clear that continental train travel will be a rising trend in 2024.

2.     The Dawn of Sustainable Flying?

Keeping on the topic our largest carbon output, the search for sustainable air travel has been an ongoing hunt for decades now, with limited practical success.

Because whilst reducing the amount we fly is a good first step towards reducing our carbon footprint, aviation still accounts for 2.1% of the world’s carbon emissions. And no matter how much individuals might opt not to fly, we have to be pragmatic and understand that air travel is here to stay.

In fact, with the exponential growth of the middle classes in countries with huge populations such as China, India and Brazil, the number of air passengers is predicted to grow from 4 billion in 2019 to 8 billion in the next 20 years.

And if we consider the number of livelihoods and economies that rely on global tourism for essential income, our answer to sustainable tourism doesn’t seem to be ‘stop flying’. Sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) are at the forefront of this search for clean air travel, and with Virgin Atlantic completing the very first 100% fossil fuel trans-Atlantic flight, you can expect SAFs and sustainable flying to be an ever growing trend in 2024.