Green Tourism Gone 'From Niche Idea to Mainstream'

Green tourism has gone from a niche idea to being a mainstream one, according to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

A spokesperson for the association added that the industry has made its own inroads into the green holiday market and noted that the idea has taken off "very quickly".

Frances Tuke, of ABTA, said: "In order for the industry to make any difference it has led itself and made its own inroads.

"It needs to be very easy for people to make these kinds of choices, so accreditation schemes are a really good idea for companies to show to customers what they are doing."

He added that although public awareness of green issues is now very high, it is something that people do not really want to be reminded of when they are on holiday.

A Mintel report published in January 2007, revealed that over one million environmentally responsible holidays were taken in 2006.

However, although these holidays were worth a total of £409 million they accounted for just 1.2 per cent of the UK travel market.

Destinations News posted on 07/04/2008 08:07:13