On July 10, Booking.com Japan announced the results of the 2023 edition of its “Sustainable Travel” survey, which was conducted with over 33,000 travelers in 35 countries and regions.
According to Olivia John, Area Manager for East Japan, 76% of travelers worldwide (56% in Japan) say they want to travel sustainably, while 49% (43% in Japan) see sustainable travel as too costly, yet 43% (22%) are Still, 43% (22%) were willing to pay extra for certified sustainable travel, according to the survey.
To meet these needs in a straightforward manner, the company has developed a certification program called the Sustainable Travel program. The badges are awarded on the booking.com site to accommodations that meet 32 certification criteria, including waste reduction, energy and greenhouse gas reduction, nature preservation, water conservation, and support for local communities. The badges allow users to easily identify sustainable practices when searching for accommodations, and also allow them to narrow down their search to only those accommodations that meet the criteria.
At the beginning of the program, all 32 items had to be cleared, but now there are three levels based on the degree to which they have been cleared, according to the individual circumstances of the accommodation facility and the country or region.
As a concrete example of the program’s efforts, the case of Toyoko Inn, one of the largest business hotel chains in Japan, was introduced. According to Chiyoko Nakazawa, executive director of Toyoko Inn, the total amount of plastic toiletries such as toothbrushes in all guest rooms nationwide is 50,000 tons per year.
The Toyoko Inn is actively involved in its recycling, and the waste plastic it collects is currently being converted into toothbrush cases and trays for its users. However, the cost of this initiative alone is actually quite high, and the company has not been able to keep up with the recycling of the collected waste plastic materials, which have been accumulating. He said that the company is currently in the “birth pains” stage, but will continue to work on this issue.
In addition, the company is selling soda water in aluminum bottles instead of PET bottles, taking advantage of the characteristics of 100% recyclable aluminum, and recycling old uniforms into fiberboard, which can be used to make wall clocks and interior decorations.
In addition, as part of these efforts, the amount of plastic amenities collected is disclosed monthly and reported on in-room TVs and other media. Mr. Nakazawa spoke of the significance of this initiative, saying, “By making it visible, we want users to think of it as a ‘personal matter.
In addition to these initiatives, Akimi Takemura, Regional Director, North Asia, Booking.com Japan, also presented research showing that after the Corona Disaster, searches for destinations within one’s own country are increasing not only in Japan but also worldwide. This trend is expected to increase over 2022, and the focus on nearby travel is expected to increase over the next few years. Nearby areas include Japan and North Asia (defined by the company as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau) for Japanese.
In terms of inbound searches, the company’s ranking of the world’s top searches shows that Japan is currently in fifth place behind London, Paris, Rome, and Barcelona, a significant increase (468.31%) from 68th place in the same period in 2022. Takemura also found that searches from South Korea to Japan have increased 2000% year over year, figures that clearly show that the world’s attention to Japan is increasing.
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