Green Traveler Study Report 2010-11 by Thomas Roth & Doug Gorney, CMI Green.

A detailed and useful survey of 951 respondents, chosen from a larger sample, from across the United States, who consider themselves 'extremely' or 'very' eco-conscious and who took at least one overnight vacation in the past year. The authors, Community Marketing, a leading LGBT marketing consultancy based in San Fransisco, deduce that "there is no green travel market" that it is "ultimately up to the consumer to decide what green travel is" and that green travelers "come in every shade". The survey took place in the summer of 2010, as a follow up to a 2009 study, and did not intend to reflect national census data or distribution but to shed light on the motives and practices of those who do describe themselves as green-travellers. Among the most interesting key findings are the following: there was a 7.5 increase in the number of those who researched and booked greener accommodations, compared to the previous annual survey and voluntourism in particular is rising. While Web 2.0 and social media are becoming more important sources of information. Price remains a central concern, and there is a low tolerance for green premiums. Over 40% of respondents looked for 3rd party certification to verify that a travel supplier is truly environmentally friendly, however 97% of respondents could not remember the name of any green travel certifications!

Peer review travel sites continued to be a dominant influence on travel decisions and social media was twice as important a source of information as advertising for eco-travellers while Internet search-based travel research dropped more than 25%, with social media gaining. An opportunity for green, specialist travel agents. About one in ten had used a "dedicated eco-tourism" website, and one in 6 had purchased carbon offsets. Significantly very few (around 1%) could name specific cruise lines, international hotel chains or car rental brands as environmentally friendly. We hope that future annual editions will put more emphasis and include more questions on grassroots green tourism and communities and fewer on the corporate chains who belatedly try to green (or greenwash) their offerings, and also include some tourism policy-related questions. That said this is clearly a valuable and down to earth contribution to the endless theoretical debate of what green travel is or should be all about, of use to academics and practitioners alike.

• For more details and to request a complimentary .pdf copy of the 150 page report email your request to report[at] CMIgreen.com, including your name, title and organization, or visit http://www.cmigreen.com