Booking.com’s 11th annual research report into consumer attitudes and understanding of the social and environmental impact of travel reveals an unexpected generational paradox.
Amongst the aggregated insights of 32,500 travellers across 35 markets globally, 84% of the Canadian travellers of all age groups said that more sustainable travel is important or very important to them.
Yet, at the same time, younger generations express stronger sustainability intentions but take fewer practical actions, while older generations demonstrate a greater commitment through concrete behaviors.
Travel actions speak louder than words
Although roughly half (53%) of the North American Boomer survey respondents (aged 61+), say they want to travel more sustainably in the coming 12 months, compared to 57% of Gen Xers (45-60), 72% of Millennials (29-44) and 78% of Gen Z (18-28), research shows that older generations are more action oriented than younger ones.
- Of those who intend to travel more sustainably over the next year, 69% of North American Boomers say they will reduce general waste when travelling compared to 59% of Gen X, 50% of Millennials and 51% of Gen Z.
- 57% of North American Boomers intend to reduce energy consumption (such as turning off air conditioning and lights in their room when they aren’t there), compared to 51% of Gen X, 40% of Millennials and 42% of Gen Z.
- 63% of North American Boomers say they will shop more at local, independent stores on their trips compared to 55% of Gen X, 46% of Millennials, and 54% of Gen Z.
- And perhaps, unsurprisingly, older generations were much more likely to report plans to travel outside of peak season: Boomers (67%), Gen X (51%), Millennials (38%) and Gen Z (40%).
That said, there are some areas where younger generations lead on more sustainable behaviours, particularly when it comes to learning about local cultures, indigenous communities or the conservation of wildlife:
- Nearly a third of Gen Z (31%) and Millennials (28%) had participated in a tour or activity where they learned about or interacted with local indigenous people or cultures, compared to 18% of Gen X and 21% of Boomers in the last twelve months.
- And a quarter of Millennials (25%), plus 21% of Gen Z had participated in a tour or activity that contributed to the health or conservation of the local ecosystem or wildlife, compared to 14% of Gen X and 11% of Boomers.
Extreme weather
While generations may differ on what they say versus what they do, extreme weather is becoming a significant consideration for all age groups of travellers. Three quarters (74%) of Canadian survey respondents said they consider extreme weather risk when choosing both destination and timing (78%). 65% say they actively avoid destinations known for extreme weather, 49% find extreme weather stressful when booking a trip and 53% feel unpredictable weather makes it hard to know when to travel.
Strikingly, a quarter of Canadian travellers (24%) reported having cancelled or changed trip plans in the past twelve months due to extreme weather or natural disasters (e.g. high temperatures, storms, wildfires, floods, etc.). 50% of all those surveyed said that certain destinations had become too hot to travel to when they wanted to visit them, and that they had removed destinations from their travel wish list due to news of extreme weather or natural disasters (43%).
Broader understanding
With over a third of each North American age group saying they plan to stay at an accommodation which has a sustainability certification in the next 12 months – Boomers (41%), Gen X (40%), Millennials (39%) and Gen Z (36%) – the efforts properties are making to operate more sustainably is, in fact, of equal importance across all ages. And it’s not just intent, recently released data shows that travellers booked 100 million room nights at properties with a third-party sustainability certification in 2025 on Booking.com.
Alongside staying at properties that have a sustainability certification, and well-known behaviours like reducing waste, energy consumption, and avoiding harm to wildlife, making conscious decisions about the timing and destination of trips are part of a broader understanding of how people plan to travel more sustainably in 2026.
46% of Canadian travellers say they plan to avoid overcrowded tourist destinations (up 18% YoY), 48% plan to travel outside of peak season (up 15% YoY), and 25% will seek out destinations with cooler temperatures. Of those choosing quieter destinations, 43% state a desire to avoid contributing to overtourism, and 29% of those travelling outside of peak season want to reduce pressure on destinations, in line with a growing understanding of the impact of travel on communities as well as the environment.
“This year’s Travel & Sustainability Report shows that while generations may have different understandings of what constitutes more sustainable travel, adapting to extreme weather and actively avoiding crowds are now norms at all ages,” says Danielle D’Silva, Director of Sustainability, Booking.com.
She adds, “We are encouraged by the broad range of ways travellers are already traveling more sustainably, and how they plan to continue. Whether that’s the 100 million room nights travellers booked with accommodation partners displaying a third-party sustainability certification on our platforms in 2025, using public transport or hiring an electric vehicle to get around on their trips, or indeed, choosing cooler and quieter destinations altogether.”
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