New insights reveal into how sustainability is shaping travel decisions worldwide, according to data from the Holafly eSIM & Travel Report, which says 42% of travellers surveyed say they actively take steps to travel more responsibly, highlighting a growing awareness of environmental impact among global explorers. However, the data also reveals a clear hierarchy between intention and decision-making.
While responsible travel behaviours are increasingly common, only 22.5% of travellers rank sustainability among their top priorities when planning a trip, suggesting that environmental considerations often compete with more immediate factors such as price, weather conditions or convenience.
This gap between values and practical choices reflects a broader trend across the travel industry: travellers widely support sustainable tourism in principle, but translating those intentions into booking decisions remains complex. Many travellers express the desire to reduce their environmental footprint, yet affordability, accessibility and overall travel experience still tend to shape final choices.
“The message from travellers is clear: people want to make responsible choices, but those choices need to be simple and accessible,” says Daniela Prado, Brand Director at Holafly. “Sustainability will only scale when responsible options are seamlessly integrated into the travel experience. When travellers don’t have to choose between convenience and environmental awareness, that’s when meaningful change begins to happen.”
Industry research reinforces this dynamic. According to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the majority of travellers express concern about the environmental impact of tourism, yet cost and convenience remain the most influential factors in destination selection.
Holafly notes that product replaces traditional physical SIM cards, thereby contributing to reducing emissions linked to production, packaging and global distribution. Based on Holafly estimations, each eSIM can prevent approximately 114.7 grams of CO₂ compared to the production of a traditional SIM card. Scaled across more than 15 million eSIMs sold worldwide, this translates into over 1,700 tonnes of CO₂ emissions avoided.
As the travel sector enters a new phase shaped by climate awareness and evolving traveller expectations, the challenge for the industry is clear, says Holafly: turning environmental values into practical, seamless choices that travelers can adopt without friction.
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