A client survey by Clarity Business Travel has shown sustainability is not regarded a key priority or a key challenge by travel managers.
The poll of UK customers in both the private and public sector asked travel managers to name their number one focus. Top of the list was cost and budget control (62%), followed by technology (16%) and then people (11%), with value and sustainability at the bottom of the list both at 5%.
When buyers were asked to name their top three challenges, cost and budget control was identified by 93% of buyers, technology by 69%, people by 56%, value by 53% and sustainability by only 22%, the least amount.
Presenting the findings at the TMC’s customer conference in London, Clarity Executive Director Donna Fitzgerald and Lone Konradsen, Head of Customer Insight, said they were both surprised that sustainability was so far down the list.
“Everyone wants to do the right thing with regards to sustainability but they are restrained by costs,” said Fitzgerald.
A deeper dive into sustainability focus showed that the majority of customers are still very much focussing on reporting (78%) rather than taking action (22%).
Carbon reporting (32%) and booker/traveller education (28%) were top of the list, followed by point-of-sale visibility (19%). At the bottom of the table were offsetting solutions (8%), carbon budgeting and demand management (both at 7%) and modal shift at just 1%.
“As the legislation starts to shift from Scope 3 reporting to a reduction requirement, I think we’ll see customer focus shifting from the reporting side to the action side,” said Konradsen. “It’s definitely one to watch.”
