OTTAWA, ON.—Since its inception the Green Key Eco-Rating Program has watched the lodging industry gradually embrace and embed a culture of sustainability into its daily operations. This move towards greener practices is resonating with Canadian business and leisure travelers as noted by the Hotel Association of Canada in their annual Travel Intentions Survey released earlier this month.
For the past six years the survey has been evaluating sustainable trends and the growing value of green options to both business and leisure travelers. Environmental certifications such as the Green Key Eco-Rating Program took a dramatic leap this year with 44 percent of Canadian business travelers indicating a certification as important, up 18 percent over 2013 numbers. Those from the Atlantic region (53 percent) found it the most important, followed closely by B.C. (48 percent). Three percent more leisure travelers over last year said environmental certification programs are important to them. This value is up seven percent over the past five years.
In addition to environmental certification programs, respondents were also asked about hypo-allergenic rooms and the selection of green products, such as bathroom amenities. In the leisure travel group, 56 percent indicated the availability of hypo-allergenic rooms as important, an increase of four percent since 2012. A selection of green products is also important to leisure travelers at 33 percent and 43 percent.
Amongst the business set, 43 percent of respondents indicated they feel the availability of green products is important, a number that is up by seven percent over last year. Business travelers (50 percent) from the province of Quebec place the most value on green products.
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