The Wall Street Journal - 16.03.2020

R8| Monday, March 16, 2020 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

M

illennialsface an ethical conun-

drum. On the one hand, they ex-

press a desire to travel more

than previous generations. At

the same time, though, they also

are more passionate about the

environment.

Those two things don’t always go well to-

gether.

In fact, as flying comes under increased

scrutiny for its carbon footprint and once-un-

spoiled places grow ever more crowded, many

young adults find themselves struggling to

balance two of their most cherished passions.

It is a challenge Christine Williams and her

partner, Jules Hatfield, face often. Since 2012,

the two have traveled together,

shared their adventures and pro-

moted responsible tourism, building

an online following that reaches

80,000 people on Instagram.

Like many in her generation, the

32-year-old Ms. Williams is trying to

reconcile a yearning to see the world

with her environmental values.

“The only true environmentally

friendly way to travel is to stay at

home,” she says. But traveling also

has a positive side in that it can spur

local economies, she says, and “if you

are having some sort of positive im-

pact then it’s a good thing.”

For many millennials, staying

home isn’t an option. More than one-

third of millennials save only so they

can travel when not working, com-

pared with just 10% of baby boomers,

and one-fifth of millennials say they

are planning to use some of an inheri-

tance to travel around the world, a

survey for The Wall Street Journal

conducted by MarketCast found.

They may not be willing to stay

home, but many millennials will make

trade-offs to stay true to their values

while on the road. And that, travel

experts say, has the potential to re-

shape the travel and tourism industry

in significant ways.

Flight shaming

For instance, frequent travelers are

now confronting a “flight shaming”

movement that encourages people to

fly less to fight climate change. Avia-

tion accounts for more than 2% of

global human-produced carbon-diox-

ide emissions, and is one of the fast-

est-growing sources of CO2, accord-

ing to the European Commission.

The flight-shaming trend may be

more prevalent in Europe than in the

U.S. but it has airlines on both sides

of the Atlantic on alert. Flight sham-

ing could halve air traffic growth in

Europe, while also hitting domestic

flights in the U.S., a UBS survey re-

leased in September showed.

“This issue presents a clear and

present danger if we don’t get on top

of it,” Robin Hayes, chief executive of

JetBlue AirwaysCorp., said on an

earnings conference call in January.

In response, airlines in recent

years have pledged to reduce their

emissions.Delta Air LinesInc. has

committed $1 billion to become car-

bon neutral by 2030, and many global

carriers, including Deutsche Luf-

thansaAG,easyJetPLC andUnited

Airlines HoldingsInc., have ramped

up investments in carbon-offset pro-

grams and fuel-saving technologies.

Airlines are betting such moves

will resonate with millennials, many

of whom aren’t ready to give up their

airline seats but are embracing

greener options whenever possible.

More than half of millennials

choose eco-friendly transportation

and accommodations when traveling,

a 2019 survey from travel commerce

platform Travelport shows. That can

include taking trains instead of

planes and staying in sustainability-

certified hotels, where accommoda-

tions are designed to reduce custom-

ers’ carbon footprints. Here again,

millennials are leading the way com-

pared with other generations, accord-

ing to the survey.

Matthew Kepnes, a 38-year-old

Millennials say they care

about both, and the travel

industry is looking to give

them what they want

travel writer, says there are things

travelers can do “that can have a

strong impact on reducing your car-

bon emissions.” For instance, he says

he tries to avoid animal tourism and

brings a refillable water bottle when

traveling to avoid plastic waste.

Dark side of Instagram

The rise of social media-fueled tour-

ism also poses environmental chal-

lenges. Many millennial travelers get

their inspiration from social networks,

creating a competition as to who can

post the best pictures—to the detri-

ment of the environment.

“People want that perfect Insta-

gram photo and they will go off trails

to get it,” says Ms. Williams.

Competing for the best picture can

transform unspoiled places into

crowded, touristy ones. Mount Ever-

est, once unaffected by tourism, has

suffered from hundreds of climbers

discarding their trash on the slopes

every year as they attempt the treach-

erous trek, leading officials to an-

nounce a ban on single-use plastics in

the region.

With the U.N. World Tourism Or-

ganization forecasting a 3% to 4% in-

crease in international tourist arrivals

world-wide in 2020, and many millen-

nials wanting to travel in a more sus-

tainable way, some experts see an op-

portunity for tours, accommodations

and destinations labeled as green.

The challenge will be to identify the

places and business that are actually

green, as opposed to those that claim

to be. “It is easy to fall for hotels that

are saying they are eco-friendly and

they are not really,” Ms. Williams says.

Ms. BugaultisareporterforDow

Jones Newswires in Barcelona. Email

her [email protected].

BYOLIVIABUGAULT

Travel vs.Environmentalism:

Which Passion Gets Top Billing?

JOURNAL REPORT |MILLENNIALS & MONEY

CHRISTINE WILLIAMS AND JULES HATFIELD

Jules Hatfield and Christine Williams travel together, including visiting the Angkor Wat

temple complex in Cambodia in 2015, and promote responsible tourism.

35%

Young adults who

save only so they

can travel when

not working

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