Sustainable Travel 2021 – A Review

Has the pandemic increased awareness of sustainability among holidaymakers? What was particularly important to guests in 2021 and what did hoteliers and holiday home providers do to convince guests of their sustainable offers? We asked some of our Green Pearls® partners how they feel the development of green tourism progressed throughout 2021.

Interest in sustainable accommodation has increased in 2021

The awareness around sustainability has increased significantly, especially with regard to regional tourism, which is a point that Kristin Vogel, Head of Marketing Mawell Resort Langenburg, notes. Guests are (re)discovering their home countries and the many great things they have to offer, and this is reflected both by longer stays along with a greater interest in regionality. In the restaurant sector, a strong increase in demand for vegetarian and vegan alternatives as well as regional and seasonal dishes is noticeable, adds Vanessa Baumann, Marketing & Sales Mawell Resort. The trend towards more plant-based dishes and healthier options has also been seen by Tammy Gan, Marketing Communication Manager of Gili Lankanfushi in the Maldives, “More and more guests are travelling with a stronger social and sustainable awareness. For example, they stay longer in one place and make fewer trips per year.”

Marion Müller from the Lifestylehotel SAND on the Baltic Sea does not believe that the pandemic has greatly changed the awareness of sustainability among her target group, but has definitely strengthened it. Due to the travel restrictions, however, there was also demand from guests who are not normally concerned about sustainability.

Domestic tourism on the rise

Travel restrictions and an increased need for safety have made many people prefer to holiday in their own country. Ilona Jeckelmann, Project & Marketing Manager of CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt, is pleased to see the increase in the awareness that one's own homeland has a lot to offer. As has the appreciation of local products and crafts. Fabienne Anthamatten, hostess of the Hotel Bella Vista Zermatt, confirms this: "Most of our guests are currently Swiss. And there we notice that there is a great appreciation for our sustainable thinking and actions in the business. However, we are explicitly appealing to sustainably-minded guests with our offer. We very much hope that 2022 will allow even more international tourists to find their way to Zermatt.

The high appreciation for sustainable accommodation from local guests has also given Schloss Wartegg on Lake Constance a healthy number of bookings. Richard Butz is sure that in the coming year, too, the hotel will be filled primarily by domestic tourists who value a safe and personalised journey, the hotel's hygiene concept, the beautiful nature and good, healthy food. The hotel is therefore currently hiring more staff. With a spacious marquee planned for aperitifs and small celebrations, Schloss Wartegg will also continue to provide an alternative to indoor celebrations in the long term.

Wellness & health were the winners of the year

The high demand for people to be able to simply switch off and take some time out for themselves has led to an enormous popularity in wellness and healthcare offers. Natural cosmetics, soothing massages, yoga and fasting offers were very well booked by all Green Pearls^® partners at the end of the year. Fabienne Anthamatten is therefore very pleased that the Hotel Bella Vista was able to expand its wellness area during 2021: “With the addition of our Arvenstube with waterbeds, the Alpine Spa Bella Vita is now complete and geared towards nature-conscious guests seeking relaxation.” The Naturresort Schindelbruch also appeals to this clientele with its brand new Landresidenz, which includes four private spa suites.

The Berghotel Rehlegg also boasts an update: the hotel has used the lockdown period to develop its own herbal cosmetics line. These are produced in-house under the strict conditions of the European Cosmetics Regulation. For the health of their guests, all mattresses in the hotel were also replaced. Every room now has Hästens mattresses, made entirely from sustainably sourced natural materials.

High demand for personalise offers

Holidays in your own holiday home or appartment: the trend of living the day according to your own rhythm and being independent of predefined hotel structures has strengthened in 2021 and will continue to do so in 2022 according to our Green Pearls® partners. No matter whether in front of an impressive mountain panorama, as with the Summit Lodges Pfunds and the holiday appartments of The Peak Sölden furnished in stylish alpine style, or the original holiday home complex MANOAH Häuser am See in Thüringen. The demand, especially for high-quality accommodation that fits authentically into its surroundings and offers a natural experience, is growing strongly. Günter Beer from the Pou de Glac holiday home near the French border and the Costa Brava notes: "We were able to realise our vision of sustainably built accommodation in the middle of nature and have already noticed after the first few months in operation that we have hit our mark. Our guests not only appreciate the secluded location and the historical ambience of the former estate, but are also very interested in our sustainable energy concept and the environmentally friendly restoration works.

Some of the Green Pearls hotel partners who offer separate accommodation units on the hotel grounds, such as the Hotel Sturm in the Rhoen Mountains with its kitchen house located in the middle of the hotel garden or the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA, also focus on the trending topic of individuality and independence. Stephan Bode, Managing Director of the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA confirms the high number of reservations of the self-sufficient accommodation units next to the main hotel and adds: “The demand for our flats was extremely high this year. We notice that guests, of course, still like to take advantage of the hotel's offers and want to be pampered in the wellness area or in the restaurant.”

Sustainability also scores in the luxury segment

The fact that ‘pampering’ and individuality go hand in hand is also evident in the luxury segment. Offers such as the LENI MOUNTAIN Chalet in Sölden, which includes its own natural swimming pond, sauna area and concierge service, or the villas of the Keemala on Phuket with their own pool were very well booked in 2021 – for as long as travel restrictions allowed. Tamm Gan from the sustainable luxury resort Gili Lankansfushi in the Maldives says: "In view of the ongoing pandemic, we have noticed that the demand for holiday destinations with open spaces has increased significantly. We have also seen that more and more families are booking together with us - travelling together but wanting to stay separately. However, there are also individual travellers who want to escape the stress of their everyday lives who have increasingly returned to enjoy what we have to offer.”

“We were able to score points this year, especially with the resort's generous space, plenty of privacy and our 'Mindful Luxury' concept. For our conscious interaction with nature and individual offers, we have received a lot of encouragement and were able to record an excellent booking situation, especially in summer,” explains to Denis Martin, General Manager of the 5* star Maslina Resort on the Croatian island of Hvar.

Trust and authenticity convince in all areas

The transparency of services, the appreciation of nature and a social togetherness are appreciated by guests of all sustainable accommodations. Kristin Okelmann from the eco-hotel Okelmann's is also of this opinion and summarises the development as follows: “More and more guests who are very interested in sustainability and have a corresponding lifestyle are coming to stay with us. In 2022, a sound hygiene and safety concept, a responsible approach to the pandemic, sustainability and individuality will continue to count. Nature, tranquillity and short travel distances have played a large role this year and will continue to do so next year.”

In part two of this newsletter on December 15, 2021, you can read about the trends in sustainable travel that the Green Pearls^® partners see in 2022.