LOCAL travellers are keeping an eye on the environment when they book holidays, with a sharp increase in people looking to reduce their carbon footprint.
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New data released by Booking.com shows 73 per cent of people think about the environment when planning time away, which is a 51 per cent increase on the year before.
The new trend isn't restricted to city slickers either, with Tamworth travel agent Chris Watson confirming he had noticed people becoming more environmentally conscious.
"We've definitely seen an interest in people being more conscious of where they're going and their impact on the environment," he said.
"It's not just something consumers are pushing, it's something some of the brands are pushing as well, with some companies trying to go completely carbon neutral and other companies like QANTAS starting to reward consumers for offsetting their carbon offprint."
According to Booking.com, there are now more than 100,000 properties worldwide that are recognised for their sustainability efforts, indicating destinations also view sustainability as a drawcard.
While it may sometimes come at a higher cost, 24 per cent of people said they are willing to pay extra in order to limit their environmental impact.
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However, people's thirst for travel is slightly cancelling out efforts to be more environmentally friendly.
Statistics show 29 per cent of people feel guilty about travelling via airplane due to its impact on the environment. But Mr Watson said they are often still using that mode of travel, and making up for it in other ways.
"I think with so many aircraft, with people starting to look at travel, we're definitely going to have an impact on the environment," Mr Watson said.
"But people are trying to find ways that they don't impact it as much as they have in the past, and we're definitely seeing a lot of people trying to offset their carbon footprint."
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