Sustainable tourism trends: why eco initiatives are a necessity for your short-term rental business

Every year, sustainability becomes more and more urgent for travellers around the world. A rapidly growing number of tourists and business travellers are committing to green travel. And of course, eco friendly accommodation is always a high priority for those choosing to travel more responsibly.

The appetite for eco friendly travel will only grow. If you’re a short-term rental operator looking to future-proof your vacation rental business, now is the time to adopt more sustainable practices. Read on to discover how you can prepare for the eco friendly travel trends that are informing the short-term rental market.

Embedding sustainability into the core of your short-term lets might sound like a daunting task. But never fear! With small measures you can start making some big changes. Take a look at the EnviroRental Roadmap to discover what your first step might be.

How do you measure up to your guests’ green expectations and your competitors’ eco delivery?

Anticipate the sustainable travel trends of the future

“It’s increasingly evident that eco-friendly, sustainable and responsible travel is much more than a trend. It must become the industry standard.”
– Booking.com Sustainable Travel Report 2022

According to Booking.com, more than one-third of travellers already look at the sustainability efforts of a vacation property before they book. In addition, 78% of travellers intend to stay in a sustainable property at least once in the coming year. That’s a huge slice of your target market who are prioritising sustainability initiatives in their hunt for holiday accommodation. When it comes to sustainability, guest expectations are continuously rising. In this sense, green initiatives are similar to WiFi. A few years ago, WiFi was a bonus extra in holiday accommodation. Now, reliable WiFi is the bare minimum.

Similarly, whilst separate recycling bins might have earned you eco points a few years ago, they’re now way below the bare minimum that guests expect. Travellers want their eco friendly vacations to incorporate deep-rooted sustainable practices.

Guests’ eco expectations are continuously evolving, and hosts’ sustainability action must continue to evolve with them.

How booking sites are responding to eco tourism trends

Online travel agencies (AKA, the OTAs: Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, etc.) are responding to the growing demand for green holiday accommodation. Each moving sustainable stays higher up the agenda.

Airbnb’s Sustainable Hosting Plan

Airbnb is responding by actively helping short-term rental operators to make sustainable changes. This year, it launched its Sustainable Hosting Plan, which includes a £1 million fund to help UK hosts make their properties more energy efficient.

Airbnb knows that energy efficiency improvements help short-term rental operators to cut their carbon emissions, and to save costs in the long-term. However, the initial investment can be a difficult hurdle to overcome. That’s why they’re providing grants of up to £3,000 to help hosts take the first step.

Why not see if you’re eligible for funding? You can read up on the requirements and register your interest here.

The benefits of sustainability for a short-term rental business

If you don’t continually re-examine how your accommodation can become more sustainable, you’ll always be playing catch-up. You’ll find yourself lagging behind the demands of sustainable travellers, and struggling to keep up with your competition.

In contrast, a sustainable short-term rental business is a business that looks to the future. It: 

• monitors sustainable travel market intelligence
• takes inspiration from other businesses
• always plans for the long-term

If you can begin to adopt these strategies, you’ll start to see a whole range of benefits:

• Boost your OTA rankings with badges certifying your eco credentials
• Stay a step ahead of your competition 
• Build a robust, profitable business, ready for whatever the future has to throw at it

Your next step towards eco friendly status

And yet, all of this is easier said than done, right?

Perhaps, but we’re willing to bet that a lot of these changes aren’t as difficult or as expensive as they initially appear to be. If you’re just starting out on your eco journey – as many of us are – take a look at EnviroRental’s Sustainability Roadmap. You’ll find a host of achievable steps to take as your starting point.

If you’re further along in your sustainability journey, the Roadmap still provides a useful structure. You can break your project down into two main steps:

1. Re-evaluate your current initiatives: if you implemented a sustainable strategy two, five, or even ten years ago, and you haven’t revisited it since, chances are that it’s out of date. How can you build on it so that it meets guests’ expectations today?
2. Look to the future: for every change you make today, consider how it fits into your long-term sustainability plan. How will you continue to build on the work you’re doing today, so that it still serves you and your guests tomorrow?

If you can answer these questions for each sustainable action you take, you’ll set yourself up for green success in the years to come.

The benefits of sustainability for a short-term rental business

If you don’t continually re-examine how your accommodation can become more sustainable, you’ll always be playing catch-up. You’ll find yourself lagging behind the demands of sustainable travellers, and struggling to keep up with your competition.

In contrast, a sustainable short-term rental business is a business that looks to the future. It: 

• monitors sustainable travel market intelligence
• takes inspiration from other businesses
• always plans for the long-term

If you can begin to adopt these strategies, you’ll start to see a whole range of benefits:

• Boost your OTA rankings with badges certifying your eco credentials
• Stay a step ahead of your competition 
• Build a robust, profitable business, ready for whatever the futurehas to throw at it

EnviroRental: Your guide to a  sustainable vacation rental business

If you’re looking for concrete guidance on how you can establish eco-friendly practices in a meaningful way, you’ve come to the right place At EnviroRental we provide a wide range of practical resources and green ideas to help you make your short-term rental business purposefully sustainable.The EnviroRental Sustainability Roadmap walks you through a series of actionable steps that will help you transform your holiday accommodation business. No matter how many properties you operate, or how green your practices currently are, you’ll find manageable suggestions to get you started.

In addition, you can also access:

• inspiring case studies from STR operators who’ve overcome the challenges you’re facing
• tools to help you measure your progress
• webinars with short-term rental sustainability experts
• the latest reports, surveys, and data
• …and much more!

Guests’ expectations of an eco-friendly stay are rising and your competitors are upping their green game. How will you respond and make your business more sustainable?