As some 90 Ryanair flights are being cancelled today and tomorrow due to the third pilot strike in a month, a growing number of people is taking the time to travel more mindfully.
Concerns about sustainability are gaining momentum, as are issues of mass tourism and international conflict, leading to some people feeling like it is impossible to travel without compromising their environmental and moral conscience.
"Generation Y and Z are increasingly and intensely concerned with sustainability issues. If destinations, airlines or companies cannot give assurances about sustainability, an increasing number of people opt not to travel to that destination or with that company," Jan Van der Borg, tourism management professor at KU Leuven, told The Brussels Times.
"There really is a shift towards more sustainable travel behaviour," he said, adding that holidaymakers are also becoming more attuned to (global) politics.
"People have been cancelling trips to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine whilst others are thinking twice about holidaying in Italy after the right-wing government took power. Some have sworn never to travel to Israel because they do not want to support a government that they feel is oppressing Palestinians."
In general, tourists are becoming "more choosy," noted Van der Borg, adding that this growing moral conscience is a positive development even if it is not universal: "The majority of travellers are still sticking to their previous (pre-pandemic) travel habits, not really taking any of these factors into account when booking vacations."
What about you? Which factors do you take into account when booking a holiday? Let @Maajtee know!
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1. Ryanair pilot strike: 88 flights cancelled on Monday and Tuesday at Charleroi Airport
Out of the 340 flights scheduled at Brussels' Charleroi Airport, 88 have been cancelled on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 August due to the strike by Belgium-based Ryanair pilots. Read more.
2. 'Growing moral conscience': Are travellers avoiding destinations for ethical reasons?
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5. At least 51 Belgians died abroad last month
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