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Image Associated to Green Holidays Help Inspire Green Lifestyles

Green Holidays Help Inspire Green Lifestyles

June 28th, 2010

Mazzard Farm Green Tourism Awareness study highlights green credentials merely ‘a nice’ to have for holiday makers

When Green Award winning Mazzard Farm holiday cottages asked its guests to answer a small number of questions to gauge their attitudes to green tourism, support for green tourism appeared rather underwhelming. Asked how important green credentials are when booking their holiday, responses suggest an attitude of ‘nice to have’, rather than ‘very important’ or ‘absolutely key’.

The number one keyword associated with green tourism is, even in 2010, ‘Alternative’, ticked by some three quarters of all respondents. Clustered in joined second place were ‘Basic’, ‘Expensive’ and ‘Attractive’, meaning that just one of the four most listed associations is a positive one. Not one respondent associates ‘Green’ with ‘Luxury’.

More encouraging is the impact green tourism appears to have on people after they have returned home. No less than 30% indicates that their exposure to a green holiday has had a positive impact on their attitudes towards environmental matters.

Commenting on the results, Mazzard Farm owner Ruud Jansen Venneboer opts to focus on the positive: “Of course it is disappointing that, even in 2010, ‘Alternative’ is the first thing that appears to come to mind when people think of a Green Holiday, and that it is still merely a ‘nice to have’. Yet, the fact that many people take home some positive learnings after their stay at a luxury green place like Mazzard Farm highlights that an experience with a different ‘green lifestyle’ can play an important role in educating people, and bringing about change. As such, the tourism sector can help tremendously when it comes to helping to ‘green’ the nation.”

The short survey was conducted online, and sent out in May 2010, to some 150 individuals who recently spent a holiday at Mazzard Farm. 54 people completed the questionnaire.

For more information about Mazzard Farm Holiday Cottages please visit the website:

http://www.mazzardfarm.com