Brits looking for
cheap travel insurance and a cut-price holiday do not have to sacrifice sustainability, it has been claimed.
Jeremy Smith, author for Rough Guides, said there is a common misconception that eco-friendly travel has to be expensive and this has been supported by consumerism in the UK, where things like fair trade foods are sold at a premium, but this does not have to be the case for travel.
He commented: "Staying in a hotel that is responsible doesn't mean that it is more expensive. Staying in a homestay can be one of the cheapest ways to travel that there are."
According to the Co-operative Bank's Ethical Consumerism report that was published in December, expenditure on ethical goods and services has grown almost three-fold in the past ten years.
The report noted spending on eco-travel and transport has increased nine-fold between 1999 and 2008.
However, it remains a small component of ethical expenditure, growing from £175 million in 1999 to £1.7 billion in 2008 - with the overall market for ethical goods in the UK being worth £36 billion.
