Byway releases its impact report today (Credit: Emile / Unsplash)
“I think for some there may even be an allergy towards ‘cookie cutter tourism’,” Jones tells TTG. “One reason Byway has taken off is that the experience density of overland travel is so much greater [than by air].”
The rail specialist has grown passenger numbers three-fold year-on-year since launching in March 2020 to almost 3,400, with 2,305 more passengers travelling with Byway over the past year.
Meanwhile, a survey of its customers over the past year revealed 40% believe they would have flown had they not booked a Byway trip, up from 27% when compared with those asked the same question a year earlier.
Byway’s impact report, released on Tuesday (30 April), reveals travellers opting to travel on a flight-free Byway trip saved more than 750 tonnes of CO2 by not flying to their destinations.
Jones recognises some of those may not have chosen to fly, or even go on holiday at all, but Byway’s survey reveals almost two-thirds of its customers do still fly at least occasionally.
“There is an extraordinary number of customers who don’t have a journey-led mindset when it comes to travel,” Jones says. “It’s getting to know them and introduce them to that newer form of travelling.”
