Peter Long, the chief executive of TUI Travel, welcomed Britons’ commitment to taking a summer break yesterday as he revealed that 90 per cent of his customers were looking to get away despite the economic gloom.

He said that a holiday remained a priority for people and that they would rather cut back on eating out and spending on big DIY projects than holidays.

He would do as well to champion TUI’s green credentials, as the latest in a series of exclusive surveys for The Times shows that, increasingly, holidaymakers are taking the environment into account when choosing where to go on holiday.

A Populus survey reveals that 78 per cent of those heading abroad take into account whether a holiday is “responsible” or “eco-friendly” when deciding where to book their trip.

Nearly two thirds – 65 per cent – consider whether their destinations can be reached by train or boat in an attempt to lessen their carbon footprint. The survey also found that more than 70 per cent would consider taking more holidays in the UK in the future to help the environment.

Giles Gibbons, managing director of the consultancy Good Business, says: “The Costa del Sol approach to putting up an apartment block and not worry[ing] about the area you are in is no longer good enough.

“People are looking far more at their holiday from an environmental perspective.”

Center Parcs is judged as one of the best tour operators in terms of overall appeal and its perceived work in tackling social and environmental issues, reflecting its efforts at blending in with the woodland around its sites.

The group has also introduced low energy light bulbs and used rainwater in toilet cisterns to save about 11 million litres of water each year, a bonus in the eyes of some consumers.

Virgin Holidays, which recruits the vast majority of its overseas staff from local communities, takes second place to Center Parcs when judged on its success in tackling social issues.

The company donates 50p from every holiday sold through its Worldwide brochure to Tourism Concern, the agency that fights exploitation in the tourism industry.

Despite this, more than 80 per cent of those surveyed still feel that holiday companies could do more to tackle social and environmental concerns.

First Choice, one of TUI’s British brands, scores only 2.64 out of five on addressing green issues. This follows TUI’s warning last year to its hotels that it would be enforcing minimum environmental standards.

Mark Warner, the holiday company linked to the Praia da Luz complex where Madeleine McCann disappeared in Portugal, scores the lowest out of the all the tour operators surveyed by Populus.

Just over 90 per cent of holidaymakers feel that information on health and safety standards is the most useful to have when booking a holiday, but 88 per cent feel that the impact the holiday will have on the local community is as important. Four out of five would also like to see a form of labelling that provides the total carbon footprint of an overseas trip.

— The economic slowdown is changing buying habits as more consumers put value for money ahead of ethical issues. Populus said the proportion who would try to buy the most environmentally friendly products had fallen to 63 per cent from 69 per cent in December, while those driven by value for money rose 6 per cent to 37 per cent over the same period.