Ecotourism Guide: How to Travel Sustainably and Cut Your Trip's Impact

What ecotourism actually means

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) defines ecotourism as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education," a definition the organization adopted in 2015. The education part is meant to apply to visitors, staff and the local community alike, not just tourists.

TIES organizes the concept around three linked goals: conservation, using tourism revenue as an economic incentive to protect biodiversity and cultural heritage; communities, building local jobs and business capacity; and interpretation, creating genuine understanding of nature and local culture rather than passive sightseeing.

Ecotourism is a subset of the wider idea of "sustainable tourism." The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines sustainable tourism more broadly as tourism that "takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities," according to the United Nations' own summary of the sector. The UN links tourism to specific Sustainable Development Goal targets: creating decent jobs that support local culture (SDG 8.9), monitoring tourism's sustainability impacts (SDG 12.b), and increasing economic benefits for small island and least-developed-country economies (SDG 14.7).

Why it matters: tourism's environmental footprint

A study published in Nature Climate Change in May 2018, covering 160 countries, found that global tourism's carbon footprint was far larger than previously estimated — between 3.9 and 4.5 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent in the 2009-2013 period studied, or roughly 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a summary of the research by Carbon Brief. That was described as about four times higher than earlier estimates.

The same research found the growth in tourism emissions was driven more by rising demand for goods, food and services at destinations than by air travel alone. About half of the total footprint came from travel between countries with a per-capita GDP above $25,000, and small island destinations such as the Maldives, Mauritius and Cyprus showed the highest per-traveler emissions, linked largely to luxury accommodation and services. The researchers projected emissions could reach 5 to 6.5 billion tonnes CO2-equivalent by 2025 if trends continued, per the Carbon Brief summary.

How travelers are already changing behavior

Booking.com's Travel and Sustainability Report, published on 20 April 2026 and based on a survey of 32,500 travelers across 35 markets, found that concerns about crowding and extreme weather are now shaping trip planning at every age group.

A separate, earlier Booking.com report (covering 2024, surveying 31,550 respondents in 34 markets) found 75% of global travelers said they wanted to travel more sustainably over the following 12 months, suggesting the share expressing this intent has grown in the newer survey.

A step-by-step guide to traveling more sustainably

1. Pick your timing and destination deliberately: traveling outside peak season or choosing less-crowded alternatives reduces strain on popular sites — a behavior now reported by 42-43% of travelers surveyed by Booking.com in 2026.
2. Check for real third-party certification, not just marketing language. Sustainable Travel International advises looking for internationally recognized labels such as Green Key, Travelife, Green Globe, EarthCheck, TourCert or Blue Flag, because a self-designed "eco" label with no independent audit is not equivalent to third-party verification.
3. Be skeptical of vague eco-claims. Sustainable Travel International recommends looking past buzzwords like "eco-friendly" or "green" and instead asking for specific actions — renewable energy use, single-use plastic elimination, or concrete waste and water figures.
4. Ask operators and accommodations direct questions: what share of staff are local hires, do they support community projects, and what specific policies exist for energy, water and waste management, per Sustainable Travel International's guidance.
5. Verify claims on the ground. Look for evidence such as refillable toiletries or working recycling systems rather than posters alone, since Sustainable Travel International notes that waste bins can be present even when the waste is not actually separated at disposal.
6. Favor community-based operators where possible, in line with the TIES principle that tourism revenue should build local capacity and provide direct, tangible benefits to host communities rather than only to outside investors.
7. Treat wildlife encounters carefully, researching animal-welfare practices through organizations such as World Animal Protection or Sustainable Travel International before booking, as recommended by Sustainable Travel International's greenwashing guidance.

The limits of individual choices

The UN's own guidance acknowledges that most leverage over tourism's sustainability sits with destinations and governments, not only individual travelers. It encourages member states to invest in ecotourism and cultural-tourism enterprises, build local capacity for environmental awareness and biodiversity protection, and facilitate financing for local communities, particularly in small island and coastal economies where tourism is a major source of jobs and foreign exchange.