Gitnux/Report 2026

Sustainable Tourism Industry Statistics

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Sustainable Tourism Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Before any source is gathered, an editor locks the question, what qualifies, and how the piece will be judged.

02Source Research

Search agents collect the source set and pull each data point out with its provenance attached.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The sustainable tourism industry at a glance

Sustainable tourism is becoming a large, measured global industry: the broader Travel & Tourism sector contributed $11.6 trillion, or 9.8% of global GDP, in 2025, while destinations face growing pressure to limit emissions, congestion and ecological damage.

$3.01T[107]
Sustainable tourism market, 2025
7.75%[107]
Forecast CAGR, 2026–2031
366M[29]
Travel & Tourism jobs, 2025
3.02B[3]
EU accommodation nights, 2024
Market size
The global sustainable tourism market was valued at $3.01 trillion in 2025, according to Mordor Intelligence. As a broader industry benchmark, WTTC reported that Travel & Tourism contributed $11.6 trillion to global GDP in 2025, equal to 9.8% of the world economy.[107][29]
Forecast & CAGR
Mordor Intelligence forecasts the sustainable tourism market to rise from $3.16 trillion in 2026 to $4.59 trillion by 2031, representing a 7.75% compound annual growth rate. WTTC reported 4.1% year-on-year growth for the broader Travel & Tourism sector in 2025.[107][29]
Market share & regions
Europe held 34.38% of the sustainable tourism market in 2025, according to Mordor Intelligence, while Asia-Pacific is forecast to be the fastest-growing regional market, at 9.13% CAGR through 2031. In the EU, international visitors accounted for 48.1% of the 3.02 billion accommodation nights recorded in 2024, with domestic visitors accounting for 51.9%.[107][3]
Segmentation
Sustainable tourism is commonly segmented by tourism type, including ecotourism, cultural tourism, adventure tourism and wellness tourism, and by service type, including transport, accommodation, food and beverage, and activities or experiences. Eurostat’s 2024 EU accommodation data shows hotels and similar establishments accounted for 63% of nights, holiday dwellings and other short-stay accommodation for 24%, and campsites for 13%.[107][3]
Key players & concentration
The market includes global online travel agencies, hotel groups, airlines, cruise operators, destination-management organizations and specialist ecotourism providers; no authoritative source located for this review provides a reliable global concentration ratio for the sustainable tourism market. In the EU, Spain, France, Germany and Italy together recorded about 1.87 billion of 3.02 billion accommodation nights in 2024, or approximately 62% of the EU total, indicating strong concentration among leading destinations rather than among global suppliers.[3]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Demand is being driven by climate awareness, destination resilience, certification and investment in lower-impact transport and accommodation. Booking.com reported that 74% of travelers considered extreme weather a risk when choosing a destination or travel timing, while 43% planned to avoid overcrowded destinations in 2026; the main challenges remain emissions, overtourism, infrastructure pressure, biodiversity loss and climate-related disruption.[108][3][109]
Consumer behavior & competition
Booking.com reported in 2025 that 93% of global travelers wanted to make more sustainable travel choices and 58% had actively changed their travel habits. Competition is increasingly based on credible sustainability certification, lower-impact mobility, community benefits and the ability to manage overtourism, rather than on environmental claims alone.[1]
Regulation
Regulation is increasingly focused on passenger rights, emissions, destination management and standardized sustainability measurement. The European Commission’s 2026 Sustainable Tourism Strategy references Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 on air-passenger compensation and Directive (EU) 2026/1024 on package-travel protection, while FuelEU Maritime requires a gradual reduction in shipping greenhouse-gas intensity, including a 2% reduction by 2025 and 80% by 2050.[110][109]
Latest news
On November 4, 2026, WTTC and OMRAN Group launched the Power, Efficiency & Opportunity Indices, a framework designed to measure tourism’s economic, environmental and social performance. The initiative reflects a broader shift toward measuring tourism impacts alongside GDP, arrivals and jobs.[29]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Sustainable Tourism Industry

The leading companies in the sustainable tourism industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

Intrepid Travel leads Gitnux's 2026 sustainable tourism ranking with an Overall score of 9.6, driven by signal of 29% revenue growth. Wilderness is the highest-ranked conservation lodge operator at 9.1, backed by operating 55+ camps and lodges.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in small-group adventure travel

    Intrepid Travel

    AU

    Ranked #1 · 9.6 · Small-group adventure travel

    Why we picked it: It operates in small-group sustainable adventure travel and is tied to a 29% revenue-growth signal.

    See in ranking ↓Visit intrepidtravel.com ↗

  2. Leader in conservation lodges & safaris

    Wilderness

    MU

    Ranked #2 · 9.1 · Conservation lodges & safaris

    Why we picked it: It runs conservation lodges, safaris and wilderness travel across 55+ camps and lodges.

    See in ranking ↓Visit wildernessdestinations.com ↗

  3. Leader in wildlife conservation tours

    Natural Habitat Adventures

    US

    Ranked #3 · 8.9 · Wildlife conservation tours

    Why we picked it: It focuses on wildlife and conservation and has worked with WWF since 2003.

    See in ranking ↓Visit nathab.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the sustainable tourism industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Intrepid Travel

Small-group adventure travel · AU

9.6
2

Wilderness

Conservation lodges & safaris · MU

9.1
3

Natural Habitat Adventures

Wildlife conservation tours · US

8.9
4

G Adventures

Community adventure tours · CA

8.9
5

&Beyond

Luxury conservation journeys · ZA

8.6
6

World Expeditions

Adventure and trekking travel worldwide · AU

8.4
7

Explore

Small-group adventure and responsible travel · GB

8.2
8

Inkaterra

Ecotourism hotels and nature travel in Peru · PE

8.2
9

Khiri Travel

Sustainable destination management in Asia · TH

7.8
10

Exodus Adventure Travels

Small-group walking and adventure holidays · GB

7.7

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Top 10 companies in the sustainable tourism industry. In Sustainable Tourism Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainable-tourism-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Percentage of accommodation establishments that optimise energy consumption (Portugal)

Percentage of accommodation establishments that optimise energy consumption: 59% in 2015, 66% in 2022.

202266%
201763%
201662%
201559%
source-verifiedoecd.org2022

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI and cloud adoption show broad diffusion: 67% of surveyed travelers used AI at least once in 2025, while 69% of lodging-technology respondents cite legacy integration as a moderate or major challenge.

AI in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 67% of surveyed travelers had used AI at least once when going on a trip in 2025.[1]
  • 23.70% of German hotels and other accommodation businesses used AI in 2025.[2]
  • 12.0% of EU accommodation and food-service enterprises used AI technologies in 2025.[3]
  • 63% of surveyed Middle Eastern tourism and hospitality respondents were using or planning to use AI in core hotel systems.[4]
  • 53.16% of Finnish hotels and other accommodation businesses used AI in 2025.[2]
  • 40.68% of Swedish hotels and other accommodation businesses used AI in 2025.[2]

Automation in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 10% of surveyed tourism SMEs used AI or big-data tools for recycling in 2023.[5]
  • 16% of surveyed tourism SMEs used AI or big-data tools for customer service in 2023.[5]
  • 12% of surveyed tourism SMEs used AI or big-data tools for data analytics in 2023.[5]
  • 13% of surveyed tourism SMEs used AI or big-data tools as intelligent travel assistants in 2023.[5]
  • 28% of surveyed tourism SMEs used AI or big-data tools for booking services in 2023.[5]
  • 10% of surveyed tourism SMEs used AI or big-data tools for recruitment intelligence in 2023.[5]

Digital Transformation in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 47% of hotels in Andalusia rated their infrastructure capacity for digital transformation as high or very high in the study period.[6]
  • 69% of lodging-technology survey respondents identified integrating new technology with legacy systems as a moderate or major 2024 industry challenge.[7]
  • 80% of travel and hospitality respondents reported siloed, transactional, or consultative relationships between business and information-technology teams.[8]
  • 59% of active travel and hospitality respondents were at the piloting or deploying stage of AI adoption in Adobe’s global research.[8]

Technology Adoption in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 89% of travel and hospitality executives expected generative AI to have a meaningful business impact within three years.[9]
  • 83% of travel and hospitality executives said they increased AI budgets in 2024, according to the Skift-AWS industry survey.[9]
  • 14% of travel buyers said they were already using AI in their travel programs in the October 2024 GBTA poll.[10]
  • 49% of global travel programs planned to increase technology investment for 2025, based on a GBTA poll of travel-industry professionals.[10]

Cloud Computing in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 69% of hospitality respondents used a hybrid-cloud deployment model globally in 2023, compared with 31% using public cloud only.[11]
  • 67% of travel and hospitality companies were in advanced stages of cloud adoption in the 2024 Skift-AWS industry survey.[9]
  • 79% of travel and tourism companies surveyed by the World Economic Forum reported cloud computing among technologies expected to be adopted.[12]
  • 29% of hospitality respondents reported full cloud maturity for critical applications and workloads globally, while 38% said they were well on the way in 2023.[11]
  • 67% of travel and hospitality companies were in advanced stages of cloud adoption globally in 2024, according to a survey of industry executives.[9]

Big Data in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 62.8% of hotels in an Andalusian study rated their implementation of big-data tools as low or very low.[6]
  • 18.8% of hotels in an Andalusian study rated their implementation of big-data tools as high or very high.[6]
  • 89% of travel and tourism companies surveyed by the World Economic Forum reported user and entity big-data analytics among technologies expected to be adopted.[12]
  • More than eight in ten worldwide travel buyers considered data analytics extremely or very important to their travel programs in April 2025.[13]

IoT in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 65% of travel executives reported a significant increase in deployed IoT or edge devices over the previous three years globally in 2022.[14]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Data integration remains a bottleneck for decision-making and AI deployment; only 11% of hotel owners and operators reported a fully integrated technology stack in 2026, and 27% spend more than seven platforms.

Business intelligence in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 36% of surveyed hotel marketing teams reported regularly using business-intelligence data tools in 2024.[15]
  • 34% of surveyed hoteliers wanted more business-intelligence information on corporate and group travel insights in 2024.[15]
  • 4% of surveyed hotel groups and management companies reported that no one in their organization currently used business intelligence in 2024.[15]
  • 35% of surveyed hotel chief financial officers reported regularly using business-intelligence data tools in 2024.[15]
  • 35% of surveyed hoteliers identified future trends as a high-value business-intelligence insight in 2024.[15]
  • 31% of executives in surveyed hotel groups and management companies reported regularly using business intelligence to understand performance in 2024.[15]

Data analytics in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 16% of surveyed destination-management organizations outsourced their data-analytics needs in 2024.[16]
  • 52% of surveyed destination-management organizations cited a lack of data integration across channels as a key analytics concern in 2024.[16]
  • 55.5% of surveyed hotels rated their use of technology to analyze customer information as low or very low in 2024.[6]
  • 67.9% of surveyed hotels analyzed customer complaints to improve services and operational management in 2024.[6]
  • 9% of surveyed destination-management organizations used advanced marketing-analytics solutions in 2024.[16]
  • 6% of surveyed hotels rated their use of technology to analyze customer information as very high in 2024.[6]

Data Quality in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 69% of travel and hospitality companies training AI models wasted resources on bad data in 2025, according to a Salesforce survey of business leaders.[17]
  • 27% of hotel operators spent more than 11 hours per week consolidating or reconciling data in 2026.[10]
  • 47% of business leaders were fully confident in their organizations’ data accuracy in 2025, across the broader business sample reported by Salesforce.[17]
  • 15% of hotel owners and operators were very confident in the accuracy and timeliness of their operational data in 2026.[10]
  • 27% of hotel operators used more than seven technology platforms in 2026, increasing the risk of fragmented and inconsistent operational data.[10]

Data Governance in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 91% of hotel owners and operators still relied on some manual reporting within automated workflows in 2026, highlighting incomplete process standardization.[10]
  • Only 11% of hotel owners and operators reported a fully integrated technology stack in 2026, indicating limited enterprise-wide data integration.[10]
  • 51% of hoteliers said regulation helped their commercial goals in 2025, while 20% said it hindered them, in a survey covering hotel distribution professionals.[18]
  • 97% of travel and hospitality business leaders said a strong data foundation was the most critical factor for AI deployment in 2025.[17]
  • 78% of travel and hospitality business leaders said data-governance policies varied across departments in 2025.[17]

KPIs in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 43 core indicators comprise the European Tourism Indicators System for measuring destination sustainability.[19]
  • 30 initial indicators were proposed by UN Tourism in 2023 to measure and monitor tourism sustainability.[19]
  • 52% of countries reported Tourism Satellite Account tables during 2015–2023.[20]
  • 27,219 hotels contributed validated property data to the global Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Index for the 2023 calendar year.[21]
  • 56% of countries reported at least one Tourism Satellite Account or environmental-economic tourism account table during 2015–2023.[20]
  • 82% of countries in Northern America and Europe reported at least one relevant tourism sustainability accounting table during 2015–2023.[20]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Demand signals increasingly link sustainability to booking choices and experience design; 58% of global travelers were actively changing travel habits to be more sustainable in 2025.

Growth in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 71% of global travelers wanted to make more effort to travel sustainably during the year following the 2023 survey.[22]
  • 81% of global travelers considered sustainable travel important in 2023.[22]
  • 58% of global travelers were actively changing their travel habits to make them more sustainable in 2025.[1]
  • 29% of consumers across 42 sectors and 33 countries had found ways to change their behavior sustainably, according to research cited by Copenhagen’s tourism program in 2024.[23]
  • 18,000-plus properties had achieved third-party sustainability certification on Booking.com by 2024.[24]
  • 67% of global travelers said seeing sustainable practices while traveling inspired them to behave more sustainably in everyday life in 2024.[1]

Differentiation in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 52% of travelers interested in sustainability wanted to know why an accommodation received its sustainability label in 2024.[1]
  • 80% or more of surveyed Chinese customers were ready to invest in high-quality tourism products, identified as a leading trend in 2023 adventure travel research.[22]
  • 69% of travelers interested in sustainability wanted to know why an accommodation received its sustainability label in 2023.[1]
  • 67% of Millennials and 65% of Generation Z respondents wanted a once-in-a-lifetime vacation in 2022.[22]
  • 55% of surveyed travelers wanted to book a once-in-a-lifetime vacation in 2022.[22]
  • 45% of travelers found accommodation labeled as more sustainable appealing in Booking.com’s 2024 survey.[1]

Mergers and acquisitions in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 24 resorts and nearly 30,000 members were acquired by Travel + Leisure Co. through its Accor Vacation Club transaction in 2024.[25]
  • $1.527 billion was Host Hotels & Resorts’ total 2024 acquisitions and investments listed in its annual filing.[25]
  • $397 million was the value of CapitaLand Ascott’s acquisition of three lodging assets in August 2023.[26]
  • 558 travel and tourism M&A, private-equity and venture-financing deals were announced globally during the first three quarters of 2023.[26]
  • 33% fewer travel and tourism deals were announced globally in the first three quarters of 2023 than in the same period of 2022.[26]
  • 245 rooms were included in DiamondRock Hospitality’s $30 million acquisition of AC Hotel Minneapolis Downtown in November 2024.[25]

Strategic partnerships in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 10 African countries were included in the 2024 Colourful Cultures partnership between UN Tourism and TUI Care Foundation.[27]
  • 3 nonprofit organizations formed the conscious-travel partnership announced by Tourism Cares, CREST and B Tourism in 2024.[28]
  • More than 30 case studies were included in the 2024 Nature Positive Travel & Tourism in Action report produced by the partnership.[29]
  • 550 sustainable meeting packages was The Athenee Hotel Bangkok’s 2025 target, representing a planned 10% increase from 2024.[30]
  • 5 organizations joined the Islas Marías sustainable-tourism project in Mexico in 2024: TURIIMAR, Mexico’s Tourism Ministry, UNESCO, Nayarit’s Tourism Ministry and Airbnb.[31]
  • 2 organizations signed the 2023 strategic partnership between UN Tourism and Alpitour World to advance innovation, education and sustainability.[32]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce capacity and training remain constrained alongside seasonal staffing; 38% of tourism vacancies in New Zealand were for entry-level roles, while 80% of New Zealand tourism organizations recruited or attempted recruitment.

Hiring in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 18% of tourism vacancies in New Zealand were designated as skilled positions in September 2024.[33]
  • 44% of tourism vacancies in New Zealand were for entry-level roles in September 2024.[33]
  • 8% of Canadian tourism businesses used the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to meet staffing needs in 2024.[34]
  • 80% of New Zealand tourism organisations had recruited or attempted to recruit staff during the previous year.[33]
  • 38% of tourism vacancies in New Zealand were for mid-level roles in September 2024.[33]

Employee retention in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 26% was Choice Hotels’ voluntary turnover rate for managed hotel employees in 2023.[35]
  • 54% of Finnish tourism employees surveyed in late 2023 were interested in changing careers.[36]
  • 86% of Finnish tourism employees surveyed were fully or somewhat satisfied with their work community in 2023.[36]
  • 37% of Canadian accommodation businesses surveyed operated seasonally in 2024.[34]
  • 30% of Finnish tourism companies did not have personal development plans for employees in 2023.[36]

Remote Work in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. hospitality and food services, employees worked 10.19% of paid days from home in 2026.[37]
  • Across U.S. hospitality and food services, employees worked 10.23% of paid days from home in 2024.[37]
  • Among travel buyers, 7% reported a full-time remote company policy for 2024, compared with 15% among travel suppliers and travel-management companies.[38]
  • Across U.S. hospitality and food services, employees worked 11.11% of paid days from home in 2025.[37]

Hybrid Work in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among travel suppliers and travel-management companies, 54% reported a hybrid company work policy for 2024.[38]
  • Among business-travel professionals in Europe, 77% reported that their company had a hybrid work policy for 2025.[39]
  • Among travel buyers, 68% reported a hybrid company work policy for 2024.[38]
  • Among business-travel professionals in the Asia-Pacific region, 62% reported that their company had a hybrid work policy for 2025.[39]
  • Among business-travel professionals in North America, 51% reported that their company had a hybrid work policy for 2025.[39]

Upskilling in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 41% of Singapore tourism leaders identified sustainability as an employee training area in 2024.[40]
  • 74% of Finnish tourism employees surveyed rated their skills and training opportunities as good in late 2023.[36]
  • 9.9% of European accommodation, food-service and travel-agency enterprises with at least 10 employees provided ICT training in 2022.[41]
  • 70% of Singapore tourism leaders strongly agreed that upskilling was needed to improve service experience in 2024.[40]
  • 26% of Singapore tourism leaders identified holistic wellness travel and regenerative tourism as training areas in 2024.[40]

Employee Engagement in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across Travel + Leisure Co.’s accommodation and hospitality workforce, the 2024 associate-engagement survey received 16,405 completions, representing 86% of associates.[42]
  • Across New Zealand hospitality and tourism workplaces, 62% of employees with people-management responsibilities reported work engagement in 2025.[43]
  • Across New Zealand hospitality businesses, 47% of employees reported work engagement in 2025.[43]
  • Across New Zealand tourism businesses, 60% of employees reported work engagement in 2025.[43]
  • Across New Zealand hospitality and tourism workplaces, 67% of employees in very small organizations reported work engagement in 2025.[43]

DEI in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 39.6% of direct global Travel & Tourism jobs were held by women in 2024.[29]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Buyers push for clearer labeling and in-flow decision support; 75.83% of travelers expected online travel agencies to clearly label sustainable options when booking in 2024.

Customer experience in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 83.6% of Latin American travelers expected online travel agencies to clearly label sustainable options in 2024.[44]
  • 75.83% of travelers expected online travel agencies to clearly label sustainable options when booking in 2024.[44]
  • 80% of APAC travelers expected online travel agencies to clearly label sustainable options in 2024.[44]
  • 50.8% of travelers identified preserving destinations for future generations as an important sustainable-travel factor in 2026.[45]
  • 54.7% of travelers routinely looked for sustainable options when booking online in 2024.[44]

Customer retention in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 30% of consumers said their travel loyalty programs allowed filtering by sustainability criteria in 2025.[46]
  • 37% of consumers said their travel loyalty programs occasionally published sustainability-prioritized guides, recommendations or promotional materials in 2025.[46]
  • 49% of travel brands said members could filter booking and redemption options by sustainability criteria in 2025.[46]
  • 59% of travel loyalty programs said they communicated bonus or incentive offers for sustainable bookings or redemptions in 2025.[46]
  • 35% of consumers said their travel loyalty programs highlighted sustainable choices in the booking flow in 2025.[46]

Customer acquisition in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 92% of travelers said they might consider sustainable travel in 2024, creating a large potential acquisition pool for sustainable tourism providers.[44]
  • 49.4% of EMEA travelers were unwilling to pay extra for sustainable options in 2024.[44]
  • 48.3% of Gen Z travelers were unsure what qualified as a sustainable trip in 2024, indicating an acquisition barrier linked to consumer education.[44]
  • 42.5% of travelers were willing to pay a premium for sustainable travel options in 2024, within specified limits.[44]
  • 31.5% of Gen Z travelers did not see any added benefit from sustainable travel in 2024.[44]

Customer loyalty in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 44% of travelers were interested in sustainable-app rewards granting access to remote locations that tourists otherwise rarely visit in 2024.[1]
  • 78.7% of travelers agreed that sustainable travel was vital in 2022.[47]
  • 93.0% of travelers said they would consider booking through online travel agencies providing sustainable options in 2022.[44]
  • 82% of U.S. consumers agreed that sustainable travel was important in 2025.[46]
  • 60% of travelers were interested in sustainable travel apps offering rewards in Booking.com’s 2024 travel-predictions research.[1]

Lead generation in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 54.7% of travelers looked for sustainable options when booking online in 2024, representing active demand that online travel providers can target.[44]
  • 53.07% of travelers preferred sustainable travel tips online in 2024.[44]
  • 59% of travel brands promoted sustainable-booking incentives through email and other marketing channels in 2025.[46]
  • 39% of travel brands highlighted sustainable choices directly in the booking flow in 2025.[46]
  • 74% of travelers believed travel companies should provide more sustainable options in 2023.[48]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Sustainability messaging appears uneven across channels; in 2024, 54.7% of travelers typically searched online for sustainable travel information, recommendations or options.

Marketing in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 54.7% of travelers typically searched online for sustainable travel information, recommendations or options in 2024.[49]
  • 50% of consumers preferred local destination, tourism or visitor-resource groups as sources of sustainable travel information in 2022.[50]
  • 37% of consumers preferred third-party booking websites as sources of sustainable travel information in 2022.[50]
  • 82% of U.S. travel-loyalty consumers agreed that sustainable travel was important in 2025.[46]
  • 46% of consumers preferred transportation providers such as airlines, car rentals and trains as sources of sustainable travel information in 2022.[50]

Digital marketing in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 7% of U.S. travelers encountered sustainability messaging on experience-booking websites in 2024.[51]
  • 20% of U.S. travelers encountered sustainability messaging on hotel or accommodation websites in 2024.[51]
  • 7% of U.S. travelers encountered sustainability messaging on cruise websites in 2024.[51]
  • 14% of U.S. travelers encountered sustainability messaging on online booking websites in 2024.[51]
  • 2% of U.S. travelers encountered sustainability messaging on travel-agent websites in 2024.[51]

Branding in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 85% of travelers said more sustainable travel was important or very important in Booking.com research reported in 2025.[52]
  • 21% of surveyed travelers would pay an additional 5% for sustainable travel options in 2024.[49]
  • 72.4% of travelers were interested in online travel providers that prioritized sustainable travel options in 2024.[49]
  • 11% of travelers who wanted to travel more sustainably expected a more authentic local-culture experience in 2024.[53]
  • 38.8% of surveyed travelers were unwilling to pay extra for sustainable travel options in 2024.[49]

Social media in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 8.7% was the average engagement rate for tourism key-opinion-leader content in a 2025 heritage-tourism study.[54]
  • 2.3% was the average engagement rate for official tourism-account content in a 2025 heritage-tourism study.[54]
  • Almost 89,000 social-media mentions of eco-travel were recorded in 2024.[55]
  • 3.68 was the average credibility score for key-opinion-leader content in a 2025 heritage-tourism study.[54]
  • 53.3% of sustainable-travel online content had positive sentiment in 2024.[55]

Influencer Marketing in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 92% of destination marketing organizations and tourism boards globally increased or maintained influencer-marketing budgets in 2026.[56]
  • More than 6.5 million influencer posts about the travel industry were published globally in 2023, generating an average engagement rate of 2.4%.[57]
  • 92% of European travel and hospitality brands work with micro-creators, defined as influencers with 10,000 to 100,000 followers, in research conducted across seven markets in 2025.[58]
  • 49% of hospitality brands include paid influencer work in their brand strategy, up from 37% in the previous survey period.[59]
  • 72% of European travel and hospitality brands plan to expand their creator pool, according to research conducted across seven European markets in 2025.[58]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational substitution and reporting are measurable; 99.9% of U.S. hotels replaced mini toiletry bottles with refillable dispensers in 2024.

Process optimization in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 98% of U.S. hotels had implemented alternatives to single-use plastic water bottles in 2024.[60]
  • 99.9% of U.S. hotels had replaced mini toiletry bottles with refillable dispensers in 2024.[60]
  • 100% of Hilton hotels were required to enter energy, water and waste data into LightStay monthly in 2024.[61]
  • 64,000+ Hilton meetings had their environmental footprints quantified in 2024 using the Meeting Impact Calculator.[61]
  • 100% of Hilton hotels were required to maintain annual reduction goals and active energy, water and waste projects in 2024.[61]

Operational efficiency in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 131.4 kWh per square metre was the median energy intensity of limited-service hotels in France in 2022.[62]
  • 17.3% of Hilton’s total waste was diverted from landfill globally in 2024.[61]
  • 269 kWh per square metre was Accor’s average hotel energy consumption per occupied room in North and Central America in 2024.[63]
  • 4% was Accor’s reduction in average energy consumption per occupied room in North and Central America from 2023 to 2024.[63]
  • 186.3 kWh per square metre was the median energy intensity of full-service hotels in Portugal in 2022.[62]

Quality management in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 42.26% of Sri Lankan visitors rated the destination’s sustainability as good in the 2024–25 SLTDA survey.[64]
  • 57 establishments in Brussels held Green Key certification in 2024.[65]
  • 20% of accommodation providers with significant business-travel activity already received sustainability requirements in corporate procurement or RFP processes.[66]
  • 3 ISO management-system standards—14001, 50001 and 9001—were held across Hilton’s hotel portfolio in 2024.[61]
  • 69% of surveyed travellers expressed interest in standardised sustainability labels across travel platforms.[66]

Supply chain in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 44% of IHG business awarded in 2024 went to suppliers classified as Green suppliers.[67]
  • 7.49% of Marriott’s global pork spend for managed and franchised properties was responsibly sourced in 2023.[68]
  • 56% of Marriott U.S. and Canadian FF&E products evaluated reached the leader level of the MindClick Sustainability Assessment Program in 2023.[68]
  • 2,500 local and small businesses were supported through Hilton’s supply-chain activities in 2024.[61]
  • 100% of new IHG corporate suppliers signed the Supplier Code of Conduct in 2024.[67]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Around three in 10 travel buyers worldwide engaged external consultants for travel-supplier sourcing in 2025.[13]
  • 64% of European corporate travel managers outsourced at least part of their hotel RFP process in 2026.[38]
  • 54% of organizations across North America and EMEA outsourced some or all hotel RFP activities to travel management companies or consultants in 2026.[38]
  • Six in 10 travel buyers worldwide relied on their travel management company for sourcing support in 2025.[13]
  • 9% of North American travel buyers and 13% of European travel buyers whose programs were not adding staff expected to outsource more work to third parties in 2025.[38]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Premium acceptance varies by geography and feature set; in 2025, U.S. sustainable travelers accepted an average accommodation premium of 34%.

Pricing strategy in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 60% of surveyed North Indian luxury-hotel guests accepted a 15% room premium for enhanced environmental features in 2025.[69]
  • 38% of luxury travelers were willing to pay 30–50% more for sustainable travel features in 2024.[70]
  • U.S. sustainable travelers willing to pay more accepted an average accommodation premium of 34% in 2025.[71]
  • 43% of U.K. travelers were willing to pay more for sustainable accommodation in 2025.[71]
  • 68% was the estimated maximum premium tourists would pay to stay in a certified green hotel in Thailand.[72]

Cost reduction in the sustainable tourism industry

  • $3,600 was the annual saving reported by one Ecuadorian hotel from repurposing materials.[73]
  • 93% of surveyed tourism businesses reduced energy consumption after adopting sustainable practices.[73]
  • 71% of surveyed hotels reduced water consumption through sustainable tourism practices.[73]
  • $5,255 was the average annual electricity-cost saving reported by surveyed tourism businesses.[73]
  • 99.9% of U.S. hotels had replaced mini toiletry bottles with refillable dispensers or other alternatives in 2024.[60]

Profitability in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 141 listed tourism firms across 26 countries were analyzed using return on equity, cost of equity and Economic Value Added measures.[74]
  • 1,238 U.S. hotel properties were analyzed for occupancy, average daily rate and revenue per available room in sustainability research.[75]
  • 91% was the occupancy rate achieved by the integrated sustainable-building and smart-management hotel case study.[76]
  • 34 countries were represented in research finding that stronger sustainability performance was associated with lower hospitality and tourism debt costs.[74]
  • 55.5% was the energy reduction achieved by the integrated sustainable-building and smart-management hotel case study.[76]

Financial planning in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 7% of British Columbia tourism businesses investing in water management spent C$50,000–C$100,000 in 2024.[77]
  • 7% of British Columbia tourism businesses investing in fossil-fuel or carbon reduction spent at least C$100,000 in 2024.[77]
  • 48% of British Columbia tourism businesses investing in fossil-fuel or carbon reduction spent C$1,000–C$10,000 in 2024.[77]
  • 26% of British Columbia tourism businesses investing in sustainable transportation spent C$10,000–C$50,000 in 2024.[77]
  • 83.1% of hotels tracked energy consumption in the 2024 global Green Lodging Trends Report.[78]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Certification and product adaptation are practical levers; 46 destinations were certified by GSTC-accredited certification bodies in 2024, up from 33 in 2023.

Product development in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 66% of British Columbia tour operators invested in climate adaptation in 2024.[77]
  • 68% of British Columbia tour operators educated guests about environmentally friendly behaviors in 2024.[77]
  • 34% of British Columbia tour operators changed the products or experiences they offered as a climate-adaptation investment in 2024.[77]
  • 87% of British Columbia tour operators invested in environmental sustainability in 2024.[77]
  • 48% of adventure-tourism operators held or were working toward some form of sustainability certification in 2024.[79]

Product lifecycle in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 34% was the increase in Green Stay hotel room-night bookings by travelers from Japan in 2024 versus 2023.[80]
  • 14 certification bodies were applicants for GSTC accreditation in 2024, compared with 8 in 2023.[53]
  • 30% was the increase in Green Stay hotel room-night bookings by travelers from the United Kingdom in 2024 versus 2023.[80]
  • 46 destinations were certified by GSTC-accredited certification bodies in 2024, up from 33 in 2023.[53]
  • 12.24% was the average carbon-emissions reduction reported by businesses using HRS Green Stay in 2024 RFP results.[80]

After-sales in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 15% of consumers preferred eco-friendly transportation options such as e-bikes, e-scooters, electric cars, and hybrid cars in 2024.[46]
  • 14% of consumers said they would engage more frequently with loyalty programs offering more sustainability-related options in 2024.[46]
  • 27% of hotels and hospitality groups analyzed in 2024 had sustainability initiatives integrated into loyalty programs.[46]
  • 21% of consumers preferred loyalty programs contributing part of their revenue to sustainability causes or organizations in 2024.[46]
  • 24% of consumers said the ability to book destination activities contributing to local communities would make them more likely to use a loyalty program in 2024.[46]

Value proposition in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 53% of travelers surveyed in 2022 were more determined than the previous year to make sustainable travel choices.[81]
  • 67% of travelers said witnessing sustainable practices while traveling inspired sustainable habits in everyday life in 2024.[53]
  • 71% of travelers surveyed in 2022 wanted to travel more sustainably, according to research cited by the World Bank.[81]
  • 57% of travelers said sustainability certification would make them feel better about staying at an accommodation in 2024.[82]
  • 83% of travelers said sustainable travel was important to them in Booking.com’s 2024 global survey.[53]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Measurement coverage expands but remains uneven; 82% of countries in Europe and Northern America had tourism sustainability measurement coverage in the latest reporting cycle.

Sustainability in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 35% of countries in sub-Saharan Africa had tourism sustainability measurement coverage in the latest reporting cycle.[20]
  • 82% of countries in Europe and Northern America had tourism sustainability measurement coverage in the latest reporting cycle.[20]
  • 82% of Hilton hotels offered Digital Key in 2024, avoiding more than 103 tons of plastic.[61]
  • 75% of countries in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia had tourism sustainability measurement coverage in the latest reporting cycle.[20]
  • 56% of countries compiled at least one internationally agreed tool for tracking tourism sustainability between 2015 and 2024.[20]

ESG in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 19% of Travel & Tourism’s greenhouse-gas emissions came from utilities in 2024.[29]
  • 7.3% of global greenhouse-gas emissions came from Travel & Tourism in 2024.[29]
  • 2.92% of energy consumed at Marriott managed and franchised properties came from renewable sources in 2024.[83]
  • 43% of water withdrawn at Marriott managed properties in 2024 came from regions with high or extremely high baseline water stress.[83]
  • 40% of Travel & Tourism’s greenhouse-gas emissions came from transportation in 2024.[29]

Ethics in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 4,000 Hilton team members received more than 1.4 million dollars in disaster, crisis and hardship support in 2024.[61]
  • 2011 was the year the UN Tourism Private Sector Commitment to the Global Code of Ethics was launched.[84]
  • 452,000 volunteer hours were reported by Hilton team members in 2024.[61]
  • 8 consecutive years was Hilton’s 2024 run as a constituent of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices World and North America.[61]
  • 121 nonprofit action grants were awarded by Hilton in 2024 for local community support and impact projects.[61]

CSR in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 7.3 million dollars was Hilton Global Foundation giving in 2024.[61]
  • 970,000 learning and career-growth opportunities were provided by Hilton in 2024.[61]
  • 70 million dollars in financing had been secured by Hilton’s Unlocking Doors program to support aspiring hotel owners in 2024.[61]
  • 71.0% of direct Travel & Tourism employment in Portugal was classified as high-wage employment in 2023.[85]
  • 54.9% of direct Travel & Tourism employment in Portugal was held by women in 2023.[85]

Circular economy in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 70% of hospitality emissions are estimated to arise upstream from producing, transporting and disposing of goods and services used by hotels.[86]
  • 3 to 4 times more water per day is consumed by tourists than by permanent residents, according to the UNIDO tourism circular-economy guide.[87]
  • 103 or more tons of plastic were avoided by Hilton’s Digital Key program in 2024.[61]
  • 82% of Hilton hotels offered Digital Key in 2024, reducing reliance on plastic key cards.[61]
  • 2.92% of Marriott’s energy consumption at managed and franchised properties came from renewables in 2024.[83]

Carbon footprint in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 770 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions constituted coastal and marine tourism’s upstream Scope 3 footprint in 2023.[88]
  • 3.0% of global greenhouse-gas emissions came from coastal and marine tourism in 2023.[88]
  • 110 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions constituted coastal and marine tourism’s Scope 2 footprint in 2023.[88]
  • 3.41 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions were generated by global Travel & Tourism in 2023.[14]
  • 2.874 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions were generated by Travel & Tourism in 2022.[14]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Sustainable supply claims are increasingly tied to partner certifications; 100 million or more room nights were booked on Booking.com in 2025 at accommodation partners with third-party sustainability certification.

Globalization in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 50 million international tourism arrivals reached landlocked developing countries in 2024, representing about 3.5% of the global total.[27]
  • 100 million or more room nights were booked on Booking.com in 2025 at accommodation partners with third-party sustainability certification.[53]
  • 25% of Ascott’s eligible global portfolio was GSTC-certified as of February 2025, with the company targeting certification across all eligible properties by 2028.[53]
  • 33% of the leading travel and tourism businesses with climate targets had committed to Science-Based Targets initiative goals in 2024.[29]
  • 2,005 accommodation facilities in Türkiye had reached GSTC certification by September 1, 2025.[53]

Cultural adaptation in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 60% of travelers globally said tourism had an overall positive impact on the place where they lived in Booking.com’s 2025 resident-focused survey.[1]
  • 96% of travelers who took tours or activities for authentic, local and cultural experiences said those experiences added value to their trips.[1]
  • 73% of travelers wanted authentic experiences representative of local culture in Booking.com’s global sustainable travel research.[1]
  • 76% of travelers wanted tourism’s economic impact to be spread equally across society in Booking.com’s global sustainable travel research.[1]
  • 41% of residents identified greater entertainment and leisure options as a leading benefit of tourism in Booking.com’s 2025 global resident survey.[1]

Supplier management in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 12 tour operators were certified by GSTC-accredited certification bodies in 2024, compared with 7 in 2023.[53]
  • More than 40% of GSTC-certified hotel respondents first learned about GSTC certification through recommendations from other businesses or organizations.[53]
  • More than 85% of GSTC-certified hotel respondents expected certification to increase customer trust and credibility.[53]
  • More than 60% of GSTC-certified hotel respondents pursued certification to meet customer or market demand.[53]
  • More than 94% of surveyed Travel Connect suppliers reported local sourcing through local providers, local businesses or community organizations in January 2026.[104]

Stakeholder management in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 64% of European destination organizations surveyed rated resident engagement as important to their organization at the time of the survey.[105]
  • 88% of destination organizations surveyed rated engagement with tourism-industry stakeholders as important or very important overall.[105]
  • 60% of global residents surveyed said tourism had an overall positive effect on where they lived in Booking.com’s 2025 study.[1]
  • 31% of global residents surveyed cited rising cost of living as a major downside of tourism where they lived.[1]
  • 40% of global residents surveyed cited traffic congestion as a major downside of tourism where they lived.[1]

Distribution channels in the sustainable tourism industry

  • 33% of tour and activity bookings came through online travel agencies in 2024, up from 24% in 2019.[106]
  • 38% of U.S. packaged-tour travelers used online booking platforms in Skift Research’s 2024 survey.[51]
  • 28% of U.S. travelers booked paid activities through online booking platforms in Skift Research’s 2024 survey.[51]
  • 23% of U.S. vacation-rental travelers booked directly through a provider website in Skift Research’s 2024 survey.[51]
  • 50% of U.S. travelers preferred direct hotel or provider bookings in Skift Research’s 2024 survey, compared with 43% using online booking platforms.[51]

Key questions about the sustainable tourism industry

How big is the sustainable tourism market in 2026?
The global sustainable tourism market is forecast to reach $3.16 trillion in 2026, rising from $3.01T in 2025.
What growth rate should operators plan for through 2031?
Mordor Intelligence forecasts growth from $3.16 trillion in 2026 to $4.59 trillion by 2031, at a 7.75% CAGR.
Which companies lead the sustainable tourism industry?
Intrepid Travel leads Gitnux's 2026 sustainable tourism ranking with an Overall score of 9.6, driven by signal of 29% revenue growth. Wilderness is the highest-ranked conservation lodge operator at 9.1, backed by operating 55+ camps and lodges.
How are technology and AI adoption patterns changing in sustainable tourism?
In 2025, 67% of surveyed travelers had used AI at least once when going on a trip, while adoption in accommodation ranges up to 53.16% in Finland.
How concentrated is the industry in terms of destinations?
In the EU, Spain, France, Germany and Italy together recorded about 1.87 billion of 3.02 billion accommodation nights in 2024, or approximately 62% of the EU total.
What measurement and regulation pressures matter most for planning?
The European Commission’s 2026 Sustainable Tourism Strategy references Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 and Directive (EU) 2026/1024, while FuelEU Maritime requires an 80% shipping greenhouse-gas intensity reduction by 2050.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Sustainable Tourism Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainable-tourism-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Sustainable Tourism Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 10 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/sustainable-tourism-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Sustainable Tourism Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainable-tourism-industry-statistics.

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