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The word ‘overtourism’ is a term seeping into the travelers' vernacular but some aren’t exactly sure what overtourism is, why it’s a problem, and how they can combat it.

What is Overtourism & How Travelers Can Combat It | Yugen Earthside

Tourism ushers in myriad benefits to destinations around the world. The Travel & Tourism industry brings in revenue: it drives over nine percent of global GDP - and creates over 10% of jobs directly or indirectly. Statistics aside, visiting foreign countries encourages travelers to discover global cultures, histories, landscapes, and cuisines. This exploration can lead to a richer appreciation of humanity and our planet. 

However, some destinations and tourists are increasingly questioning whether or not it is all worth it. It is not uncommon for popular destinations to quickly become overcrowded resulting in frustrated locals and disappointed travelers. 

And this situation is predicted to become more frequent. The World Tourism Organization estimates that “arrivals [crossing international borders] are expected to reach 1.8 billion” by 2030. With this in mind, it is increasingly important, now more than ever before, to not just talk about the problems of overtourism, but the solutions. 

Tourism must balance a fine line between benefitting the local communities, caring for natural environments, and providing memorable experiences while ensuring overtourism doesn’t negatively impact the locals or the environment.

Read on to learn what overtourism is, what causes it, and why we must take it seriously. More importantly, consider our tips on how policymakers and travelers can combat overtourism. 

National Geographic summarizes overtourism as “Too many people in one place at any given time.” Practically speaking…

It’s when the negative impacts of tourists outweigh the benefits on the destination they are visiting.

This includes impacts on the natural environment as well as local communities. The repercussions of overtourism arise because tourists and residents share and compete for the same finite resources and space. This can be seen directly as tour groups and residents compete for ‘room’ in small city streets or at neighborhood restaurants. This can also be seen indirectly as hotels siphon water for their lush, picturesque gardens for tourists to enjoy, while residents ration their usage carefully. 

Over the last several years, the term ‘overtourism’ has grown in popularity as local inhabitants protest the number of tourists that crowd their homes. As the number of tourists continues to rise year after year, residents sometimes feel that their communities, cities, and homes cannot support the number of tourists arriving. In other words, they have exceeded their “carrying capacity”. 


Carrying capacity includes the number of people that a destination can support without: 

Affecting the quality of the tourist's experience

Creating a negative opinion among residents towards tourism 

When discussing how to combat overtourism, travelers must remember that each destination has a unique carrying capacity. This means that a “one-size-fits-all” solution will not work long term. Each country should set a specific plan for its  regions, communities, and destinations that respond to its specific needs and interests.


Overtourism is a growing concern for many destinations around the world.

Harold Goodwin, the director of Responsible Tourism at Manchester Metropolitan University, lists nine of the many different causes for overtourism: 

The Emerging Middle Class: An increasing number of people are curious and eager to travel. There’s a desire to experience other countries and cultures around the world. 

Budget Airlines: Travel is easier now than ever before due to the rise of budget airlines. This has also resulted in more ‘weekend getaways’ as short-haul flights are increasingly more affordable. 

Accommodation Platforms: There is an increase in platforms that have decentralized booking accommodations, driving prices down. The more affordable tourist accommodations can negatively impact the local housing market. Rents can increase, forcing locals to relocate; and an abundance of tourists in residential neighborhoods can disturb locals. 

Public Monuments & Attractions: While tourists benefit from and enjoy ‘free’ public monuments and attractions in major cities, taxpayers pay to maintain them, not tourists. 

Tourism Dispersal Complexities: Despite efforts to disperse tourists to less-visited areas, this can, sometimes, ‘kick the can down the road’ and negatively impact other, smaller local communities that aren’t well-prepared for increased crowds, queues, and traffic.

Seasonal Travel: Traveling during peak times or being restricted to set periods of travel (school breaks, for example), plays a large role in overtourism as it concentrates visitors within a relatively short time frame. However, spreading tourism throughout the year doesn’t solve all, as it can prevent locals from having a break from crowds of tourists. 

Job Quality: Even though tourism employs many people around the world, the jobs are often low-paid, temporary, and insecure. 

“Honeypots”: Popular tourist attractions are described as “honeypots” - in other words: they’re popular because so many people like them! However, this makes it challenging to demarket them as they are widely known and adored.

Transportation Expansion: Whether discussing airlines, coaches, train lines, or cruises, the transportation industry has grown in frequency and capacity. This ability of travelers to easily reach a destination is difficult for the destination itself to control. 

Another undeniable contributor to overtourism is the growth of ‘mass culture’ in the 21st century. Ecobnb defines mass culture as when “people choose the destination based on social media, influencers, television programs, and films.” As we consume more media content, our bucket lists grow longer. 

Overtourism is a problem because it can negatively impact a destination's environment, sociocultural fabric, or economy. Here are some examples of how this phenomenon can detrimentally impact destinations and local communities.

Environmental impact examples of overtourism:

Damage to natural sites and landscapes, including forests, trails, beaches, and coral reefs when tourists do not respect local guidelines.

An increase in the number of invasive species. For example, this happened in the Galapagos Islands due to the rise of inter-island traffic. 

Sociocultural impact examples of overtourism: 

Overcrowding of popular areas can negatively impacts the experience for locals and tourists alike.  

An influx of disrespectful tourists. For example, Amsterdam has seen tourists engage in “offensive behavior such as public urination and vomiting, littering, drunkenness, and noise”.

Infrastructure and facilities challenges, namely coping with the influx of visitors brought by overtourism. This includes roads, restrooms, and even cultural landmarks.

Catering to tourists instead of locals. Using Venice as an example, local businesses from shops to restaurants aim to accommodate visitors rather than residents. In fact, with each passing year, fewer people call Venice ‘home’ due to the increased cost of living and lowered quality of life. 

Short and overwhelming cruise ship stops. Cruises can bring massive amounts of tourists arriving all at once, which can cause more harm than good as these stops are typically only a few days long (sometimes shorter). This means straining the capacity limits of destinations in fleeting bursts while not providing much time for visitors to support the local economy. 

Skyrocketing property prices and increased cost of living. In popular destinations such as Barcelona, runaway prices force locals to leave in search of more affordable housing and resent tourists. 

What Are Some Policy-Driven Overtourism Solutions? 

Since the problem of overtourism is unique to each destination, due to variable carrying capacities, solutions need to be assessed and managed accordingly.

5 ways policymakers can combat overtourism:

Here are five ways policymakers can work to combat overtourism and move towards a responsible tourism model where the benefits of tourism outweigh the negative impacts.

Design a tailored tourism strategy with local residents at the heart of the solution and involve them in decisions.

Promote tourism dispersal by suggesting less visited attractions and towns with excess capacity, while ensuring sufficient transport lines.

Tackle seasonality by encouraging tourists to visit throughout the year to distribute visitors and tourism revenue more evenly. 

Introduce destination management strategies such as tourist taxes, capping the number of visitors per day, and restricting opening times. 

Improve local infrastructure to ensure it suffices for resident and tourist needs. 

Venice consistently allures tourists to its dreamy canals. The romantic gondolas and their charming gondoliers stream countless visitors through the floating paradise. It’s no wonder this popular destination has captured hearts around the world!

Unfortunately, its ballooning fame now leaves local Venitians frustrated and outnumbered. The local population of Venice has dwindled so extremely that the number of tourist beds now outnumbers the city’s population.

In recent news, Venice has implemented a ‘day tripper fee’ to combat overtourism. This daily 5 euro fee was implemented in April 2024. Alongside this effort, tour groups are now capped at 25 visitors per tour and loudspeakers are banned. In previous years, the city also has implemented more crowd control methods and banned large cruise ships in the basin.

Interestingly, not all locals support the tourist tax fee.

You can’t impose an entrance fee to a city; all they’re doing is transforming it into a theme park. … I mean, are we joking?

Despite these initiatives, the Venetian government is, in parallel, mulling over how to increase tourism by doing these such as relaxing restrictions on cruise ships and Airbnb. This seems hypocritical and ironic to some and paints a picture of how complicated and delicate the balance of managing tourism can be.

Iceland’s popularity has grown significantly over the past 10 years. In 2015 alone, the country saw tourism increase by 76%! After the banking crisis in 2008, Iceland focused on promoting its tourism as a means to recover. It was very effective, however, there are increasing concerns that the country is not physically prepared to manage this boom in tourism. 

In an effort to manage overtourism, officials have implemented an Airbnb regulation to limit the length of stay locals can rent out their homes, while also focusing on adding infrastructure. According to the Tourism Specialist at Iceland's Ministry of Industries:

We’ve started to focus more on visitor management… and changing our marketing message to distribute visitors.

Overtourism solutions in Dubrovnik, Croatia 

Dubrovnik skyrocketed in popularity due to its association with the TV series Game of Thrones. Even before the popular TV show, people enjoyed Dubrovnik’s historic city streets and beautiful coastal views. Excessive crowds can be directly linked to the high number of cruise ships docking in Dubrovnik and more frequent affordable flights. 

In response, the city capped the number of cruise ships to only two per day in 2019. In addition, the mayor has reduced souvenir stands by 80% and restaurant tables by 30%. Although this brought financial losses, the Dubrovnik mayor has been praised for his long-term approach to the sustainability of the city’s tourism.

Although most significant change needs to come from the top down via policy-makers, tourists are also an important piece of the puzzle in combatting overtourism. Travelers can and should do their part to fight against overtourism and promote responsible practices that leave a net-positive benefit on destinations and communities. 

6 key ways travelers can combat overtourism:

Choose less-crowded destinations: Consider prioritizing off-the-beaten-path destinations. This is a great starting point for combatting overtourism because visiting less-crowded destinations automatically reduces the strain on whichever more popular destination you could have gone to instead. This also allows for a more unique travel experience.

Travel in the off-season travel: If you have flexibility with your travel dates, traveling during the shoulder or low seasons can reduce the strain on destinations. This is especially important for popular places that frequently suffer from overcrowding. Traveling outside of high season also distributes revenue throughout the year rather than concentrating it on peak periods. 

Explore secondary attractions: Even in popular destinations during high season, you can disperse the impact of your visit by seeking out lesser-known sites and attractions to visit.

Opt for alternative transportation: Instead of flying, renting a car, or taking a taxi, consider using public transportation, trains, ferries, cycling, or walking to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions. These options may take longer, but if you consider them part of the journey, they can be beautiful and far less crowded alternatives to your commute. Here’s a quick video about what it can look like taking ferries (instead of flights) between the Greek islands!

Stay in boutique, locally-owned, registered accommodations: Choosing boutique hotels, bed and breakfasts, or guesthouses instead of large chain hotels can help support the local economy and reduce the strain on resources. Registered accommodations are typically recognized as official tourist accommodations and comply with relevant regulations. These accommodations calculate total stays, availability of necessary resources, and adhere to quality standards. 

Limit social media sharing: Did you find an amazing hidden gem? Great! Consider not sharing it on social media so that it can stay a hidden gem for other travelers to stumble upon. Posting can sometimes drive an influx of visitors that smaller places are not prepared for, and this can have an adverse effect.

While these aren’t directly linked to overtourism, these tips are even more essential when traveling in a popular place during the peak season to build a good rapport with locals.

Stay longer: Enjoy slow travel, where you stay in a destination longer (ideally 3+ nights). This reduces the environmental impact of getting to and from the destination, gives you more time to immerse yourself, and provides more opportunities to support a greater number of local businesses.

Be a courteous traveler: Respect can be shown in many ways. Learn about local customs and be mindful of their culture and traditions. Follow the rules and guidelines when visiting attractions. Immerse yourself in the destination, and support local communities by trying authentic dishes, speaking a few words in their language, respecting their public spaces, and avoiding internationally-owned hotels or brands. 

Reduce waste when possible: Be mindful of your waste and footprint. Minimize your environmental impact by using refillable water bottles, avoiding single-use plastics, and properly disposing of your trash.

Seek out sustainable tourism experiences: Look for opportunities to support sustainable tourism, such as eco-tours, responsible wildlife watching, and community-based tourism initiatives.

Tourists and policymakers need to play their part in combating overtourism. While we need policymakers to drive high-level change at a greater scale, we, as travelers, should not wait to begin making smarter, more sustainable decisions. 

We understand that tourism continues to rise, and we recognize the excitement that exploring new destinations and cultures brings to people! This makes responsible tourism essential so we can continue to enjoy the cultural, natural, and historical gems the world offers us.

We urge travelers to do their part in any small way they can. From choosing your travel dates differently to visiting off-the-beaten-path destinations, taking small yet effective actions can begin to make a big difference.

Yugen Earthside helps combat overtourism by offering responsible package trips in less-visited destinations, or in less-visited areas of popular destinations, all with our network of locally-owned partners. We highlight the seasonality of each trip and encourage travelers to choose dates outside of high season whenever possible. We also promote slow and immersive travel, outside of major cities, with most trips lasting over one week.

What is Overtourism & How Travelers Can Combat It

Yugen Earthside now automatically includes carbon removals with each booking through our partnership with Tomorrow's Air, a pioneering climate action company.

Our Climate Action Partnership with Tomorrow’s Air | Yugen Earthside

We are thrilled to announce that Yugen Earthside has officially partnered with Tomorrow's Air, a pioneering climate action company specializing in carbon removals. Today, we stand united in our commitment to combat climate change and lead the way toward a more sustainable and resilient future.

When booking through Yugen Earthside, $10 per person will automatically be allocated toward Tomorrow's Air for carbon removals. This went into effect on April 1, 2023.

At Yugen Earthside, we recognize the urgent need to address the global climate crisis, especially as a travel company. Our dedication to environmental responsibility has always been ingrained in our values, and we continually strive to treat the world around us with care and respect. Through this strategic partnership with Tomorrow's Air, we are taking another significant step toward fulfilling our mission of making sustainable travel easy.

We hope to lead by example and inspire other travel companies to take similar action in combatting the climate crisis.

Tourism is responsible for roughly 8% of the world’s carbon emissions.

Carbon removals use innovative technology to take existing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and store it permanently elsewhere. This extraction process makes a tangible contribution to slowing climate change. Generally, carbon dioxide either gets stored in the soil just below ground or deep underground where it is compressed to form rocks. 

Because carbon removals are removing CO2 from the atmosphere today, they surpass the effectiveness of traditional carbon offsets, which work to reduce or avoid emissions from occurring in the future. You can read a full breakdown of the difference between carbon removals and carbon offsets here. 

By aligning ourselves with Tomorrow's Air, we are demonstrating our commitment to the climate and our accountability as a company operating in the travel and tourism space.

We debated the best way to implement this partnership with regard to the $10 carbon removal contribution per person:

Do we set the $10 carbon removal contribution as a traveler opt-in or opt-out feature?

Do we add $10 for carbon removal contributions on top of our prices, or list it as a 'Service Fee'?

Do we automatically cover the carbon removal contribution without changing our prices or adding a fee?

After careful consideration, we opted to automatically cover the carbon removal contribution for each of our travelers.

This is because one of our main priorities with this partnership is to make it easier for people to travel sustainably - which means simplifying things for travelers and just doing what is right.

Beyond carbon removals: our other climate actions

Partnering with Tomorrow's Air to include carbon removals with trip bookings is just the latest step we've taken to act responsibly and inspire impact. We're proud to share some of the other climate actions we are currently undertaking:

Integrating Carbon Offsets into Checkout: We have implemented a seamless process for customers to offset the carbon emissions associated with their trip. At checkout, travelers can (quite literally) check a box to include carbon offsets in their trip booking. This add-on is completely optional, albeit encouraged. Carbon offsets are done through Sustainable Travel International via meaningful, science-backed initiatives.

Becoming a Certified Net Zero Company: We have obtained certification as a net-zero company through Ecolytics, validating our efforts to reduce, offset, and remove carbon emissions from our company operations.

Donating at least 1% of Gross Profits: We firmly believe in giving back to social and environmental projects that support the further development of sustainable travel. Through our commitment to donating a minimum of 1% of gross profits, we actively support projects that promote sustainable travel and conservation efforts.

Together, these initiatives attempt to create a holistic and robust climate action strategy that reflects our responsibility as a travel business. We value continuous improvement and will seek new ways of addressing the climate crisis with other innovative solutions, technologies, and partnerships to further strengthen our impact.

Ultimately, responsibility for climate action lies with all travelers and all people. It's our planet.

When it comes to such a monumentally important topic, it can feel overwhelming. In these cases, we find it helpful to think about what we can control and what we cannot. We urge governments, tourism boards, businesses (from big corporations to boutique travel companies), and travelers to take action. While we have less direct influence on governments, tourism boards, and other businesses, we can control what our business does and we can influence what our travelers do.

Travel businesses play a pivotal role in shaping a sustainable future, and we are optimistic that it will become increasingly normal for companies to take climate action. With each one that does, it will contribute to a growing ripple effect that fosters greater environmental consciousness and action across industries.

Thank YOU for prioritizing climate action when you travel

We want to express our deepest gratitude to all our travelers who book through us and thereby prioritize taking climate action in addition to having an incredible experience. The more travelers that trust their adventures with companies acting responsibly and enabling them to do the same, the better.

We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing authentic and responsible package tours while simultaneously prioritizing the planet and local communities all over the world.

Read the full partnership announcement between Yugen Earthside and Tomorrow's Air below.

Inspired by nature and in recognition of travel’s opportunity to help when it comes to our climate, Yugen Earthside is joining Tomorrow’s Air, supporting climate action education and accelerating the development of carbon removal with permanent storage.

We learned that alongside conventional carbon offsetting and natural climate solutions, new carbon removal and storage approaches are also needed to help us clean up the trillion tons of excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The reality is that even if all carbon dioxide emissions were to halt completely right now, Earth’s warming would continue due to the high levels of carbon dioxide already stored in the atmosphere. The only way to permanently reverse warming is through carbon removal.

Therefore, beginning in April 2023, Yugen Earthside is incorporating a $10 contribution to Tomorrow’s Air into all its trips. Yugen Earthside traveler contributions support:

Inspiring traveler education about meaningful climate action 

An order for 10kgs carbon to be removed and permanently stored 

The Tomorrow’s Air portfolio of carbon removal innovators includes pioneering companies selected for their technical and hybrid nature-tech solutions that can help restore our climate: direct air capture company Climeworks, Pacific Biochar, and Eion enhanced weathering.

Traveler contributions support climate-conscious travel education and directly fund carbon removal provided by these companies. 

With direct air capture, carbon collectors capture carbon dioxide from ambient air. Air is drawn into the collector with a fan, and adheres to a filter within the collector. Once the filter is saturated, the collector is closed, and the temperature is increased, releasing pure carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is dissolved in water, just as a soda machine makes sparkling water.

This water mixed with carbon dioxide is then injected deep underground into basaltic rock in Iceland. The basaltic rocks release metals that mix with the carbon dioxide in the water and turn this carbon dioxide into stone. The process safely and permanently removes the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere since rocks cannot leak out of the ground. The entire process is powered by geothermal energy.

Pacific Biochar captures and stores carbon dioxide by stabilizing natural processes of decay in organic matter and keeping it safely in the ground. The biochar created is used in soil applications. Biochar can help enhance the overall health of soil by helping hold plant nutrients in topsoil. It also supports increases in crop yield, and can also help conserve water used for crops by improving the water retention of the soil.

Eion’s novel process speeds up the natural process of chemical weathering that causes the breakdown of rocks and minerals, storing carbon dioxide along the way. Eion applies crushed silicate rock - olivine - to soil. Through existing moisture and acidity in the soil, the crushed rock dissolves, resulting in carbon dioxide being pulled from the atmosphere into the solution. The bicarbonate ions that are formed as part of the process over time make their way to the ocean. Once they reach the ocean, they improve ocean alkalinity and remain at the bottom of the ocean for 500,000 years.

Yugen Earthside Travelers Are A Valuable Part of the Solution

As a global community, travel holds immense potential to support our society’s transition to sustainability. Millions of travelers along with countless travel companies around the world form a potentially powerful collective to embrace climate-conscious travel and support innovative carbon removal solutions that will be needed alongside our forests, oceans, and soils to absorb and store carbon dioxide.

Through their stories and perspectives as well as through their direct contributions to carbon removal with permanent storage, Yugen Earthside travelers are building the carbon removal movement and providing vital funding for pioneer carbon removal solutions. 

YugenEarthside travelers are encouraged to share their personal travel stories and perspectives with the Tomorrow’s Air community and are invited to 

Follow Tomorrow’s Air on Instagram @tomorrowsair_

Sign up for the Airrow Bulletin for travel insights and carbon removal highlights

Join the collective as a Supporter, Leader or Champion member

Carbon dioxide is extremely well-mixed in our atmosphere: emissions from one part of the world mix in with emissions from other parts of the world. When we reduce the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide—regardless of where on Earth the reduction occurs—the entire atmosphere, and all of us on Earth who are protected by it, benefit.

Let’s band together to restore our climate.

Climate Action Partnership with Tomorrow’s Air

If you want a more eco-friendly stay, here are the top 10 sites to find sustainable accommodations in 2024.

Top 10 Sites: Eco-Friendly & Sustainable Accommodation | Yugen Earthside

If you’re looking for organized self-guided, private, or small-group trips that already include sustainable accommodation, we’ve got you covered! On the other hand, if you’re looking to plan your trip completely on your own, accommodation is one of the big ticket items you’ll need to book.

Traditional hotel and accommodation booking sites have a problem. If you’re a traveler in search of environmentally friendly lodging, you may have noticed what it is: they don’t focus on sustainability. “Focus” is actually a strong word – most don’t even have a ‘green’, ‘eco’, or ‘sustainable’ filter for their myriad listings. 

Yet, sustainable travel options are becoming a more pressing need for travelers as concern for our planet increases. Booking.com's Sustainable Travel Report 2023 states that:

76% of global travelers want to travel more sustainably over the coming 12 months.

Where the major booking platforms fall short in catering to conscientious travelers, a slew of innovative startups and SMEs (small and medium enterprises) are working hard to fill the gap. And, it’s important to fill that gap because accommodation is one of the biggest expenditures for tourists. In other words, if you’re booking travel all on your own (i.e. not a multi-day tour package), sustainable accommodation is one of the best ways you can “vote with your wallet” on the type of change you want to see.

We know that sites like Booking.com and Expedia have a variety of great deals on accommodations as well as flights, car rentals, and attractions – making them a convenient option. We also know that many travelers opt for Airbnbs. But, if you want a more eco-friendly stay for your next vacation, keep reading to discover great alternative booking sites.

There is no hard and fast rule as to what makes an accommodation eco-friendly. There are numerous rating systems, certifications, and criteria that might be followed by hotels and other types of lodging. One way to distinguish an eco lodging though is to see if they are taking visible and viable steps to reduce their environmental impact. 

A 2022 Sustainable Travel Report by Booking.com shows that 81% of global travelers think sustainable travel is important, with 70% saying they would be more likely to book sustainable accommodation. Travelers who stayed in a sustainable accommodation within the last year reported wanting to reduce their impact on the environment (41%), have a more local experience (33%), and treat the surrounding community better (31%). On the other hand, among travelers who did not stay at sustainable accommodations, 31% reported that they didn’t even know sustainable accommodations existed. This is down from 36% the year prior, and while it reflects increase awareness and demand for sustainable properties, it also shows a big gap left to fill.

Booking.com publishes a new report each year - so what were some of the important stats from the 2023 Sustainable Travel Report?

For starters, 80% of travelers surveyed confirmed that "traveling more sustainably is important to them," with 76% saying they want to "travel more sustainably over the coming 12 months." 

When it comes to accommodation specifically, 59% of travelers want to "filter their options for those with a sustainable certification" and 64% "would feel better about staying in a particular accommodation if they knew it had a sustainable certification or label." Yet, 39% of travelers surveyed reported not trusting sustainable travel labels.

With this in mind, we must balance being skeptical with being open-minded towards companies who really are trying to make a difference. Below, we've rounded up sites that we think are setting a good example in this space. 

Top Sites for Eco-Friendly & Sustainable Accommodations:

The eco-travel sites we have listed below make it easier for you to find these types of accommodations. They take the guesswork out so you can save time and get to what you love quicker: traveling!

Discover the environmentally friendly way to travel in accommodations worldwide. 

Bookitgreen brings together eco-friendly hotels and other types of accommodations throughout Europe for sustainable travelers. Their accommodations are engulfed in nature and vary from cottages and organic farms to holiday homes and apartments. You can find their green accommodations in Germany, Austria, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and Switzerland.

Each accommodation is rated based on 15 sustainability criteria such as energy-saving lighting and the use of ecological cleaning products. Depending on how many criteria the accommodation meets, it is awarded one to five green leaves. This makes it simple for guests to know how sustainable an accommodation is.

The default way to search is by type of accommodation (“Hotel & BNB”, “Holiday Home”) which feels a little awkward. You can search by destination though by scrolling down past the fold. When you click on listings, you may be taken to the partner site to book with them directly.

When you stay in an accommodation listed on Bookitgreen, you save about 6 kilograms of CO2 and 90 liters of water a night. Bookitgreen also plants a tree every year for each accommodation listed on its site. Read more about their approach to sustainability here.

Looking for variety? Then bookdifferent may be right for you! 

Founded in 2012, bookdifferent is a Dutch company on a mission to make the travel industry more sustainable. They actually share the same backend database of hotels as Booking.com, but then layer on sustainability indicators.* 

With bookdifferent, you can quickly browse one million responsible accommodations worldwide at an affordable price. They use green indicators including eco-labels, a carbon footprint calculator, and a “staygreencheck” score, which ensures that all accommodations are sustainable and eco-certified. This score is calculated based on four pillars of sustainability:

Management: Effective sustainable management and compliance with the law

Fair & Local: Fair and equal treatment for employees and destinations

Culture Friendly: Respect for local traditions

Nature & Environment: Taking care of mother earth 

Search by city, and then sort by the “staygreencheck” score. For each listing, you can see what the carbon impact of your stay will be and which components of the “staygreencheck” they scored well in.

Be aware that some of their listings are marked “no green label” – which is confusing at first glance. This is because bookdifferent does not exclusively show “green” hotels since they share their database with Booking.com.    

While not exclusively “green,” we like bookdifferent because, in addition to having a huge selection, they work with over 30 of the most common eco-labels as a “gatekeeping” requirement. Hotels must have one of these eco-labels before bookdifferent will evaluate them and assign their own “staygreencheck” score. Furthermore, even for hotels with no eco-label, bookdifferent still works to provide a carbon footprint indicator for travelers.

Bookdifferent is dedicated to making sure that all aspects of your vacation are sustainable. They do this by providing travelers with not only eco-certified hotels but also recommendations for responsible destinations and responsible transportation methods. 

*Bookdifferent is an affiliate of Booking.com, and they’re also a social enterprise (like us!). This means that while they do earn money, their company’s purpose is based on “making the travel sector greener.”

Wayaj is a female-founded sustainable travel platform that offers tools and resources to travelers and tour operators to help them make better ecological choices. They aggregate hundreds of eco-accommodations worldwide for all budgets, and their goal is to help travelers “minimize the environmental impact while maximizing the benefits to local communities.”

Their green hotel rating uses the following seven criteria to score the environmental and social impact of hotels and other forms of travel accommodations:

Materials: The reduction of resource consumption and the purchase of more local and sustainable materials.

Community: The promotion of tourism in locations that support the local community, as well as its people and environment.

Waste: Proper disposal of waste and the promotion of more sustainable disposal options.

Indoors: Boost the quality of the interior environment to ensure guest satisfaction, health, and well-being.

Management: Provide a safe, healthy, and non-discriminatory workplace for all genders, races, religions, and social classes.

Water: Reduce the amount of water used and reuse it where possible. As well as the use of natural water sources and wastewater treatment. 

Energy: Reduce energy consumption and employ clean, renewable sources for the remaining needs.

The accommodations themselves look amazing, but the listings are limited in comparison to larger booking sites; the trickiest part will be finding lodging in the specific destination you have in mind. That’s why we suggest maybe finding your dream accommodation first, and then planning your trip around that! 

In addition to providing accommodations for all types of travelers, Wayaj also offers eco tools to help you on your journey. Their eco tools include a carbon footprint calculator and a selection of carbon offsetting projects you can donate to.

Kind Traveler is a public benefit corporation, and the first socially conscious Give + Get hotel booking and media platform. Booking through Kind Traveler empowers you to “positively impact the communities you visit” by making it simpler than ever to give back and feel good about it when you travel.

They partner with environmentally friendly hotels in the US and worldwide that are making a difference through the promotion of individual wellness, sustainability, and community. Each hotel is given the opportunity to collaborate with a local charity that travelers may choose to donate to.

Donate to a charity or cause of your choice 

Start your search by clicking “Book Hotel” at the top, since there’s no search bar, then scroll to the destination you want. Current destinations include a handful of major US cities, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Maldives, Belize, Italy, Paris, Guatemala, and Thailand – so this could be a great site to use especially if you’re looking for a beachy vacation.

Travelers unlock exclusive hotel rates and perks upon a $10 nightly donation to a highlighted local charity that positively impacts the destination visited, or to a charity of choice. No need to worry – 100% of donations are given to the charities!

Similar to Kind Traveler, Fairbnb uses a donation model to give back to local communities. 

They are a cooperative accommodation booking platform that promotes and funds local initiatives and projects in Europe. For every booking you make with Fairbnb, 50% of your booking fees are donated to a community project in the place you visit.

Fairbnb.coop gives travelers and locals the opportunity to participate in a more responsible and sustainable tourism model. When travelers book through this platform, they’re supporting social and ecological projects for a community. Fairbnb.coop works with local authorities to verify hosts, and then stakeholders collaborate to define and prioritize the social projects.

The homepage feels like a familiar, standard booking site and we like that the drop-down only includes cities they have a presence in. Their destinations include 14 major European cities and a few other European regions, which makes their site a great booking option for a sustainable Euro-city break!

Consider booking with Fairbnb if you’re looking for a ‘more ethical version of Airbnb’. They are committed to supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, reinvesting in local communities, and fairly treating hosts and guests while putting people over profit. Read their full manifesto here.

Created in 2019, Regenerative Travel brings together upscale, luxury eco-resorts from around the world. 

Each of their 53 Regenerative Resorts is selected based on their dedication to environmental and social impact. Regenerative Travel makes certain that the eco-friendly hotels embody six standards:

Honors place: Ensures the lodgings are well-integrated into the local destination and do not disrupt the local environment, history, and culture.

Provides hospitality: Guests are provided with authentic and personalized experiences. 

Is inclusive and egalitarian: All people are welcome and underrepresented communities are supported. 

Operate responsibly and ethically: Takes into consideration the wellbeing of surrounding communities and ecosystems.

Respects local and global ecosystems: A strong commitment to reducing their environmental impact and monitoring the waste produced from their operations.

Communicates regenerative values & practices: Mutually values Regenerative Travel’s commitment to being a socially and environmentally responsible company. 

You can filter through accommodations ranging from adventure lodges to cozy cabins, to private villas and luxury safari camps. The listings also have thorough details on how the lodging is making a regenerative impact. Most of the resorts are located in the Americas (seven in North America, seven in Central America, and two in South America), followed by nine resorts in Asia. Regenerative Travel also has unique experiences tied to some of their resorts – such as visiting a cinnamon farm or releasing baby sea turtles. 

Don’t miss their online magazine which offers unique travel guides, highlights cuisine from around the world, and gives recommendations on style and wellness as it pertains to travel and sustainability. 

This site has a sleek, luxurious feel to it. Begin browsing by clicking “Regenerative Resorts” in the top navigation bar, or searching by region in the search bar. Based on the highly curated selection, this might be another site to let your luxurious resort or regenerative experience decide where you book your next trip.

Sustainable travel doesn’t mean you have to skimp on comfort and luxury. When you book with Regenerative Travel, you can discover high-end hotels & resorts dedicated to making a positive impact. If you want to feel good and do good when you stay in an accommodation, Regenerative Travel is the way to go. 

Discover the Authenticity of Travelling with Nature at Heart

Ecobnb is a platform dedicated to changing the way we travel. Initially, an Italian blog that told ecotravel stories, Ecobnb evolved into a booking platform in 2015. Then in 2017, they received an award for excellence and innovation in tourism from the UNWTO. 

From bio hotels to treehouses, they offer a variety of eco-friendly accommodations that follow sustainability requirements. They also pride themselves on helping their guests save an average of 8 kg of CO2 and 302 liters of fresh water each night they stay in an Ecobnb accommodation.

Accommodations listed on the site must meet at least five of 10 sustainability requirements. Some of these requirements include car-free accessibility, water flow reducers, and eco-cleaning products. From the sustainability criteria, Ecobnb calculates the number of trees saved when you book with them using the platform How Many Trees. 

Browse by destination using the search bar on the home page. The listings are concentrated mostly in Italy and France (and in some surrounding countries) – so start with this site if either of those countries is your destination.

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