Sustainability has been the tourism industry’s biggest buzzword for years now, with hotels and tour operators shouting loud and proud about all their initiatives. But the movement isn’t totally one sided – tourists are making changes to make their travel experiences more sustainable, too.
In fact, 85% of those quizzed as part of Booking.com’s Travel & Sustainability Report 2026 said sustainable travel was important or very important to them.
Now in its 11th edition, 32,500 travellers in countries including the UK, Spain, Italy and Germany were asked to share their thoughts on sustainable travel.
Here are all the sustainable travel habits tourists are embracing (and you can too).
Avoiding overcrowded destinations and travelling outside of peak season
Another word on everybody’s lips at the moment is overtourism, residents in destinations like Barcelona, Lanzarote and Zante suffering under the weight of too many visitors in the summer months.
According to Booking.com, 43% of travellers said they are planning to avoid overcrowded tourist destinations – an increase in 11% compared to 2025.
Some 42% of these are planning to travel outside of peak season, although there is a divide between generations on this, with 63% of Boomers planning off-season travel compared to 41% of Millennials and 36% of Gen Z.
“This year’s Travel & Sustainability Report shows that while generations may have different understandings of what constitutes more sustainable travel, adapting to extreme weather and actively avoiding crowds are now norms at all ages,” Danielle D’Silva, director of sustainability at Booking.com, said.
“We are encouraged by the broad range of ways travellers are already travelling more sustainably, and how they plan to continue.”
Around a quarter of those polled also said they would be choosing destinations with cooler temperatures, a clear indicator that “coolcations” are here to stay.
Spending on tours that support local communities and wildlife
Sustainable tourism isn’t just about green behaviours like reducing waste and using less water, it’s also about supporting the local community and helping to keep local customs going for years to come.
Gen Z and Millennials are leading the way with this type of travel, with 31% and 29% of these groups respectively having taken part in a tour or activity where they learned about local Indigenous cultures. Just 23% of Gen X and 18% of Boomers said the same.
Nearly a quarter of Gen Z and Millennials have taken part in a tour that supports conservation of the local ecosystem or wildlife, compared to 16% of Gen X and 9% of Boomers.
While it varies from country to country, you can find Indigenous-led experiences through websites like Destination Native America or Indigenous Tourism BC.
You can also do your bit by shopping local, with 59% of Boomers, 50% of Gen X, 44% of Millennials and 42% of Gen Z saying they will shop more at independent stores on their trips.
Choosing more sustainable accommodation and means of travel
More than a third of every group polled said they were planning to stay at a hotel or other accommodation that has a sustainability certification in the next 12 months.
Last year, Prince Harry unveiled Travalyst, a not-for-profit organisation that works with partners including Booking.com and Skyscanner to share information such as emissions when booking flights as well as how sustainable a hotel is before you book.
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