To celebrate World Earth Day 2026, we are proud to spotlight some of our members who have made sustainability and responsible tourism central to their business.
Green Tourism have changed the relationship between the tourism industry and the planet. They helped thousands of businesses embark on positive green journeys, partnering with nearly 3,000 eco-friendly accommodation providers and attractions in the UK and abroad. They offer Carbon Tracker, a practical digital tool designed to help businesses measure, monitor and understand their carbon emissions on a single platform. Their mission is to encourage and enable people to make sustainable choices.
1. You have been pioneering in the sustainable tourism space for over 28 years now. What are some key lessons you have picked up along the way?
One of the biggest lessons is that sustainability is a continuous journey, with progress being made through continuous improvements and changes. We’ve also learned that businesses engage more when sustainability includes realistic, measurable goals that are aligned with their commercial strategy. And finally, collaboration is key. Working with industry partners, communities and suppliers delivers a much greater impact than acting alone.
2. How has your organisation successfully measured the impact of your sustainability initiatives throughout the years?
We’ve focused on creating clear frameworks that allow businesses to see their progress over time. By combining assessments, benchmarking, and more recently, tools like our Carbon Tracker, our members have been able to better understand their impact, identify areas for improvement, and demonstrate their progress in a credible and transparent way.
3. What practical advice would you offer to organisations to improve their sustainability offering in a way that supports local communities and makes meaningful contributions to the places they operate in?
Build relationships with local suppliers, charities and community groups, and look at how your business can contribute to the local economy beyond employment. Small, consistent actions, such as using local food suppliers, supporting community initiatives or offering space for local events, can have a significant impact. Most importantly, be authentic and make sure your actions are meaningful rather than purely promotional.
4. What are some of the major changes in sustainable tourism you’ve noticed since your organisation first started?
Sustainability has shifted from being a niche interest to a core business priority. There is now a much stronger awareness, greater expectations from consumers and increased accountability across the industry. We’ve also seen a move to more measurable, data-driven approaches, particularly around carbon emissions, as well as an understanding that sustainability includes social and community impact, not just environmental factors.
5. Looking ahead, what key sustainability goals should the tourism industry prioritise to become more environmentally responsible?
Reducing carbon emissions must remain a top priority, particularly through better measurement across the full supply chain. Additionally, there needs to be continued focus on protecting biodiversity, reducing waste, and ensuring tourism benefits local communities. Equally important is embedding sustainability into everyday business operations, so it becomes standard practice rather than an add-on.
6. How is your organisation planning to improve its environmental sustainability over the next decade?
We’re focused on strengthening the tools and support we provide to help businesses measure and reduce their impact, particularly through enhanced carbon tracking and reporting. We also aim to continue evolving our assessment criteria to reflect best practice, emerging challenges and evolving legislation, helping to future-proof both our standards and our members’ operations.
A key part of this is ensuring businesses are well prepared to meet increasing regulatory expectations, including those around transparency and greenwashing, so that our members’ sustainability claims continue to be credible, consistent and compliant. Ultimately, our goal is to make sustainability more accessible, measurable and impactful across the tourism sector.
For more information on Green Tourism, click here.
