More Queensland destinations become eco-certified

Queensland welcomes its fifth ECO certified destination through Eco Tourism Australia, the Capricorn Coast, led by Livingston Shire Council. Other destinations that have received ECO certification include Port Douglas and Daintree, Bundaberg, Townsville and Gladstone.

The certification ensures destinations prioritise sustainable tourism practices to give travellers confidence when they visit.

This comes as nature-based tourism in Australia has grown by 47 per cent from 2014 according to data from Tourism Research Australia’s National Visitor Survey for the year ending 2023. There has been significant growth in a range of activities including:

• Visiting botanic or public gardens with growth of 85 per cent.
• Bushwalking and rainforest walks grew by 81 per cent.
• Visiting national or state parks grew by 73 per cent.
• Caravanning or camping saw 40 per cent growth.
• Visiting wildlife parks, zoos and aquariums saw 46 per cent growth

Over the next 12 months, 75 per cent of travellers are predicted to travel more sustainably according to Booking.com.

The Australian Trade and Investment Commission has a national sustainability framework that delves into how tourism businesses can become more sustainable. TEQ’s Nature-Based tourism strategy also provides some great insights. Intrepid Travel has also recently released a sustainability handbook created especially for travel agents.

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