Booking.com’s 2025 Sustainable Travel Research Reveals Growing Awareness of Tourism’s Impact on Communities

• Since first conducting research on consumer attitudes about travelling more sustainably in 2016, Booking.com has surveyed nearly 230,000 travellers in 35 markets. The latest data from 2025 shows a shift in traveller perceptions of what sustainability encompasses; more than half of Australian travellers (51%) are now conscious of tourism's impact on local communities, as well as the environment.
• The majority (62%) of Australian travellers feel that tourism has a positive impact overall where they live; despite challenges including the rising cost of living, traffic, overcrowding, and traffic congestion.
• 73% of global travellers coming to Australia are seeking authentic experiences that are representative of local culture.

Today, Booking.com released the 10th edition of its annual research exploring consumer attitudes and intentions about the social and ecological impact of travel. The insights from 32,000 travellers in 34 countries, including 1,000 from Australia, reflect growing discussions of the impact of tourism.

The research concludes that, for the first time, more than half of Australian travellers (51%) are conscious of travel’s impact on communities, as well as the environment, and that two-thirds (67%) now want to leave places better than when they arrived.

Furthermore, the research asked respondents not just how they travel, but also how they experience inbound visitors where they live, shedding light on the benefits and challenges of tourism from their perspective as both travellers and locals. The report reveals that while more than half (58%) feel that tourism has a positive impact overall on the place where they live, adjustments are needed so that destinations can grow at a healthy pace and continue to be enjoyed by all.

Understanding the needs of local residents

The majority (62%) of Australian travellers believe there is the right amount of tourism where they live, however, common tourism-related challenges they face include: traffic congestion (40%), rising cost of living (34%), littering (32%), and overcrowding (32%).

Despite these concerns, only a small number (16%) of Aussie travellers believe that capping the number of tourists to their home destination is the answer. Instead, the need for local investment is emphasised, with top areas of support including waste management (33%), improved transportation (32%), and environmental conservation (25%).

When it comes to the behaviour of inbound visitors, an overall positive sentiment is shared by Australian travellers, who say that the tourists they see at home often or always respect local customs and traditions (52%) and support local businesses (62%). Global travellers also want the money they spend to go back to the local community (73%) and are seeking authentic experiences representative of local cultures (77%), including those from Indigenous cultures and communities.

More mindful habits becoming mainstream

Travelling more sustainably remains important for most Australian travellers (80%) with decade-long data showing how it has become a larger priority for many when planning trips.

In 2016, less than half (40%) of Aussie travellers believed they travelled sustainably. By 2025, almost all travellers (91%) said they want to make more sustainable travel choices, and to some extent, they have done so. In addition to increased intent, over the ten years that Booking.com has been gathering insights, there have been shifts in awareness levels, preferences and priorities when it comes to what travellers perceive as having a more positive impact on local destinations, communities and ecosystems.

This year’s research shows that behaviours relating to community and economic impact now sit alongside these environmental choices, with travellers consciously considering ways they can minimize the impact of the destinations they visit, whether that’s seeking advice on travel at other times of the year (38%), or visiting alternative destinations to avoid overcrowding (32%).

“To ensure that destinations can continue to be enjoyed by both locals and visitors alike, tourism, infrastructure and innovation need to keep pace with travellers’ good intent“, says Todd Lacey, Regional Manager, Oceania at Booking.com.

“As a leader in the travel industry, we want to make it easier for both travellers and partners to feel confident that the choices they make are helping to contribute positively to Australian destinations and communities. That includes surfacing hotels and accommodations with reputable third-party sustainability certifications or providing training and guidance to our partners, as well as how to best engage with local communities or reduce their footprint.”

“We ultimately want to make it easier for travellers to connect with a more diverse range of local communities across Australia, from far-flung regions to Indigenous tourism operators so we help spread the positive benefits of tourism more broadly.”

To read and download Booking.com’s full 2025 Sustainable Travel research for Australia, please visit here.