News and Insights

The Dawn of Intentional Travel

April 21, 2026

Whatever one’s hopes and dreams for preserving the environment, culture, and economy of the places we visit around the world, there are plenty of options for traveling sustainably once they head out the door.

As travel continues to grow, tourism-related sustainability is more important than ever. Consider, for example, there were 25 million international travelers in 1950; about 1.4 billion in 2019, before sights and scenes caught a break from the pandemic; and nearly the same in 2024. That’s a lot of traffic, and a lot of reasons to make sustainable tourism a priority.

Take the Middle East, where sustainable hospitality “is more than a choice – it is an imperative for the enduring success of the tourism sector,” according to Daniel Gribbin, Sustainability Leader at Deloitte Middle East. In a 2025 Insight Report created with Business Traveller, Gribbin highlighted a number of tourism-related sustainability efforts in the region, including proactive restoration of coral reefs in the sparkling waters of the Red Sea; holistic integration “where every tourism activity supports interconnected systems of nature, community, and economy”; and regenerative tourism at the community level “with traditions and livelihoods interwoven into the very fabric of the hospitality framework.”

From his perspective in the heart of that action, Thomas Morris, Senior Partner at FINN UAE, notes that sustainable hospitality is becoming foundational in the Middle East “because it is being built into new developments from the ground up rather than implemented into legacy infrastructure.” Morris points to AMAALA, a new tourism destination rising along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia under real estate developer Red Sea Global in keeping with the country’s Vision 2030 plan to modernize its economy. AMAALA will feature more than two-dozen wellness-focused and renewably energized resorts from renowned luxury brands, including Rosewood, Six Senses, The Ritz-Carlton, and Four Seasons.

Ecotourism is also on the rise in the UAE, notably in Ras Al Khaimah, whose tourism development authority bills it as “The Nature Emirate”. Among outdoorsy adventure offerings are the Jais Sky Tour, offering “brave-hearted explorers” six ziplines stretching up to more than a kilometer for bird’s-eye views of the craggy Hajar Mountains, and the Suwaidi Pearl Farm, celebrating more than 7,000 years of local pearl fishing history in the village of Al Rams along the Persian Gulf.

Nearby, the vast country of Oman has made sustainable tourism the cornerstone of its Oman Vision 2040 with the Sultanate positioning itself as a sanctuary for ‘quiet tourism’ prioritizing environmental protection over mass development. The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is diverting traffic away from Muscat by investing in 14 regional tourism clusters; in the rugged Al Hajar Mountains, adventure and ecology meet at sites like Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams, where visitors can traverse ancient terraced gardens or take on the via ferrata routes perched 2,000 meters above sea level. There is also the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve, a world-leading site for the protection of the endangered green turtle, where travelers can witness nesting rituals under strict conservation protocols. Further north, the Musandam Peninsula, otherwise known as the “Norway of Arabia,” offers low-impact dhow cruises through turquoise fjords.

Much like the Middle East’s ground-up approach to sustainable tourism development, India’s opportunity lies not in retrofitting sustainability as an afterthought, but in embedding it into the next phase of destination and hospitality growth – guided as much by traveler values as by policy.

Indeed, as related in The Future of Travel 2025, an analysis of India’s new “global travel generation” created by Shivani Gupta, Managing Partner of FINN Partners India, with the global research and insights agency GSIQ: Gen Z, in particular, has a keen eye for authenticity, sustainability, and immersive experiences. With India turning into a global powerhouse of outbound tourism, their strong preferences for eco-conscious stays, culturally rich interactions, and digital convenience are pushing the industry to innovate on experiences as well as luxury.

Shivani adds: “These travelers are ready to reward brands that demonstrate genuine intent rather than performative claims. As the significance of India’s outbound tourism grows, the expectations of Gen Z, who perceive roaming the globe as a form of self-expression, will increasingly shape how destinations and hospitality brands design experiences and define luxury.”

Among domestic addresses that check such boxes is The Grand Dragon, Ladakh at 11,562 feet in the Himalayas, recently heralded by Travel + Leisure Asia as one of the Best Sustainable properties in India, with Ladakhi architecture actively promoting locally sourced materials and experiences for guests from “feast for the senses”-style picnics along the Indus and Zanskar rivers to day trips to the ancient monasteries. Six Senses Fort Barwara in Rajasthan has also woven sustainability into the guest experience rather than positioning it as a separate initiative. From adaptive reuse of a 14th-century fort to water stewardship, local sourcing, and community engagement, the property reflects how luxury in India is increasingly being defined by restoration of place, culture, and self.

Similar experiences are being sought across Asia, as well, with the global travel media platform Travel and Tour World recently noting that travelers are choosing lesser-known destinations to secure authenticity and eco-friendliness, a shift driven in part by “a renewed focus on sustainability.”

Among representative settings is Kanazawa, one of dozens of towns across Japan tagged as ‘Little Kyoto,’ which is home to traditional arts and crafts, modern art and architecture, well-preserved Edo-era districts, and historic treasures such as Kenrokuen Garden. There is also Azerbaijan, straddling Europe and Asia, recently hailed as “culture-packed” by Condé Nast Traveller. Highlights include Icherisheher, the UNESCO World Heritage Site-honored Old City of the capital city of Baku, with a “maze of narrow alleys revealing medieval mosques, caravanserais once used by Silk Road traders, and the iconic Maiden Tower, whose origins remain shrouded in mystery.” The futuristic Flame Towers are can’t-miss in the nighttime skyline of Baku, while wellness traditions “that stretch back centuries” and rotating art shows at the Heydar Aliyev Center along the city’s Caspian waterfront are not to be missed.

With the downsides of overtourism rising like snakes from the scalp of Medusa, destination dupes continue to trend. In Europe, travelers are increasingly considering spots like Montenegro instead of Croatia, Wexford instead of Dublin, Cormons instead of Venice, and Kéa as a stand-in for busier Greek islands of the Aegean.

“Such travel feeds into a lot of the destination clients we work for to help with their sustainability messaging and geographical and seasonal spreads. The perfect example of this is in Iceland. There is now a winter flight from the UK to the capital of the north, Akureyi, which launched back in 2023 and has been very popular ever since with travelers hunting those infamous Northern Lights, wanting to indulge in some geothermal bathing, and even pop on their skis,” says Amy Skelding, Managing Partner on FINN’s travel team in the UK.

Another example is that this year Malta’s sister island of Gozo was named on Wanderlust’s Good to Go List, which represents the most meaningful places on the globe for the ‘curious and responsible Wanderlust traveller’. Just a short ferry from the popular resorts and renowned heritage sites of Malta, Gozo offers a more sedate and tranquil Maltese holiday experience with its picturesque villages, ancient wonders, and farm-to-table gastronomy. The island has a community-focused approach to tourism, and this accolade is recognition of how a thoughtful approach to tourism on the island appeals to responsible travelers.

Of course, travelers can leave a positive footprint wherever they’re headed, especially by patronizing champions of local communities.

Across the Tibetan Plateau in southwestern China, the boutique hotel group Songtsam Resorts exemplifies regenerative travel through a deep commitment to sustainability, cultural preservation, and community impact. The boutique hospitality group incorporates thoughtful, low-impact design – often building lodges in traditional styles using locally sourced materials, including reclaimed wood from abandoned village structures or naturally fallen trees – while crafting immersive itineraries that educate travelers and meaningfully support surrounding communities. Guests are invited to connect firsthand with local cultures and traditions through experiences that also generate economic opportunity for artisans and villages. Today, more than 90 percent of staff across Songtsam’s 18 hotels, lodges, and glamping sites are locally hired, and the brand reinvests a portion of its profits back into nearby communities, helping ensure long-term prosperity alongside environmental stewardship.

In The Bahamas, tourism is all about sustainability, and vice versa. The island nation with 700-plus islands and cays and 100,000 square miles of calm blue ocean between them has paved two paths to sustainability, protecting its natural surroundings while building the durability of its tourism economy. Among several successful regenerative efforts created via partnerships between the government, the private sector, and impassioned locals is Mission4Mangroves, an environmental tour of Grand Bahama Island that taps visitor muscle to restore and replenish natural ecosystems to sustain marine life and protect coastal communities. Meanwhile, in Freeport on Grand Bahama, the commercial coral farm Coral Vita is busy cultivating two-dozen types of indigenous coral through innovative techniques that speed up growth by 50 percent while making it more resistant to rising temperatures and acidity.

As cool as those and other environmental efforts are, tourism to The Bahamas continues to climb, with 11.22 million international visitors in 2024, up 16.2 percent over 2023.

When travelers and communities work together, sustainability can be truly transformative.

In Northwest Florida, Destin-Fort Walton Beach – the only town mentioned by name in Taylor Swift’s dark and dreamy Florida – has engaged the local community to welcome visitors and encourage them to divert to lesser-known locations in the destination. To address anti-tourism sentiment, the destination’s tourism organization engaged local businesses and residents to actively participate in solutions. In fact, they created and trained a contract workforce dedicated to tourism. Employment possibilities became available to serve as scouts – both online and in person – and adventure experts, to engage visitors with recommendations pre-arrival and in-market; acting as adventure guides to draw travelers away from crowded beaches to lesser-known locales; and teaching proper technique for snorkeling, paddling, fishing, and more during high season.

Payoff? Destin-Fort Walton Beach was named one of the Destinations of the Year 2026 by Expedia, which noted the area has much to offer “away from the sand and sea.”

Oh, and by the way, Taylor: There are a lot more places for travelers to stay than timeshares. Drop by for a visit sometime, and you’ll see.