Sustainable Tourism: 7 Destinations That Are Doing it Just Right
Across the globe, destination leaders have been working tirelessly toward a more sustainable future of tourism; one that serves people, protects the planet, and drives shared prosperity. While each destination is at a different stage in its journey, they are united by a common ambition: to build a tourism industry that truly lasts.
Based on the insights collected from the conference sessions of the PATA Annual Summit 2025, this blog reveals how some Asia Pacific destinations are weaving different strategies into solutions that reflect their own contexts, challenges, and goals. In that diversity lies strength of individuality, a quality that will lead the region towards a shared destination: a tourism industry that is not only sustainable, but truly resilient.
Nepal: Protect Environment, Protect Tourism
Tigers roaming in Bardiya National Park. Source: Bardia Jungle Safari
Nepal has made significant strides to ensure that both its natural environment and local communities are protected, even as tourism continues to grow. In 1986, the government launched the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), the destination’s first conservation area and largest protected area, to safeguard the region’s extraordinary biodiversity and support the 100,000 residents living within its boundaries. Nepal also pioneered the Community Forestry initiative, which now protects nearly 45% of the country’s landmass through community-managed forest areas.
A key part of Nepal’s sustainability agenda has been biodiversity conservation. In 2012, the government set a bold goal to double its tiger population by 2022. This target was not only met but exceeded, making Nepal one of the few destinations in the world where the tiger population has more than tripled– Bardiya National Park alone has seen a sixfold increase in tiger numbers.
Azerbaijan: Tourism is the Answer to Local Sustainable Development
As host of COP29 in November 2024, Azerbaijan has placed tourism at the heart of its climate strategy and acts as the advocate for the inclusion of tourism in climate-conscious strategies. More than 70 destinations have already endorsed the enhanced climate action agenda for COP29, where sustainable tourism is recognised as a vital lever for environmental and economic resilience.
Town in Azerbaijan which was a major silk-trading center up into the 19th century. Source: CNN Travel
At the local level, Azerbaijan is demonstrating how tourism can revitalise communities while preserving cultural heritage. In one striking example, a small village tucked away in a side valley of the historic Silk Road—where silk once met copper—has been transformed through restoration and reinvestment. The village, once known for its silk printing traditions practised in nearly every household, is now a model of sustainable rural tourism. Over the past three years, more than 300 microbusinesses have emerged, ranging from teahouses and sweet shops to souvenir stalls and small-scale producers.
But the efforts did not stop there. Azerbaijan is also nurturing biodiversity-focused tourism, such as birdwatching experiences in key migratory corridors, and promoting agricultural tourism in its subtropical southern regions, where visitors can learn about traditional tea harvesting. In the northwest and south, partnerships with Slow Food Italy are supporting gastrotourism by celebrating local culinary traditions and small producers.
Saudi Arabia: A Luxurious Experience does not Mean Compromised Sustainability
Source: Desert Rock
Saudi Arabia is redefining what luxury tourism means by embedding sustainability, culture, and community into its development model. The destination’s approach is built on three pillars: telling stories rooted in heritage, preserving the authenticity of place, and creating a higher purpose through environmental and social impact.
Saudi Arabia is redefining what luxury tourism means by embedding sustainability, culture, and community into its development model. The destination’s approach is built on three pillars: telling stories rooted in heritage, preserving the authenticity of place, and creating a higher purpose through environmental and social impact.
This vision is reflected in a range of national initiatives. The Saudi Green Initiative underpins efforts to regenerate natural ecosystems, protect endangered species through the establishment of wildlife sanctuaries, and shape development plans around environmental considerations.
Bird's Eye View of Neom City
Saudi Arabia also prioritises involving local communities in tourism growth. In AlUla, 60% of the workforce is hired locally, supported by vocational training. In Jeddah’s historic district, 500-year-old buildings have been restored and converted into boutique hotels, preserving cultural heritage while revitalising the local economy.
Across large-scale developments, luxury and sustainability go hand in hand. For example, NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s futuristic Giga City project, is designed to balance technology and sustainability. Meanwhile, Red Sea resorts are powered entirely by renewable energy, and the cliff-carved Desert Rock Hotel demonstrates how luxurious, innovative design can be deeply nature-conscious.
Türkiye: Sustainability is a Nation-wide Matter
Source: Go Türkiye
Türkiye’s hospitality sector has adopted a three-stage programme aligned with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) criteria, covering over 120 indicators across environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Nearly 20,000 accommodations have already been certified under this system, supported by third-party verification and a national sustainable tourism standard. The Zero Waste programme and Net-zero Energy solutions using solar, wind, and hydropower are also integrated into the sector.
Decentralised planning is another key feature. Each province works at its own pace and most major tourism destinations with high potential have developed five to twenty-year master plans. Some destinations receive the financial assistance to realise their visions. Rather than top-down control, this approach empowers local areas to shape their own strategies and contribute to the national agenda, creating a more inclusive and adaptive tourism planning framework.
Moreover, Türkiye has made diversification the cornerstone of its tourism strategy. Since 2019, it has evolved from a single national brand into 20 destination and product sub-brands, including regional identities like İstanbul, Cappadocia, and the Turkish Riviera, as well as thematic brands such as Sports in Türkiye, MICE in Türkiye, and Delicious in Türkiye. These target specific audience segments through a wide mix of media, from global and local TV networks to social platforms.
Last but not least, technology plays a critical role in this transformation. The tourism authority monitors more than 30,000 news sources and social media platforms globally, managing over 1.5 billion data points. This real-time intelligence enables Türkiye to anticipate tourism flows, manage capacity, respond to crises, and make proactive, data-informed decisions.
Maldives: Sustainability Means Local Communities Take the Reign
Source: VisitMaldives
In just over a decade, the Maldives has shifted from a tourism model dominated by international resort brands to one where local communities play a central role. Today, nearly 800 community-run guesthouses operate across the islands, empowering a new generation of Maldivians to own and manage boutique hotels and small businesses. This grassroots change creates a ripple effect, presenting new opportunities for other local service providers to also benefit from tourism.
On a grander scale, the Maldives has taken steps to better align destination development with climate resilience by merging its Tourism and Environment ministries together. Alongside this change, the national tourism master plan and mandatory environmental impact assessments already guide new projects, with environmental protections embedded in both public and private sectors’ tourism development plans. Looking ahead, the destination is working to establish clear sustainability standards for all tourism operators.
To support these efforts, the Maldives is also harnessing technology to advance its sustainability goals. The IMUGA Portal collects data on tourist arrivals, permits, and travel patterns across more than 1,000 islands and atolls—insights that help guide infrastructure planning, marketing, and resource management. The Maldives 2.0 initiative, launched in May 2025, is part of the effort to build a digitally connected, paperless government to enable more agile, low-impact governance.
Philippines: Local Hospitality, Governments Support, and Visitors are the Golden Triangle of Sustainability
Philippines is advancing a sustainable and inclusive tourism agenda through four flagship programmes, each rooted in the principles of connectivity, convenience, equality—and above all—sustainability.
To improve the travel experience, especially in emerging destinations, the Department of Tourism is constructing Tourist Rest Areas equipped with clean restrooms, showers, charging stations, souvenir shops, and information counters. With 22 rest areas already built and a target of 100 by 2026, the initiative addresses a key need for both domestic and international travellers.
The Philippine Experience Program invites visitors to discover the destination’s diverse cultural and culinary heritage beyond the traditional tourist hotspots. Anchored on wellness, arts and culture, gastronomy, and heritage, the programme also broadens visibility and tourism opportunities for hidden gems across the archipelago.
To strengthen service quality, the Filipino Brand of Service Excellence (FBSE) initiative promotes seven core Filipino values and the signature Mabuhay gesture, aiming to uplift the destination’s reputation for warmth and hospitality.
Lastly, the Tourism Champions Challenge empowers local governments to lead destination development. Winning proposals receive financial support, ensuring projects reflect local priorities while fostering environmentally respectful, community-based tourism.
Cape Town, South Africa: Tourism as a Pathway to Local Employment and Involvement
Source: Wesgro
In the Western Cape, tourism is viewed as a vital pathway to inclusive economic growth and a solution to provide financial opportunities to locals. Because it is a labour-intensive sector, expanding tourism has the potential to create meaningful employment and address pressing socio-economic challenges. To put it briefly, more tourists means more jobs.
However, equal emphasis is placed on inclusivity and long-term impact. Cape Town has embraced regenerative tourism, an approach that not only minimises negative impacts but actively improves local environments, cultures, and communities.
One example is the With Love From the Locals campaign, built on the insight that the best way to promote a destination is through the voices of the people who live there. The campaign features residents from each of the province’s six regions—from cooking tour guides in Cape Town to whale-watching hosts in Hermanus—sharing real stories about their hometowns. The initiative encourages travellers to take paths less trodden and visit underappreciated destinations, all the while building pride and participation among local communities.
Avengers, Assemble!
Source: Airbnb Newsroom
How can private sector help? By working closely with local communities, governments, and cultural institutions, the private sector can play a vital role in ensuring that tourism development is truly sustainable. Sounds simple? There’s a crucial caveat: it’s not just about following trends—it’s about using a company’s unique expertise to create meaningful impact.
Airbnb offers several compelling examples of how this can be done. Through initiatives that support cultural preservation, the company partners with local organisations to give communities an active role in shaping how their heritage is shared with visitors.
One standout example is Airbnb’s recent collaboration with UNESCO in Bali. Through targeted training, local hosts across five regions became ambassadors for their communities’ cultural heritage, enhancing the guest experience while ensuring tourism strengthens, rather than dilutes, local traditions.
In another case, following the Noto earthquake in Japan, Airbnb partnered with local governments and heritage groups to support the restoration of traditional homes. Their approach prioritised culturally sensitive rebuilding, turning crisis response into an opportunity for long-term resilience and preservation.
These initiatives demonstrate how the private sector—when applying its expertise and working hand-in-hand with local stakeholders—can move beyond transactional tourism models. The result? More sustainable growth, deeper cultural understanding, and more inclusive futures for destinations worldwide.
We've Walked the Talk. Now What?
Source: Kyoto Travel
Once destinations (and their partners in the private sector) establish sustainable tourism practices, the next step is ensuring those efforts are resilient in the face of change, pressure, and crisis.
Take Japan as an example. In Shirakawa Village, the community formed a preservation committee and committed 30% of tourism revenue to protecting its heritage homes to create a cycle of self-support system. An effort to safeguard not just architecture, but identity. Meanwhile in Kyoto, smart visitor management tools like “Kyoto Smart Navi” help ease the strain of overtourism by spreading demand, while Hokkaido develop new multilingual tool that compiled all necessary information for foreign visitors to navigate to safety in times of emergencies and crisis.
These examples show that sustainability is not a finish line, but a foundation. True resilience comes when destinations build systems that protect what they have created even in moments of disruption.
This blog has touched on just a few of the many paths destinations are taking. Each one combines common principles with unique, place-specific strategies. It is clear that there is no universal formula, only custom-built models tailored to local needs, priorities, and capabilities. When destinations embrace this individuality, they collectively move toward a stronger, shared future.
For tools and guidance to help your destination become not only sustainable but truly resilient, explore the PATA Sustainability Resource Centre for free training, case studies, and expert insights.
Hands-on capacity building training — from digital literacy to destination management — is another crucial cog in any destination’s journey towards resilience. The PATA Capacity Building Programme is an excellent starting point for any Asia Pacific destination looking to develop a training programme for their tourism professionals, or a valuable addition to an existing initiative. These trainings will provide the opportunities for DMOs, SMEs, and tourism workers of all levels to learn directly from experts across various fields through practical exercise and adaptable projects.
The content of this blog is based on expert insights shared at the PATA Annual Summit 2025 by Airbnb, Azerbaijan Tourism Board, Kapadokya University, Maldives Marketing & PR Corporation, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, Nepal Tourism Board, Philippines Department of Tourism, Saudi Tourism Authority, TÜROB (Hotel Association of Türkiye), Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, UN Tourism, and Wesgro.
Interested in learning more about the seven key industry trends? Check out this two-part blog series also based on insights from PAS 2025: Trump, Tech, and Traveller Types: 7 'Buzzwords' That Are More Than Just a Buzz PART 1 and PART 2.
