Green Holidays

In 2025, travel is not just about visiting new destinations—it's about travelling with intention, and hoteliers are gearing up to meet the demand.

- By Bindu Gopal Rao

According to Booking.com’s 2025 Travel and Sustainability Report, 59% of Indian travellers are conscious of travel’s impact on communities as well as the environment. There is also a growing desire to give back—63% of Indian travellers want to leave places better than when they arrived. Encouragingly, 74% see tourism as having a positive impact on where they live, but they also recognize the need for balanced growth. So, what are hoteliers doing? Read on to knowall about green holidays.

Intent Cues

With 96% of Indians believing that travelling more sustainably is important and an impressive 99% revealing they want to make more sustainable choices, Indian travellers are embracing a more thoughtful and responsible approach to travel. Santosh Kumar, Country Manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Indonesia at Booking.com, says, “Interestingly, this evolving mindset is reflected in how Indians engage with local communities. For Indian travellers a mindful holiday today includes engaging respectfully with local customs, supporting small businesses and being conscious of crowding. In fact, 66% of Indian travellers observe that tourists at home respect local customs and traditions and support local businesses (69%), while 77% seek authentic cultural experiences. Additionally, 68% want the money they spend to go back to the local community, reflecting a deeper desire to travel responsibly and regeneratively.”

Indian travellers also recognise the need for investment in their communities—49% call for better waste management, 46% for improved transportation and 42% for environmental conservation. Moreover, they are also proactively reducing their own impact, with 45% seeking to travel at other times of the year and 42% visiting alternative destinations to avoid overcrowding.

Community Matters