5 summer travel destinations © Pexels/Sides Imagery
By Allie Murray
Travelers worldwide are beginning to shift their focus to destinations that put sustainability at the forefront—so much so that according to Booking.com, 87 percent of travelers want to travel more sustainably, and 64 percent of consumers reported to be willing to pay more for eco-friendly travel.
If you’re seeking more sustainable summer travel destinations to visit this year, we’ve rounded up five locations in Canada and the U.S. who are making sustainable tourism a priority.
Boulder, Colorado
Known for its outdoor recreation scene, Boulder is a natural fit for eco tourists. The locals in Boulder are committed to preserving the natural beauty of their city—so much so that as early as 1898, residents began purchasing land with the purpose of protecting Boulder’s natural beauty.
Similarly, in 1967, Boulder became the first city in the U.S. to tax itself for acquisition, management, and maintenance of open space. Because of this, there are 46,000 acres of open space managed by the city that gives residents and visitors access to the most pristine hiking trails, forests, mountains, and more.
Boulder is a walkable city—meaning there’s no need to rent a car. Don’t feel like walking? No problem, the city has an easy and efficient public transit system, and even offers a hiker shuttle that goes directly to some of the most popular trails in Colorado. And, with more than 300 miles of bikeways, you can get around the city with ease.
Sedona, Arizona
Falling victim to overtourism, officials in Sedona were left wondering: How much tourism is too much tourism?
To combat the negative effects of the abundance of tourists flocking to the area, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Board began an 18-month process of defining a concept for sustainable tourism in the area, involving thousands of community members and local organizations to ensure they were putting the needs of the community first.
Since doing so, Sedona has solidified itself as a leader in sustainable tourism, putting a focus on preserving its red rock landscape, promoting Leave No Trace tourism, and supporting local businesses under their Love Our Locals campaign.
Leave No Trace tourism encourages travelers to dispose of waste properly, leave the land as they found it, respect wildlife, and be considerate of locals as four of their seven main principles to minimize the impacts of overtourism. These principles are helpful in their mission to not only promote sustainable tourism, but also towards preserving its red rock landscape—which is a main tourist attraction to the area—by encouraging visitors to respect the natural environment.
Austin, Texas
In Austin, sustainability is so much more than just green transportation and ecohotels—although still an important part of their green initiatives—the city offers a variety of sustainable festivals in the area. The Earth Day Austin festival is the largest sustainability event in Central Texas, where people can go to learn about conservation and sustainable solutions and celebrate the environment. Similarly, many of the events in the area have put a focus on sustainable practices, like SXSW, Austin Film Festival, Pecan Street Festival, Rodeo Austin, and the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
According to Green City Times, Austin is widely recognized as a leading eco-friendly city in the United States, which is due in part to the .097 miles of bike lanes per every 10,000 residents and its 15 percent of land area being made up of parks, green spaces, or forests.
While they’re seen as a leader, Austin continues to prioritize environmental initiatives with the support of non-profit organizations, sustainability groups, and local governments.
Tofino, BC, Canada
With a focus on supporting the ocean and local wildlife, Tofino boasts a variety of ecohotels and initiatives that encourage travelers to connect with nature. As the surfing capital of Canada, Tofino puts a focus on keeping its beaches and ocean clean by hosting beach cleanups and encouraging travelers not to use single-use plastics in the area.
The restriction of single-use plastic is nothing unusual to Canadians—particularly those in Tofino, since it became the first municipality in British Columbia to ban single-use plastic utensils in 2022, in addition to already-banned single-use items like plastic bags. Similarly, they placed restrictions on beach fires to limit the environmental impacts and keep the air clean.
In 2024, Tourism Tofino became a Biosphere Committed Destination with the Responsible Tourism Institute, which recognizes areas that align with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The commitment highlights their sustainability efforts and helps to distinguish Tofino as a destination of choice for tourists who are seeking sustainable experiences and allows Tourism Tofino to go on to seek a Tourism Biosphere Certification.
Asheville, North Carolina
Striving to support the local economy, Asheville has begun putting an emphasis on sustainable tourism initiatives that promote local businesses, minimize environmental impact, and encourage responsible travel behavior.
To achieve this, The city’s tourism board, Explore Asheville, is leading a variety of campaigns, like the Leave No Trace campaign and Pledge for the Wild, of which Asheville was the first destination on the east coast to join in the U.S. on signing this platform. Similarly, they’ve put a focus on sustainable messaging and social responsibility across the area.
Since Asheville is home to a collection of outdoor recreation opportunities, travelers are encouraged to research the areas before they go to make conscious choices about their intentions to minimize the impact on the environment and be respectful of the local communities they’re visiting.
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