This article summarizes Booking.com’s 11th annual Travel and Sustainability Report, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. It reveals how climate change and overcrowding are increasingly driving traveler choices, shaping when and where people visit, and pushing a stronger preference for sustainable accommodations.
The findings show tangible shifts in behavior and bookings. The report underscores the practical role of sustainability certifications in the travel market.
Key APAC trends shaping travel decisions
In the last year, 44% of APAC travelers canceled or modified plans due to extreme weather or natural disasters. Nearly 80% now consider extreme weather risk when choosing destinations and planning trip timing.
These figures highlight a growing integration of climate risk into itinerary design. Extreme weather is also perceived as a source of stress: 68% say it makes booking more stressful, and 56% note some destinations have become too hot during preferred travel windows.
Climate dynamics are compressing seasonal options and increasing uncertainty for travelers.
Extreme weather and destination selection
Beyond risk assessment, the report notes a notable behavioral impact: 63% of respondents removed specific destinations from their wish lists after news of natural disasters or climate events. This pattern signals a shift from reactive adjustments to proactive pruning of destinations with perceived higher climate risk.
Overcrowding and demand for quieter experiences
Travelers are also adjusting to overcrowding. About 40% plan to shun crowded tourist spots and 36% will prioritize quieter destinations.
In a climate-impacted world, travelers are balancing the desire to experience popular sites with the need to avoid human bottlenecks and preserve a sense of exclusivity and safety.
Sustainability as a growth lever in APAC bookings
The report emphasizes that sustainability considerations are no longer peripheral; they are actively guiding bookings. Travelers are increasingly opting for certified sustainable properties, signaling a real consumer demand for verified green practices.
As noted by Danielle D’Silva, Booking.com’s Director of Sustainability, travelers are actively changing behavior to respond to extreme weather and overcrowding. In a concrete indicator of this shift, the platform reports that in 2025 users booked 100 million room nights at properties with third-party sustainability certifications.
This demonstrates tangible, scalable consumer power behind sustainability credentials and the importance of credible environmental labels in the hospitality sector.
Certification and consumer choice
- Third-party sustainability certifications are becoming a differentiator for consumers selecting where to stay.
- Certified properties are aligning with traveler priorities on climate resilience and responsible tourism.
- The 2025 milestone (100 million certified room nights) indicates a durable shift in demand toward greener stays.
- Certification programs influence not only bookings but also hotel operation and reporting practices.
Implications for destinations, hoteliers, and travel platforms
With climate risk and overcrowding at the forefront, destinations must rethink how they market themselves, manage peak-season pressure, and invest in resilience. Hoteliers are incentivized to pursue credible certifications and transparently communicate environmental performance.
For travel platforms, integrating climate risk indicators, crowding metrics, and certified options into search results can help travelers make informed, sustainable choices.
Practical guidance for travelers
- Consider destinations with established sustainability certifications to balance experience with responsible practices.
- Plan for flexibility in timing to avoid extreme weather windows and crowded periods.
- Seek quieter, cooler destinations when possible to mitigate heat risk and over-tourism concerns.
- Use reputable certification programs as a quick benchmark for environmental performance.
Looking ahead: what this means for the science of travel resilience
The APAC findings align with a broader shift toward climate-aware travel behavior.
As extreme weather becomes a more common planning factor, the tourism ecosystem—from travelers to destinations and accommodations—must adapt through data-driven risk assessment, sustainable practices, and transparent certification frameworks.
Here is the source article for this story: Extreme weather killing tourism? Here’s how Apac travelers are forced to change plans