SUSTAINABLE TOURISM Archives

Klaus Melbye, director of the Wadden Sea Centre, surveys wildlife at a dike in Wadden Sea National Park.

Sustainable tourism: Can visitors save Denmark’s Wadden Sea?

May 1, 2026May 1, 2026 by Christopher Elliott

Denmark’s Wadden Sea National Park is pioneering radical climate adaptation by considering strategic retreat instead of building taller dikes. The UNESCO World Heritage Site spans Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, hosting up to 15 million migratory birds annually on the East Atlantic Flyway. Sea levels could rise 1.5 feet over the next 50 years. The park encourages tourists to forage invasive Pacific oysters that displace native blue mussels, with free guided oyster tours running from October to March. The conservation strategy operates entirely through voluntary partnerships with local landowners.

If you’re a guest at the Villa Orange in Frankfurt, Germany, you may have one question at breakfast: "Where’s the Nutella?"

The German hotel that banned Nutella — and what it reveals about green travel’s biggest problem

April 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Christopher Elliott

If you’re a guest at the Villa Orange in Frankfurt, Germany, you may have one question at breakfast: “Where’s the Nutella?”

In eastern Germany, Rostock is on a quiet green journey

April 22, 2026March 27, 2026 by Christopher Elliott

From the top floor of Dock Inn, a hotel made of shipping containers with a commanding view of the harbor and dockyards, you might see a ferry bound for Sweden sliding silently by in the distance. Beyond it, there are the dense forests of the Steilküste, a coastline with steep cliffs plunging into a cold sea.

Sustainability meets serenity (and a surprise) on Germany’s Baltic coast

April 24, 2026March 13, 2026 by Christopher Elliott

The Baltic Sea islands of Rügen and Usedom are known for their serenity — those quiet postcard-perfect days during the summer when the calm ocean waters reflect a cloudless sky. But this part of northern Germany, a long-cherished vacation spot for Europeans, also has its secrets.

In Seoul, luxury hotels shed plastic and recycle keycards to go green

March 2, 2026January 31, 2026 by Christopher Elliott

The Four Seasons Seoul has embarked on an ambitious project to become more sustainable.

The turquoise water lapping against Okinawa's pebbled beach is so clear that you can see an occasional parrotfish streaking by. Just behind it, the Hoshinoya Okinawa's low-slung modernist villas blend into a landscape of gnarled fukugi trees and hibiscus.

Behind the fight for sustainable tourism in Okinawa

January 17, 2026January 17, 2026 by Christopher Elliott

The turquoise water lapping against Okinawa’s pebbled beach is so clear that you can see an occasional parrotfish streaking by. Just behind it, the Hoshinoya Okinawa’s low-slung modernist villas blend into a landscape of gnarled fukugi trees and hibiscus.

For 2026, the question isn't just where to go, but what to rediscover. Here are six places I want to visit again

Go here next year: 6 places you have to discover in 2026

December 23, 2025December 21, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

Somewhere between the unexpectedly comfortable economy class seat on a discount Korean airline flight and the silence of an early morning in Christchurch’s Riccarton neighborhood, it hit me: The revenge travel crowds have finally dispersed. Travel is back to normal.

To see Kokomo's Christmas trees, you have to dive into the South Pacific. These trees aren't decorated with tinsel or lights. They're rebar skeletons suspended in the gentle currents of the Great Astrolabe Reef, covered in fragments of living coral.

Why is a five-star resort in Fiji planting metal Christmas trees underwater?

January 30, 2026December 20, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

To see Kokomo’s Christmas trees, you have to dive into the South Pacific.

These trees aren’t decorated with tinsel or lights. They’re rebar skeletons suspended in the gentle currents of the Great Astrolabe Reef, covered in fragments of living coral.

The Langham's dinner buffet in Hong Kong is a showcase of Chinese cuisine. You can find an extensive selection of dim sum, wonton dumplings, barbecue, and tofu pudding for dessert. But the luxury hotel's spread is also at the forefront of the city's sustainability efforts.

In Hong Kong, oyster shells and creative engineering pave the way to a greener future

December 6, 2025December 6, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

The Langham’s dinner buffet in Hong Kong is a showcase of Chinese cuisine. You can find an extensive selection of dim sum, wonton dumplings, barbecue, and tofu pudding for dessert. But the luxury hotel’s spread is also at the forefront of the city’s sustainability efforts.

UNESCO-protected Luang Prabang is one of Southeast Asia’s most picturesque cities—but its rising tourism comes with environmental costs. From a plastic-free hotel to methane-reducing buffalo blocks, local innovators are pushing for a model of sustainability that preserves culture and empowers the community. Can these efforts shape a more responsible future for Laos?

Can a green hotel (and a side of buffalo milk) save Luang Prabang?

November 22, 2025November 22, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

A visit to Luang Prabang in Laos feels like stepping back in time. French colonial buildings line streets next to the slow-moving Mekong River. Buddhist monks in their saffron robes collect alms at dawn. The famous night market, with its street food vendors, beckons you with traditional Lao dishes like Khao Niaw, a sticky rice, or steamed fish.

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