• Since Booking.com’s first survey on consumer attitudes towards more sustainable travel in 2016, nearly 230,000 travelers across 35 markets have responded to Booking.com surveys. The latest data from 2025 shows a shift in travelers’ perceptions of what sustainability means, with 42% of Swedish travelers saying they are aware of the impact of tourism on local communities and the environment.
• Although 55% of Swedish travelers believe that tourism has a predominantly positive impact where they live, they also highlight challenges such as traffic, littering, congestion and rising costs of living.
• Only 10% of Swedish travelers believe that the number of visitors should be limited where they live. They instead emphasize a need for investment in society through infrastructure upgrades.
• Travelers are increasingly committed to supporting the economy of the destinations they visit: 71 % want the money they spend to go back into the local community, and over half (58 %) want to leave places in better condition than they were in when they arrived.

Booking.com has released the 10th edition of its annual survey on consumer attitudes and intentions regarding the social and environmental impact of travel. The survey comes amid a growing debate about the impact of tourism on destinations. The survey, which was completed by 32,000 travelers from 34 countries, shows that 42% of travelers in the UK are now aware of the impact that travel has on local communities and the environment, and over half (58% of travelers) want to leave places in better condition than they found them.

Booking.com’s new survey takes a community-based perspective. Respondents were asked not only how they travel, but also how they experience tourists where they live. This highlights the benefits and challenges of tourism from their perspective as both travelers and locals. The report shows that more than half (55% of %) of Swedish travelers believe that tourism has an overall positive impact on the place where they live, but that some adjustments are needed so that destinations can grow at a healthy pace and continue to be enjoyed by everyone.

Understanding the needs of local people
Over half (58 %) of Swedish travelers believe that there is enough tourism where they live. They highlight some of the most common challenges they encounter as locals in connection with tourism, including littering (30 %), traffic congestion (23 %), increasing costs of living (14 %) and crowding (10 %).

Despite these problems, only a small number of Swedish travellers (10 %) believe that the solution is to limit the number of tourists in their home town. Instead, they emphasize the need for investment in their communities. Better transport options (31 %), waste management (23 %) and environmental protection (21 %) are listed as the main types of support they would like to see.

When it comes to visitor behavior where they live, many Swedish travelers are positive, saying that the tourists they see at home often or always respect local customs and traditions (50 %) and support local businesses (48 %). While this shows that there is still room for improvement, it is consistent with their own intentions when traveling: 71 % want the money they spend to go back into the local community and 70 % want authentic experiences that are representative of the local culture.

More conscious habits are becoming more common
This year, it is still important for most Swedish travelers to travel in a more sustainable way (73 %). By 2025, 87 % of Swedish travelers say they want to make more sustainable travel choices and that they have done so to some extent. During the 10 years that Booking.com has collected statistics, in addition to an increased intention to travel more sustainably, there have also been changes in travelers' preferences and priorities. The level of awareness around what is perceived to have a more positive impact on local destinations, communities and ecosystems has also changed. 

During this time, many habits related to reducing waste and energy consumption have become increasingly common, and this is still what travelers think of first and foremost when it comes to influencing the impact of their travels. This year’s survey shows that behaviors related to the impact on society and the economy now stand side by side with these environmentally-related choices. Travelers are consciously thinking about how they can minimize the impact on the destinations they visit, for example by searching for tips on traveling at different times of the year (35 %) or visiting alternative destinations to avoid mass tourism (29 %).

”To ensure that both visitors and locals can continue to enjoy their destinations, tourism, infrastructure and innovation must keep pace with the good intentions of travelers,” said Danielle D’Silva, Director of Sustainability at Booking.com. ”As a leader in the travel industry, we want to make it easier for both travelers and partners to feel confident that the choices they make are contributing to a positive impact on the destinations they visit. This includes highlighting hotels and accommodations with reputable third-party sustainability certifications, or providing education and guidance to our accommodation partners on how they can best engage with local communities or reduce their use of natural resources.” 

”Looking ahead, we are also optimistic about the potential for AI and other technologies to make a difference. Ultimately, we want to make it easier for travelers to interact with a wider variety of local communities and help spread the positive impacts of tourism more widely.”

Survey method
The survey was commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of 32,000 people in 34 countries and territories (1,000 from the United States, 1,000 from Canada, 1,000 from Mexico, 1,000 from Colombia, 1,000 from Brazil, 1,000 from Argentina, 1,000 from Australia, 500 from New Zealand, 1,000 from Spain, 1,000 from Italy, 1,000 from France, 500 from Switzerland, 1,000 from the United Kingdom, 1,000 from Ireland, 1,000 from Germany, 1,000 from the Netherlands, 1,000 from Belgium, 1,000 from Denmark, 1,000 from Sweden, 1,000 from Croatia, 500 from the United Arab Emirates, 1,000 from India, 1,000 from China, 1,000 from Hong Kong, 1,000 from Thailand, 1,000 from Singapore, 1,000 from Taiwan, 1,000 from Vietnam, 1,000 from Indonesia, 1,000 from the Philippines, 1,000 from South Korea, 1,000 from Japan, 1,000 from South Africa and 500 from Kenya). To participate, respondents had to be at least 18 years old, have traveled at least once in the past 12 months, plan to travel in 2025, and be either the primary decision-maker or involved in the decision-making process for the trip. The survey was conducted online in January 2025.