Tourism and Nature

Travel allows people to experience some of the planet’s most incredible natural wonders — from coral reefs and rainforests to mountains, coastlines, and polar landscapes. Nature is central to why people travel and a fundamental resource that enables tourism experiences.

Because tourism connects people with wildlife and natural environments, it can help support conservation and care. However, when tourism is unsustainable, it can damage the very ecosystems it depends on. Protecting fragile ecosystems and reducing harm helps preserve the wild places that inspire travel.

Why Tourism Needs Nature

Every part of the tourism industry’s direct operations depends to some extent on healthy ecosystems, along with more than 80% of its supply chain. From the water you swim in to the animals you see, nature underpins the experiences, operational needs, and livelihoods that make tourism possible.

How Tourism Impacts the Environment

Tourism can strain ecosystems through overdevelopment, resource use, pollution, and wildlife disturbance. Explore how these environmental pressures affect destinations and the species that live there.

Waste & Pollution

Tourism generates plastic litter, sewage, and food waste that are often poorly managed and pollute the environment.

Overtourism

When visitor numbers exceed a destination’s capacity, it can cause erosion, water shortages, and other environmental strains.

Climate Change

Travel-related emissions accelerate global warming, leading to coral bleaching, stronger storms, wildfires, and other threats.

Destructive Tourism Development

Poorly planned hotels, roads, and infrastructure can destroy habitats, fragment ecosystems, and alter coastlines.

Overuse of Natural Resources

Tourism can strain limited resources like water, energy, and seafood, especially in small islands and arid regions.

Harmful Wildlife Interactions

Careless behavior by tourists can stress animals and damage fragile habitats like coral reefs and nesting areas.

What's At Stake

Travel depends on nature’s most treasured ecosystems. From coral reefs to rainforests, these places, species, and resources are vital to tourism yet vulnerable to its impacts.

Oceans & Reefs

Forests

Wildlife

Beaches & Coasts

Freshwater

Blue Carbon

Mountains

Polar Regions

Nature Under Stress

Nature is under increasing pressure from human activity. Tourism can exacerbate these impacts when not managed carefully.

75%

Humans have severely altered 75% of terrestrial environments and 66% of marine environments.

1 Million

More than 1 million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction, many within decades.

+189%

Tourism resource use could increase sharply by 2050, as much as 189% for land use and 92% for water.

Real-World Examples of Tourism’s Impact on Nature

The environmental impacts of tourism are not theoretical. They are already visible in destinations around the world.

Wastewater Pollution in Tulum, Mexico

In Tulum, rapid tourism growth has outpaced basic infrastructure, allowing untreated sewage to seep into groundwater and eventually reach the ocean, contributing to the degradation of the Mesoamerican Reef. Nearly two-thirds of the reef is in poor or critical condition, and more than 90% of cenotes across the Yucatán Peninsula show signs of contamination.

Wildlife Disturbance in Kenya’s Maasai Mara

In the Maasai Mara National Reserve, large numbers of safari vehicles often surround cheetahs, causing repeated disturbance. Research shows that tourist presence reduces cheetah cub survival in heavily trafficked areas compared to less-visited areas. In response, new regulations now limit the number of vehicles at sightings and establish minimum viewing distances.

How Tourism Can Protect Nature

When managed responsibly, tourism can have a positive environmental impact, helping conserve the natural places and species it relies on. Tourism revenue supports protection, responsible practices reduce harm, and firsthand experiences in nature can strengthen stewardship.

Fund Conservation

Tourism revenue can support protected areas, wildlife conservation, cleaner energy and water systems, and ecosystem restoration.

Support Local Livelihoods

Tourism creates jobs and economic value tied to healthy ecosystems, incentivizing communities and governments to protect nature.

Minimize Disturbances

Responsible wildlife interactions, low-impact practices, land-use planning, and careful infrastructure design prevent ecosystem damage.

Use Resources Responsibly

Conserving water and energy, and choosing responsibly-sourced food and materials helps reduce pressure on natural resources.

Reduce Waste & Pollution

Cutting single-use plastics and improving waste systems helps keep landscapes, reefs, and waterways healthier.

Build Eco-Awareness

Ecotourism supports learning among visitors and locals, fostering appreciation for nature, places, and people.

Responsible Nature Tourism

When travel takes place in natural areas, its environmental impacts can be amplified. Activities that bring people closer to wildlife and landscapes often occur in fragile ecosystems that are especially sensitive to disturbance and overuse.

At the same time, demand for these experiences continues to grow. About two-thirds of travelers say nature and scenic places motivate their trips, and more than 980 million people took nature-based journeys in 2023. This growth increases both the opportunity to support conservation and the risk of adding pressure to ecosystems.

Ecotourism responds to this challenge by promoting nature travel that actively protects biodiversity, respects ecological limits, and contributes to environmental protection rather than degrading the qualities that draw visitors in the first place.