10 sustainable travel destinations to visit for 2024

Travellers for 2024 no need too much convincing say dem get important role to play to address di climate crisis. Dis awareness dey reflect for di ever-increasing array of studies wey find say more dan three-quarters of global travellers wan travel more sustainably over di coming year, and say 90% of consumers dey look for sustainable options wen dem dey travel. Wit oda sustainable tourism studies wey find say intention-behaviour gap still remain, destinations investing in sustainability - for di tourism sector and beyond - fit help to bridge am. Mindful travel to places recovering from unrest or disaster, meanwhile, fit also help to support a more sustainable future for dis destinations.

From destinations carving out innovative green spaces to places ready to welcome back tourists sake of tragedy, here na 10 destinations wey dey welcome sustainable travellers for 2024.

1. Valencia, Spain

Each year, dem dey give di European Green Capital Award to a city wey get established and ongoing commitment to improve di environment and quality of life for residents and visitors. Dis year recipient na Valencia. Currently working towards generating 100% of dia electricity from renewable sources by 2025, dis Mediterranean city pride diasef on di green spaces, wit 500 hectares to explore – including a suite of new urban parks such as dia Parque Central, wey dey unite neighbourhoods wey bin dey previously divided by a railway wey dem don since relocate below ground. Dis green spaces of di city also encompass di Huerta - 120 sq km of produce farms wey dey supply local markets and restaurants, and so dey reduce di carbon cost of dining out and self-catering.

Wit improved mass transit services and pedestrian spaces wey dey make am easier to get around Valencia, di relatively flat city also dey offer 200km of bike lanes. Visitors fit even cycle (or take public transport) to two national parks wey dey by di edge of di city: di bird-filled Parque Natural de l'Albufera, and Turia Natural Park, wey dey laced wit trails and dotted wit natural pools.

2. High Atlas Mountains and Marrakesh, Morocco

Di earthquake wey strike central Morocco for September 2023 cause deaths of more dan 2,900 pipo and di complete or partial destruction of 50,000 homes - most of dis dey near di 6.8-magnitude quake epicentre for di High Atlas Mountains near Marrakech.

Tours don dey return to areas wey dey less affected by di 2023 earthquake, such as di Ourika Valley.

While Morocco tourism industry don prove to dey resilient in di face of disaster, wit record tourism arrivals for 2023, hotels for Marrakech don report a drop in bookings, while artisans behind di workshops wey bin dey damaged for Marrakech medina still dey wait for aid. All di city main attractions, including di El Badi and Bahai palaces, Secret Garden and di Saadian Tombs, don reopen since di earthquake, and while some areas of di old medina remain closed, di spice-scented alleys still dey as atmospheric as ever.

Although e still dey too early to revisit some parts of di snow-capped High Atlas Mountains as communities rebuild, Abercrombie & Kent dey among some tourism operators wey dey help to support di region to recover by returning to less-affected areas such as di Ourika Valley, a popular trekking destination. Intrepid Travel don launch four new trips to Morocco for 2024, including a venture through di Happy Valley, also known as di Ait Bougmez region of di High Atlas Mountains.

3. Saba, Dutch Caribbean

Di smallest special municipality of di Netherlands, di tiny tropical island of Saba dey come up as a champion of sustainable tourism for di Caribbean. Balancing di carbon cost of flying to di 13-sq-km island (wey fit dey reached by ferry from neighbouring St Maarten) na impressive array of initiatives, including a solar park producing 35-40% of di island power needs, a comprehensive recycling system, a marine park encircling di island (wit excellent diving) and a ban on single-use plastics (Saba get im own water bottling plant). Wetin dey help to reduce dependence on di island precious resources na one hydroponics farm at Rendezvous restaurant for di town of Windwardside, wey dey use 80% less water dan conventional farming methods.

For 2023, di Saba Bank - di largest submarine atoll for di Atlantic Ocean - bin dey named by international marine conservation organisation Mission Blue as a Hope Spot, a designation identifying destinations scientifically identified to dey critical to di ocean's health. Saba na also home to di first marine lab for di Windward Islands of di Dutch Caribbean for applied research, while di longstanding Sea & Learn Foundation dey engage travellers and locals for environmental projects throughout di year, from identifying fluorescing scorpions on a night hike to measuring growth rates of endemic orchids.

Di mountainous volcanic island dey laced wit lush hiking trails, while beautifully patterned Nassau groupers dey among di abundance of reef fish commonly encountered by snorkellers and scuba divers. Birders also dey in for a treat, as di entire coastline dey identified by Birdlife International as Important Birding Area.

4. Singapore

Singapore sustainability journey dey legendary, and e kick off for 1967 wen former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew bin raise im "city in a garden" vision. Following more dan 50 years of mindful urban development - including di creation of more dan 300km of green corridors as part of di city-state Park Connector Network - Singapore become di world first entire nation to receive sustainable destination certification from di Global Sustainable Tourism Council, for 2023. Di certification reflect di Southeast Asian nation commitment to dia Singapore Green Plan 2030 goals for sustainable development, wey include quadrupling solar energy deployment by 2025, reducing di waste sent to landfill by 20% by 2030, and to limit di registration of new cars to cleaner-energy models from 2030.

Locals and visitors continue to reap di benefits, wit new and upcoming attractions including di 24km hiking-biking Rail Corridor (wey dey due to fully open for 2024) and di enhancement of 13 southern parks, along wit two new trails on di Coast to Coast Trail network. Singapore also dey set to welcome seven new MRT (metro) stations on di Thomson-East Coast Line for early 2024.

Opened in 2023 wit cutting-edge initiatives (including a biodigester wey dey transform food waste into cleaning water), di Green Mark Platinum-certified Pan Pacific Orchard join di Parkroyal Collection Pickering, a "hotel in a garden", as innovative low-impact accommodation option for visitors.

5. Belfast, UK

Di UK tourism industry remain di strongest supporter of di Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism launched at COP25 for 2021, wit 172 signatories compared to di US in second place wit 73. Among di UK cities making di biggest strides towards a sustainable future na Belfast, wey for 2023 jump from 47th place in di Global Destination Sustainability Index into di top 11 within 18 months. Di Northern Ireland capital now dey held up as a blueprint for excellence in a white paper published by Edinburgh-based sustainability certification organisation Green Tourism.

Since di 2021 launch of di Belfast Resilience Goal wey dey target inclusive, zero-emissions, climate-resilient economy within a generation, di city don see more dan 90 hotels, attractions and restaurants wey dey committed to sustainable tourism through Visit Belfast internationally recognised Green Tourism program (up from five for 2021), wit 75% of Belfast hotel rooms now dey hold a sustainability certification (up from 25% for 2021).

Popular Green Tourism-certified attractions include di Titanic Belfast museum, wey aim to be a zero-waste organisation by 2030, and di neighbouring Titanic Hotel Belfast, wey dem creat in di former headquarters of Harland and Wolff, builders of di RMS Titanic. Wit more than 50 docking stations, Belfast Bikes dey offer easy, green local transport option.

6. Southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Approximately 90% of di two million annual visitors to di Great Barrier Reef stick to di sultry northern hubs of Cairns and Townsville. Yet, some of di most rewarding and low-impact opportunities to experience dis 2,300-km-long ecosystem occur for di Southern Great Barrier Reef.

Rehabilitated from a guano-mined coral cay wey dem leave to feral goats, di manta ray haven of Lady Elliot Island for di southern tip of di reef, now na one of Australia foremost eco-resorts, e dey run almost entirely on renewable energy. Just 40km to north-east as di crow flies, uninhabited Lady Musgrave Island dey provide a wild backdrop for day trips and overnight glamping experiences wit Lady Musgrave Experience, which hold Advance Ecotourism and Climate Action certifications from Ecotourism Australia. Tours operate from di region key mainland port of Bundaberg, and e don receive sustainable destination certification for 2023, also from Ecotourism Australia. Dia state-of-di-art Mon Repos turtle education centre dey run ranger-led turtle viewing tours during di nesting and hatching season (November to March), even though e dey recently launched, Taribelang Bunda Tours dey offer opportunities to connect wit ancient sustainability practices on Indigenous-guided experiences.

Di relaxed agricultural region also dey offer smorgasbord of farmgate and cellar door experiences including di Bundaberg Rum Visitor Experience, wey for 2023 become di first tourism operator for Australia to achieve Ecotourism Australia new Sustainable Tourism Certification.

7. Panama, Central America

Costa Rica don carve out a reputation as Central America leader for sustainable tourism, and now neighbouring Panama – wey for 2023 bin grant legal rights to turtles - step into di limelight as community-based tourism pioneer. Despite Panama diverse array of Indigenous cultures (accounting for approximately 14% of di population) and rich biodiversity, di nation tourism don traditionally centre on di famed canal and sultry capital Panama City.

Now, visitors fit explore Panama lush rainforests and palm-fringed islands more meaningfully wit di pipo wey know am best: Indigenous and rural communities.

Di recently launched SOSTUR digital portal dey allow visitors book local-guided adventures for regions wey dey largely untouched by tourism, from visiting di Naso (also known as Teribe) communities wey don live for di jungles of north-western Panama since before Spanish colonists arrive, to learning about di legends of di warriors and guardians of Dekö island from Indigenous Ngöbe guide.

Di portal na part of di Panamanian goment US$301m Sustainable Tourism Development Master Plan, wey go run through 2025. Di main goal? To grow visitor numbers in a way wey go prioritise pipo and nature.

8. Maui, United States

Di horror of di wildfires wey destroy di Hawaiian island of Maui for August 2023, claim at least 115 lives, destroy more dan 2,200 buildings and homes and uproot thousands, bin dey felt around di world. For di days wey follow dat tragedy, many Hawaiians tell tourists to stay away. But as restaurants, hotels and tour operators since bin dey forced to lay off workers and unemployment rates dey rise, officials now dey ask pipo to return responsibly.

Sake of di extensive devastation on di north-western side of di island, di Hawai'i Tourism Authority (HTA) report say Lāhainā go remain closed to di public until further notice, and dem recommend checking accommodations for nearby communities of Kā'anapali, Nāpili and Kapalua for availability before visiting. Di island wilder east side, meanwhile, remain ripe for exploration.

Embark on di Road to Hana, a 103km road trip wey take in a sublime stretch of coastline fringed by wild beaches, picturesque waterfalls and lush trails; bring a torch for a self-guided tour of di Hana Lava Tubes near road Marker 31. Near Hana, explore di "alien" forest of Hosmer Grove for Haleakalā National Park. Travellers fit also search for local businesses to support on di Maui Nui First website.

9. Greenland

Long overshadowed by di ground-breaking sustainable tourism initiatives of di lower Nordic nations, Greenland dey increasingly take steps to safeguard dia icy territory - and dia growing tourism industry - as e dey navigates di future on di frontline of di climate crisis.

Nuuk become di world first capital city to dey certified by EarthCheck as a sustainable tourist destination for 2020. For 2022, Visit Greenland announce say dem don stop dia support for conventional cruise tourism on sustainability grounds, and for 2023, Visit Greenland bin invite di tourism industry to support a shared pledge towards more sustainable and responsible tourism development.

As di nation dey prepare to welcome a new international airport for Nuuk for 2024, operators dey urged to support di five themes pledge, wey span di support of local products to creating unique opportunities for tourists to visit throughout di seasons.

After dem ban future oil and gas exploration for 2021, Greenland now dey focus on rolling out renewable energy, wit goment-run energy company Nukissiorfiit working towards producing 100% green energy by 2030. E dey expected to save 127 tonnes of CO2, di churches of Nuuk go dey powered by green energy for 2024.

Encouraging tourism beyond di capital na di excellent Icefjord Centre for Illulissat, and e dey due to welcome a new airport of im own for di coming years. Supporting sustainable local industries fit also get a big impact for dis island nation: try a musk ox burger, and look for di "Authentic Nunavut" sticker certifying Nunavut Inuit-made crafts.

10. Dominica, Lesser Antillies

Following di category-five hurricane wey devastate di small Caribbean island nation for 2017, Dominica prime minister don announce plans to make Dominica "di world first climate-resilient nation". While di development of early-warning systems and resilient housing now dey help to safeguard residents, a new kayaking trail dey help to promote di island - already home to di Caribbean longest hiking trail - as a sustainable tourism destination.

Hugging di island dramatic west coast for more dan 60km, di Waitukubuli Sea Trail na di Caribbean first dedicated sea kayaking route. E dey run south to north along di island western coastline, taking in welcoming communities, secluded beaches, dramatic scenery and local cuisine. Di trail na di brainchild of long-time Caribbean Peace Corps worker Wes Moses, wey open Soufriere Outdoor Centre for di island south-west coast for 2022 after im settle for Dominica for 2018. Im also join forces wit coastal lodgings to create a network of accommodations along di trail 14 sections, wit land-based hiking excursions and cultural experiences to enjoy along di way.

Not far from di trailhead for Scott Head, Coulibri Ridge, di island newest eco-resort, offer a luxurious base to kick-start your kayaking adventure.