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Sustainable tourism for people and nature
Green Destinations presented awards for sustainable tourism projects at ITB Berlin. The global organisation will work even more closely with Messe Berlin in future.
How can regions benefit from tourism without overburdening the ecosystem or overwhelming the local population? The organisation Green Destinations presented examples of this on Wednesday evening, 5 March 2026, at ITB Berlin with the Green Destinations Story Awards. In addition, the NGO and Messe Berlin announced their cooperation with regard to ITB host countries.
Green Destinations presents its Story Awards for sustainable tourism projects at ITB Berlin 2026.
Best practices from around the world
The ITB Earth Award went to the Brazilian archipelago of Fernando de Noronha for a tourism project to protect spinner dolphins. In the Destination Management category, the Mona Project in Van Gogh National Park in the Netherlands was the winner. With the WandelStarter initiative, it is now possible to better manage visitor flows. In the Nature and Scenery category, the Thai island of Koh Lanta won with a project protecting hermit crabs. The prize for the Environment and Climate category also went to Thailand: the residents of the fishing village of Chiang Khan on the Mekong River offer tourists activities such as walks along the riverbank, where they draw attention to the consequences of climate change.
A project from Beypore was the winner in the Culture and Tradition category. The port city in Kerala, India, successfully promotes the traditional craft of wooden boat building. Miskolc in Hungary won the Thriving Communities category for its transformation from an industrial city to a tourist magnet. Halifax, Canada, won first prize in the Business and Marketing category for its sustainably organised conferences. The People's Choice Award went to Selçuk in Turkey, where the Ephesus Field Life Village brings traditional field work to the centre of the village.
Collaboration with ITB Berlin
Messe Berlin and Green Destinations intend to work more closely together in future on the ITB Berlin host country programme and have planned a strategic dialogue and knowledge exchange on topics regarding sustainability and responsible tourism. Host countries will be able to seek advice from Green Destinations on successful long-term tourism concepts.