Green Key: A global force for sustainable tourism

Travel Daily News

11-06-2025

Green Key drives global sustainability in hospitality, with 7,500+ certified sites, rising demand, and rapid growth in Europe and Southeast Asia.
The global travel and hospitality industry is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by an ever-growing demand for sustainable practices. At the forefront of this movement is Green Key, an international eco-label that is making a significant impact worldwide. We had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Finn Bolding Thomsen, International Director for Green Key at the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), who offered insights into the program's success and future trajectory.
'The impact that Green Key is having on the travel and hospitality industry is, of course, through our big network of more than 7,500 certified establishments in almost 90 countries,' Mr. Thomsen began, emphasizing the sheer scale of their reach. 'So we have a huge movement of hotels that are working with the Green Key program.'
He elaborated on the compelling reasons behind such widespread engagement. 'Research from booking.com shows they do an annual research and every year the interest for sustainability among travelers is increasing. So there's really a significant incentive for the hotels to do it.' Beyond consumer demand, there's a tangible economic benefit. 'Secondly, we have also research showing that once a hotel joins a certification program, they do actually save on their resources, for example, their water, freshwater consumption, the energy use, and the carbon footprint. So there's also a real sustainability effect of joining the program and in saving resources and so on.'
While acknowledging the initial investment, Mr. Thomsen highlighted the rapid return on investment, particularly in the current climate. 'Obviously, it's not free to participate, but with our bigger energy prices, as soon as you invest in energy efficiency, it doesn't take as long as it did in the past to actually get a return on investment.'
When asked about the countries and regions exhibiting the most interest in Green Key, Mr. Thomsen provided an optimistic outlook. 'As I said, we have seen just alone last year we had an increase of 40% in the number of tourism establishments in one year. And there was also a similar increase the year before. And already now we have about five months into 2025 and it just continues.'
He explained the program's origins and current geographic distribution. 'The program started off in Europe. So of course, we have most sites in Europe where, for example, I think France is the one with the most. They have over 2,000 sites. Netherlands is number two.' He proudly added, 'But I'm very happy that Greece is actually #3 if I'm not wrong, in, in numbers. And of course, it also reflects that tourism is super important in these countries.'
However, the most exciting development, according to Mr. Thomsen, is the growing global adoption. 'Nowadays, I see the main growth also taking place outside Europe. So there is an increasing understanding. And for example, in South East Asia, yeah, we need to also embrace sustainability. So I also see a great growth there.'
He concluded with a powerful statement underscoring the universal significance of their mission: 'And it's fantastic to move from being maybe a Eurocentric program to be a truly international program because sustainability is a global issue that we need to tackle.'
Green Key's continued expansion is a testament to the industry's commitment to a more sustainable future, proving that responsible tourism is not just an ideal, but a growing reality.