The region welcomed over 123 million visitors in 2024, a 30.6 per cent jump from the previous year, putting it firmly on track to breach pre-pandemic levels again before the end of the decade. With tourism contributing 12 per cent of Southeast Asia’s economy and employing 4 per cent of its workforce, the sector remains one of the region’s most powerful economic engines.
Before Covid-19, Southeast Asia’s tourism earnings had more than doubled in less than a decade – from US$68.6 billion in 2010 to US$147.6 billion by 2019 – as international arrivals surged past 143 million.
Since the world has reopened, a new kind of traveller has emerged: one seeking sustainability over excess. Surveys show eight in 10 global travellers say it’s important to travel more sustainably, with over 90 per cent of Asia-Pacific tourists actively looking for greener options.
This is where ecotourism – or what the UN World Tourism Organization defines as travel that “takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts” – comes in.
The region’s policymakers are taking note. From Thailand’s Green Tourism Plan 2030 and its sustainable travel routes campaign to Malaysia’s digital nomad visas and Vietnam’s expanded e-visa system, Asean nations are reimagining ease of travel through the lens of responsibility and resilience.
Thailand, for instance, aims to make sustainability the cornerstone of its “New Thailand Vision 2026”, while Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia are leading Southeast Asia’s post-pandemic recovery with tourism rebound rates above 74 per cent.
“The demand for [ecotourism] in parks and protected areas is growing and simply must be carefully balanced with careful restrictions,” Megan Epler Wood, managing director of the Sustainable Tourism Asset Management Programme (STAMP) at Cornell University, told Eco-Business.
“Destinations that seek a balance must have a number of well-managed systems in place,” she continued. “For one, the area must have strong environmental conservation systems – provided by government if possible – which allow businesses to operate [only] under a clear set of rules and regulations to protect wildlife and ecosystems.”
Still, balancing growth with conservation remains a delicate balancing act. Tourism’s rapid rebound could bring both prosperity and peril – models suggest that every 22,000 new international arrivals could boost employment by 6.14 per cent and generate nearly US$894 million in revenue, but also raise the region’s carbon emissions by 27 million tonnes. In the Philippines, for example, water consumption from tourism has surged nearly 600 per cent between 2020 and 2024 and the industry’s energy use has increased more than threefold over the same period.
Wood said that managing visitor numbers is crucial to protecting fragile natural areas. This includes imposing limits on tourist entry, introducing fees for access, and ensuring that sites are adequately staffed to safeguard wildlife and educate visitors. She added that revenues collected from these fees should directly support conservation efforts and the well-being of local communities.
She noted that ecotourism enterprises are well-positioned to respond to the growing need to preserve both culture and wildlife in the post-pandemic era. Many already collaborate with local communities and protected area systems, helping channel tourism income into conservation areas and neighbouring villages.
Once a niche, ecotourism is now a global mainstay. Across Southeast Asia, ecotourism already accounts for up to 45 per cent of Indonesia’s tourism income and is the fastest-growing segment in countries like Laos, where nature-based travel fuels both livelihoods and conservation.
“Nature not only underpins the natural characteristics of destinations – such as forests, coastal environments, and national parks – but also provides natural resources and services that ensure, amongst other things, a productive ecomony and a healthy society,” he continued.
Along with the World Travel and Tourism Council, the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, and UN Tourism, Animondial co-leads the Nature Positive Tourism Partnership – a coalition working to make the tourism sector a “guardian of nature” and help halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
Turner underscored that successful destinations design visitor experiences that enhance rather than exploit nature, integrating responsible infrastructure, controlled access, and authentic, low-impact activities.
He also emphasised the need to update national tourism policies to reflect the central role of biodiversity in sustaining both the health of the travel and tourism sector and the attractiveness of destinations. This, he said, includes finding ways to reinvest tourism revenues into nature and biodiversity protection at the community level, and strengthening compliance by raising awareness of the environmental impacts caused by tourism.
As the region welcomes the world once more, its jungles, reefs and rice terraces are not just destinations – they’re at the heart of a new tourism model built on stewardship, inclusion and respect for the planet.
Here, Eco-Business highlights 10 destinations in Southeast Asia where attracting tourists goes hand in hand with nature conservation:
1. Kui Buri National Park, Thailand
Few places in Thailand rival Kui Buri National Park’s record for wildlife encounters. Located in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, this 969-square-kilometre reserve offers visitors a 95 per cent chance of seeing wild Asian elephants in their natural habitat – a rare feat in a country where elephant populations have dwindled due to habitat loss.
Established in 1999, the park’s forested mountains form part of the Tenasserim Hills that stretch across the Thai-Myanmar border. The mix of dry and moist evergreen forests provides refuge to an estimated 320 elephants and one of Thailand’s largest populations of gaurs, along with langurs, gibbons, porcupines and more than 260 species of birds.
Kui Buri’s management model restricts human interference to controlled safari zones, helping maintain an ecosystem largely untouched by commercial development. It also plays a cultural role: it is the only site in Thailand permitted to harvest sandalwood for royal cremations, under strict ecological guidelines that allow only the collection of naturally fallen trees.
2. Trang An Landscape Complex, Vietnam
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Trang An Landscape Complex in Ninh Binh Province is often described as Vietnam’s “inland Ha Long Bay,” but its value goes far beyond scenery. The 6,000-hectare site is a rare fusion of natural and cultural heritage – a karst landscape shaped over millions of years and a cradle of human civilisation dating back more than 30,000 years.
Its network of limestone towers, caves and waterways reveals archaeological traces of early hunter-gatherers who once adapted to shifting sea levels and changing climates. Today, traditional sampan boats rowed by local guides navigate the same waterways that link temples, rice paddies and ancient settlements.
Trang An’s management plan places strict limits on development and tourism density. Local communities are directly involved in conservation through sustainable agriculture and heritage protection, aligning with Vietnam’s broader eco-tourism policy that ties visitor management to rural livelihood support.
3. Komodo National Park, Indonesia
Between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, Komodo National Park safeguards one of the world’s most extraordinary evolutionary survivors – the Komodo dragon. Around 5,700 of these giant lizards inhabit the park’s volcanic islands and coastal forests, making it the only place on Earth where they live in the wild.
Beyond its famous reptile, the park’s 219,000 hectares encompass coral reefs, mangrove forests and savanna-covered hills that support whales, dolphins and endangered sea turtles. The surrounding marine area, among the most biodiverse in the Indo-Pacific, is protected under a UNESCO biosphere reserve designation [what sort? UNESCO?].
The park’s management plan integrates ecotourism with enforcement against illegal fishing and poaching. Community education and regulated visitor zones form the backbone of Indonesia’s strategy to balance tourism revenue with long-term ecological resilience – a task growing in urgency as visitor numbers rise.
4. Danjugan Island Sanctuary, Philippines
Three kilometres off the coast of Negros Occidental, Danjugan Island has become a model for small-scale, community-driven conservation in the Philippines. Once a degraded fishing ground, the 43-hectare island was acquired in the 1990s by the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation and restored into a functioning marine and wildlife sanctuary.
Today, less than 10 per cent of the island is developed. Powered entirely by solar energy and dependent on rainwater harvesting, Danjugan strictly limits its visitor capacity less than 40 people at any given time. Its ecotourism programme directly funds the island’s protection and supports nearby fishing communities through employment and education initiatives.
The island’s educational programme hosts annual marine and wildlife camps that immerse participants in reef monitoring, mangrove kayaking and biodiversity research. Through this model, Danjugan demonstrates how environmental education can sustain conservation while fostering the next generation of environmental stewards.
5. Gunung Mulu National Park, Malaysia
Deep in Sarawak, Borneo, Gunung Mulu National Park is an example of tropical biodiversity at its most intricate. The 52,865-hectare UNESCO World Heritage Site contains 17 diverse vegetation zones and some 3,500 species of vascular plants, including one of the richest palm assemblages in the world.
Mulu’s geological formations are equally remarkable. Beneath its forested mountains lie over 295 kilometres of mapped caves, including the Sarawak Chamber – the world’s largest known underground chamber – and passages that host millions of bats and swiftlets. The park’s sandstone peaks and karst pinnacles provide scientists with valuable insights into tropical cave evolution and ecosystem processes.
While tourism is tightly managed through designated trails and guided tours, conservation remains the park’s core priority. Its long-term management plan emphasises habitat integrity, community engagement, and research, ensuring that Mulu remains both a site of natural wonder and scientific discovery.
6. Chi Phat, Cambodia
In the heart of the Cardamom Mountains, Chi Phat has transformed from a hotspot of poaching into one of Cambodia’s most successful community-run eco-tourism models. Established in 2007 by the conservation nongovernment organisation Wildlife Alliance, the site now anchors efforts to protect mainland Southeast Asia’s largest remaining rainforest tract.
The area’s network of rivers, waterfalls and evergreen forests shelters a wide diversity of birds and wildlife. Former hunters now serve as guides, leading visitors through jungle trails, mangroves, and mountain passes – a living example of how livelihood transformation can strengthen conservation outcomes.
Revenue from trekking, cycling, and kayaking tours flows directly to the community, which manages forest protection and waste reduction efforts. In a landscape long threatened by illegal logging and wildlife trade, Chi Phat demonstrates how eco-tourism can turn former exploiters into custodians of nature.
7. Danum Valley Conservation Area, Malaysia
Few tropical forests are as scientifically significant – or as well protected – as Malaysia’s Danum Valley. Encompassing nearly 44,000 hectares of lowland dipterocarp forest in Sabah, this Class I Protection Forest Reserve harbours a web of life that includes the clouded leopard, orangutan and the critically endangered Bornean pygmy elephant.
The valley’s towering Yellow Meranti tree nicknamed Menara – the world’s tallest tropical tree at 100.8 metres – stands as a symbol of its ecological stature. Tourism here is tightly regulated: access is granted only through two facilities, the research-focused Danum Valley Studies Centre and the low-impact Borneo Rainforest Lodge.
Both integrate sustainability into their operations, from organic composting to the use of biodegradable cleaning products. Visitors are encouraged to engage in guided walks, canopy treks, and nocturnal safaris that emphasise education and ecological awareness. The site’s strict management and limited visitor capacity have helped preserve one of Borneo’s last intact primary forests.
8. Luang Prabang, Laos
Nestled between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, Luang Prabang stands as one of Asia’s best-preserved cultural landscapes – a city where Buddhist heritage, colonial architecture, and natural beauty remain in rare harmony. Recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its well-preserved temples, wooden houses and riverine wetlands illustrate the integration of urban life with nature.
Beyond its architectural charm, Luang Prabang’s management framework underscores sustainable heritage protection. The city’s Safeguarding and Enhancement Plan enforces building regulations, restricts large-scale tourism infrastructure and promotes the use of traditional materials in restoration work.
Buddhist communities play an active role in preservation, with monks training young novices in heritage restoration and ecological stewardship. This shared sense of responsibility has allowed Luang Prabang to retain both its spiritual identity and environmental integrity amid rising tourism pressures.
9. Chiang Mai, Thailand
Thailand’s northern capital is often associated with temples and night markets, but its ecotourism story unfolds in the forested highlands beyond the city. From the cloud forests of Doi Inthanon – the country’s highest peak – to the community-run homestays of Mae Kampong, Chiang Mai showcases a model where rural tourism sustains both environment and culture.
The province is also home to the pioneering Elephant Nature Park, founded by animal rights advocate Saengduean “Lek” Chailert. The sanctuary provides refuge for elephants rescued from logging and tourism exploitation, setting the standard for ethical wildlife tourism in Asia.
By coupling nature-based experiences with community participation and wildlife welfare, Chiang Mai has emerged as a hub for responsible tourism that prioritises conservation over commercial spectacle.
10. Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia
At the southwestern tip of Java lies Ujung Kulon National Park – the last refuge of the critically endangered Javan rhinoceros. The park encompasses lowland rainforests, mangroves, and coral-fringed islands, forming one of Indonesia’s most ecologically intact landscapes.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ujung Kulon also includes Krakatau Island, the site of the 1883 volcanic eruption that reshaped the region’s geology. Today, the park supports more than 270 bird species, endemic primates such as the Javan gibbon and a rare assemblage of flora found nowhere else on Earth.
Longstanding conservation efforts, dating back to 1921, have helped safeguard the rhino population – now estimated at around 60 individuals – through strict protection and habitat management. Ecotourism remains limited and tightly controlled to ensure minimal disturbance, reinforcing Ujung Kulon’s role as a living laboratory for species recovery and rainforest preservation.
