The Year of Sustainable Tourism – Top Organic Food Destinations
2017 is a year an important year for sustainable travel as it’s been designated the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations.
Recently, Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, conducted its annual Sustainable Travel Report to find out what encourages people travel more sustainably.*
Among the findings, 30% of global travellers revealed that one of their top motives for choosing an eco-friendly accommodation was that they tend to provide more locally-sourced/organic food. So, with that in mind, Booking.com turned to its internal data to see which destinations, and which accommodations in those destinations, really stands out when it comes to organic food offerings. Based on endorsements and recommendations from Booking.com customers, the following list of top global destinations for ‘organic food’, combined with a mix of environmentally-friendly and organic foodie accommodations, emerged. **
Stockholm, Sweden
As well as being the world’s design powerhouse, Stockholm’s a Nobel Prize contender for Scandinavia’s friendliest citizens. You’ll be welcomed with open arms to this urbane city, where medieval alleys, majestic parks and an awe-inspiring Royal Palace will leave you eager to explore.
Where to Stay: Hotel Skeppsholmen
Located just a three minutes’ walk from the beach, the eco-friendly Skeppsholmen Hotel is set in a charming 1960s building on a peaceful island with rooms featuring windows and traditional wooden shutters. The hotel restaurant offers classic Swedish dishes with a terrace that provides great waterfront views.
Montezillon, Switzerland
Located in the heart of the Swiss Alps, Montezillon is a striking destination to enjoy views from powerful mountains, hikes through transcendent forests and refreshing swims in pristine lakes.
Where to Stay: EcoHotel L’Aubier
EcoHotel L’Aubier offers a quiet location with panoramic views of Lake Neuchâtel and the Alps. The hotel restaurant offers organic cuisine with products from their own farm. All dairy products, meat and cereals come from the hotel's bio-dynamic farm. Guests can also enjoy herbal teas and hand-made syrups and organic and bio-dynamic wines. After a long day of exploring the natural beauty of the area, the beds come without any metal parts and feature natural latex mattresses and a wool layer with linens made from Fairtrade organic cotton.
Ubud, Indonesia
Ubud is a deeply spiritual place. At every turn, the scent of incense drifts on the air and travellers radiate inner peace. Yet minutes away, the paths lead into lush jungle, rice paddies, picturesque hanging gardens and ancient temple complexes. The hard part is finding what to do next!
Where to Stay: Rumah Dadong
Boasting an outdoor swimming pool and surrounded by lush rice fields, Rumah Dadong offers a great getaway in Ubud area. For guests interested in exploring the surrounding area, Ubud Monkey Forest is reachable within a 15-minute drive, while great, organic restaurants can be found just a 5-minute drive away.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen is a city of tip-top design, plentiful parkland and people with a passion for “hygge” (cosiness). It’s also eco-friendly, child-friendly and once you get chatting to the locals, just plain friendly. From classy Frederiksberg to funky Christiania, this city ticks all the boxes.
Where to Stay: STAY Apartment Copenhagen
Housed in a converted industry building from the mid-1900s, STAY Apartment Copenhagen features Scandinavian minimalist design. Guests will feel at home in the bright apartments, which are fully equipped with a kitchen, washing machine, dryer and flat-screen TVs with cable channels. Stay's Café is a popular meeting place for a glass of wine or cold beer in the evening. Each morning, an organic breakfast buffet is served.
Berlin, Germany
Berlin doesn’t claim to be Europe's most beautiful capital, but it's a city that represents Europe's past – and its future. It's hard to believe that barely a generation has passed since Berliners tore down the Berlin Wall, and since then, the city has resonated with open-mindedness.
Where to stay: Gorki Apartments
Gorki Apartments are centrally located in Berlin's trendy Mitte district, surrounded by numerous bars, organic cafés, galleries and shops. Housed in an attractive 19th-century building near Rosenthaler Platz, guests can relax in the elegantly furnished apartments which consist of individually furnished apartments and two very spacious penthouses. The property combines famous design names with quirky flea-market items and contemporary elements.
*This data was taken from a survey of 11,069 respondents across 11 markets. Respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have travelled at least once in 2016 and be planning at least one trip for 2017. Data was collected in February/March 2017.
**The data analysts at Booking.com looked at endorsement data for ‘organic food’. Once the highest-rated destinations were found, the highest-rated accommodations on Booking.com in those destinations were compiled. The final accommodation choice for each destination was picked from these compilations based on its environmentally-friendly credentials.