Best Ecotourism Destinations in 2026
We scored 20 countries for eco-tourism potential using a blend of natural landscape quality, wildlife diversity, UNDP Planetary Pressures-adjusted HDI, and safety. These destinations combine immersive natural experiences with lower environmental footprints.
| # | Country | Score | ๐ก๏ธ Safety | ๐ฐ Affordability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ๐ง๐ณBruneiSouth-Eastern Asia | 78 | 64 | 76 |
| 2 | ๐ธ๐ฎSloveniaCentral Europe | 76 | 81 | 54 |
| 3 | ๐ง๐นBhutanSouthern Asia | 76 | 65 | 89 |
| 4 | ๐ฏ๐ตJapanEastern Asia | 75 | 87 | 51 |
| 5 | ๐ญ๐ฐHong KongEastern Asia | 75 | 81 | 42 |
| 6 | ๐ญ๐ทCroatiaSoutheast Europe | 73 | 78 | 64 |
| 7 | ๐ฐ๐ญCambodiaSouth-Eastern Asia | 73 | 60 | 80 |
| 8 | ๐ง๐ฌBulgariaSoutheast Europe | 72 | 71 | 71 |
| 9 | ๐ฒ๐พMalaysiaSouth-Eastern Asia | 72 | 77 | 82 |
| 10 | ๐ฌ๐ทGreeceSouthern Europe | 71 | 73 | 57 |
| 11 | ๐ฟ๐ฒZambiaEastern Africa | 71 | 61 | 84 |
| 12 | ๐ฐ๐ทSouth KoreaEastern Asia | 70 | 79 | 54 |
| 13 | ๐ฑ๐ฐSri LankaSouthern Asia | 70 | 50 | 84 |
| 14 | ๐ต๐นPortugalSouthern Europe | 70 | 79 | 57 |
| 15 | ๐ฎ๐ฉIndonesiaSouth-Eastern Asia | 70 | 77 | 83 |
| 16 | ๐ธ๐ฐSlovakiaCentral Europe | 70 | 73 | 59 |
| 17 | ๐ฑ๐ฆLaosSouth-Eastern Asia | 70 | 68 | 90 |
| 18 | ๐จ๐ฌRepublic of the CongoMiddle Africa | 69 | 56 | 77 |
| 19 | ๐ช๐ธSpainSouthern Europe | 69 | 76 | 53 |
| 20 | ๐น๐ผTaiwanEastern Asia | 69 | 74 | 63 |
Brunei
Slovenia
Bhutan
Japan
Hong Kong
Croatia
Cambodia
Bulgaria
Malaysia
Greece
Zambia
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Portugal
Indonesia
Slovakia
Laos
Republic of the Congo
Spain
Taiwan
Methodology
Rankings are computed from real-world open data sources including the Global Peace Index, World Bank (intentional homicides as a civilian-safety signal, WGI political stability, PPP-based price level affordability, protected areas, forest cover, international tourism receipts, and IUCN threatened species counts), US State Department travel advisory levels, UNDP (Human Development Index, Gender Development Index, Gender Inequality Index, and Planetary Pressures-adjusted HDI), ILGA-style legal protections plus TGEU/Transrespect anti-violence reporting for LGBTQ+ traveler scoring, Open-Meteo (climate normals), UNESCO (heritage sites and gastronomy-city recognitions), Wikidata (distinguished restaurant counts and winter-sports results), and OpenStreetMap (restaurant density, cuisine diversity, and luxury hotel counts). Countries with a Level 3+ US State Department travel advisory are excluded. Learn more about our methodology on the About page.
Data current as of May 2026 and may change. Rankings are generated algorithmically from publicly available datasets and are not a substitute for independent research. Do not rely solely on this information when making travel decisions. Always verify conditions with official government sources. Terms of Use ยท About our data
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