Beyond Greenwashing: How Verifiable Storytelling Drives Impactful, Responsible Tourism
Last month, we co-hosted the Beyond Greenwashing: Enabling Verifiable Storytelling in Sustainable Travel webinar with Dimitri Syrris, Founder and CEO of Baotree. Together, we discussed one of the most pressing challenges facing the hospitality and tourism industry today: how can businesses move beyond vague claims and superficial eco-labels to tell stories that are authentic, impactful, and verifiable?
The webinar wasn’t just another discussion about being “eco-friendly.” We delved into how storytelling, backed by data and human connection, can turn sustainability efforts into meaningful stories that build trust and inspire action.
This recap covers the key takeaways, including solutions to common sustainability communication challenges, frameworks for structuring stories, and tools to help your business craft narratives that matter.
Stories with Substance
Today's travelers ask more profound questions: "Where does this seafood come from? What does this hotel do to protect the ecosystems? What actions is the resort taking to support the local businesses?"
They are not just expecting answers; they are demanding transparency. Recent Booking.com and Traveloka reports substantiate this point: 84% of global travelers now consider sustainability important, and 80% of APAC travelers say they are open to choosing sustainable options, provided they are available and affordable.
This demand opens a window of opportunity—not for quick, superficial marketing tactics designed to grab attention—but for meaningful connections with your audiences by turning sustainability-led practices into engaging stories.
It’s utterly important to walk the walk by building a resilient supply chain and value-driven travel services and products.
It’s storytelling that links your sustainability efforts to your audience’s emotions. It’s about turning data and complex terms into stories that people actually care about.
Data Meets Storytelling
The foundation of credible storytelling lies in collecting and organizing robust data. Dimitri introduced Baotree, a platform that supports tourism businesses in tracking sustainability metrics, even in regions with limited connectivity.
He shared how Baotree uses geospatial mapping, offline capabilities, and customizable frameworks to enable staff and even community members to gather data. Whether tracking water usage or recording turtle conservation data, systems like Baotree ensure that your sustainability stories are grounded in measurable actions.
An example was a Southern African tourism business managing 16 camps and lodges. Baotree designed data frameworks aligned with multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), tracking everything from wildlife conservation to community healthcare initiatives. This centralized data collection empowers the business to showcase its impact across all properties through cohesive, fact-backed narratives.
The 5Ws and 1H Framework
One of the simplest ways to craft authentic stories is to use the 5Ws and 1H framework. This journalist-inspired approach asks foundational questions for structuring any narrative.
Who is driving the efforts? Who is benefiting from the initiatives? (e.g., local farmers, artisans, or team members making change happen)
What actions are taking place? (e.g., replacing plastic straws with bamboo)
When did this start, or how long have you been working toward it? (e.g., a months-long reforestation project)
Where is the effort focused? Is it at your property? Or is it at the nearby beach? (e.g., protecting coral reefs or restoring mangroves)
Why does this matter? What bigger issue does this solve? Tie it back to your values. (e.g., fighting deforestation to protect the watershed)
How is it being carried out? (e.g., partnerships with NGOs to recycle hotel waste into compost for local farmers)
This framework is at the core of all great stories. By answering these questions, businesses can craft stories that are not only engaging but also detailed and honest.
Challenges and Solutions in Sustainability Storytelling
During the webinar, we shared solutions to some of the most frequent sustainability communication challenges. Here’s a summary:
1. Greenwashing
Greenwashing happens when businesses overstate or make unsubstantiated sustainability claims, eroding trust with guests and stakeholders. Phrases like “eco-friendly” or “going green” mean nothing if they are not tied to verifiable outcomes.
Solution: Focus on specificity.
Instead of saying, "We reduced waste," highlight, "By eliminating plastic water bottles in guest rooms, we prevented 25,000 bottles from ending up in landfills last year."
2. Greenhushing
Some companies hesitate to share sustainability stories out of fear of criticism for not doing enough.
Solution: Start small and build from there.
Share specific beginnings, like “Our towel reuse program saves us 500 liters of water daily,” while outlining plans for larger goals.
3. Data deficiency
The lack of systems to track metrics can hamper storytelling. Without numbers, businesses can’t show impact concretely.
Solution: Start by tracking something simple. If your property has replaced plastic straws with bamboo, track how much waste you’re diverting monthly or annually.
Tools like Baotree can help businesses collect, organize, and validate this data, making the process manageable and effective.
4. Operational disconnect
Often, sustainability teams and marketing teams don’t collaborate effectively. Sustainability metrics go unnoticed, and marketing messages become overly generic.
Solution: Internal collaboration is key. Sync operations with storytelling.
Marketing teams need to understand what sustainability managers are implementing so that they can translate eco-conscious efforts into powerful, accurate narratives.
Regular team check-ins and updates, such as monthly “storytelling syncs” or shared project folders, can help bridge this gap and ensure alignment between operations and guest-facing narratives.
5. Audience engagement fatigue
Engaging travelers without overwhelming them is a challenge many brands face. While travelers are more conscious of responsible travel, oversharing repetitive or overly technical information risks disengagement. Brands are often tempted to list metrics endlessly, but data alone doesn’t create emotional resonance.
Solution: Anchor your message in human experiences and diversify your storytelling.
For example, feature the craftsman who hand-weaves scarves sold at your resort’s shop or the chef explaining why sourcing locally reduces carbon emissions.
Use a mix of media formats—including photos, videos, or infographics—to create variety and keep your audience interested.
The Power of Structured and Emotional Storytelling
During the webinar, I shared the two main approaches to storytelling in the hospitality and tourism industry. I call these B2B (business-to-business) storytelling and B2C (business-to-consumer) storytelling. Both are essential, but each one is uniquely powerful in its own way.
B2B Storytelling
This style focuses on structure, outcomes, and accountability. These narratives are detailed, backed by data, and intended for industry partners, investors, and collaborators. The strength of B2B initiatives lies in providing measurable results and demonstrating your value as a trustworthy industry leader.
B2B storytelling is ideal for presenting sustainability metrics in impact reports, annual reports, sustainability reports, pitches to investors, and detailed project updates.
B2C Storytelling
On the other hand, B2C storytelling focuses on emotions. Travelers are drawn to a destination not just for its beauty but for the stories that make it come alive. This style focuses on people and their experiences, making sustainability feel personal and relatable.
For example, instead of simply saying, “We worked with local farmers to supply our restaurant,” paint a vibrant picture. Introduce guests to the farmer growing the turmeric in your signature curry. Share his challenges and triumphs as part of your property’s commitment to sustainable sourcing.
Emotional storytelling works because it connects with travelers on a personal level. It can inspire them to book stays, participate in conservation programs, or advocate for your brand.
Why You Need Both
B2B storytelling builds trust and establishes credibility. B2C storytelling wins hearts and creates meaningful guest experiences.
Use data to inform and build trust and emotional narratives to inspire and connect.
Practical Tools for Starting Now
We also shared resources to help participants begin or enhance their storytelling efforts.
Asia Sustainable Travel and Travel Asia Now's Sustainable Hospitality Checklist covers various areas, including waste management, food and beverage, energy and water, nature and conservation, community engagement, guest experience, diversity and inclusion, and general management and sustainability reporting.
Baotree's Sustainability Goals and Wishlist Assessment tool provides a roadmap for businesses to prioritize initiatives and assess their progress.
If you would like copies of these resources, email us at people@asiasustainabletravel.com.
Final Thoughts
Sustainability storytelling is more than a marketing strategy; it’s the bridge between what you do and how the world perceives your efforts. When you align measurable impacts with human connections, you create stories that inspire trust and encourage action.
A good story builds trust with data, inspires with emotional content, and ultimately drives guests to advocate for your brand.
