How sustainability is redefining luxury travel in 2025

Khaleej Times

25-04-2025

For decades, luxury travel was synonymous with escape, indulgence without questions. But in 2025, the industry's most powerful shift isn't about where travellers are going. It's about what they're giving back.
Today's affluent travellers are no longer content with five-star suites and remote seclusion. They want meaning. They ask: What impact does this trip have? Who benefits? And how is luxury evolving to serve the planet as well as the guest?
The answers are reshaping the sector, not with slogans, but with systems.
Purpose over excess
Across continents, a new kind of luxury is emerging. It's quieter, deeper, and built on accountability. High-end operators are rewriting the rules — integrating sustainability into their core, not as decoration, but as direction.
Plastic-free operations, solar-powered villas, conservation-linked itineraries, composting and closed-loop water systems are just the start. Community partnerships and regenerative design are becoming essential components of what qualifies as 'luxury".
Take Kamalaya in Thailand, which has championed sustainability since 2005 — offering a zero-plastic wellness retreat powered by solar energy, and funding free education programs for Thai youth. Or South Africa's Kapama Private Game Reserve, where an established Anti-Poaching Unit protects rhinos and reinforces the relationship between the reserve and its ecosystem.
In Italy, Casa Di Langa, nestled in a Unesco World Heritage site, blends old-world charm with Green Globe certification, sustainable farming, and international sustainability accolades. Meanwhile, Nihi in Indonesia, a B Corp-certified resort, gives guests direct exposure to local impact initiatives, from environmental programs to community empowerment.
These aren't outliers. They're blueprints for a new standard in responsible travel.
This evolution is especially visible in the Middle East — a region known for scale and spectacle, now steering hard toward sustainability. With Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025 in Dubai set to spotlight responsible tourism, the region is showing it's not just catching up — it's aiming to lead.
From Saudi Arabia's giga-projects built on zero-carbon principles to the UAE's commitment to eco-hospitality, momentum is building. But success here will depend on more than ambition — it will require intentional curation.
Impact & Indulgence
Luxafar is already doing the curating, a UAE-based luxury travel company quietly setting a benchmark for sustainability in high-end travel.
'At Luxafar, sustainability isn't an accessory — it's embedded in every decision we make,' says Ghazal Sajid, co-founder of Luxafar. 'We don't just look at comfort and aesthetics. We look at desalination systems, solar grids, waste composting, and the social impact on surrounding communities.'
Luxafar's global network of partners includes eco-resorts that: Run on solar energy, operate on desalinated and recycled water, practice on-site composting and waste separation, ban single-use plastics, and support community-led conservation and education
From community-run safaris in Southern and Eastern Africa that directly support wildlife protection, to certified green resorts in Europe and Asia, Luxafar's itineraries are curated with precision and purpose.
Destinations they vouch for — including Finland, Slovenia, Bhutan, and Costa Rica — are known for renewable energy leadership, low-impact tourism models, and biodiversity preservation. But their partnerships stretch well beyond, encompassing places like Indonesia, Thailand, Italy, and South Africa — each selected based on a rigorous sustainability lens.
'For me, as both a founder and a frequent traveller, it's clear that luxury doesn't have to cost the Earth,' Sajid adds. 'We invite our clients to be part of a journey where every trip is not just exceptional, but environmentally responsible.'
Looking ahead: ATM 2025 and beyond
As Luxafar returns to ATM 2025, it's not just there to showcase destinations — it's there to build coalitions. Sajid will be on the ground in Dubai to collaborate with other changemakers across the Middle East and beyond, pushing for higher standards and smarter travel systems.
'Our clients aren't just booking experiences,' she says. 'They're choosing to support ecosystems that last — socially and environmentally.'
ATM 2025 is more than a trade event. It's a litmus test for the future of global travel. And the operators who integrate ethics into their business models — not just their brochures — will be the ones to shape its trajectory.
As this movement accelerates, Luxafar is proving that sustainability and luxury aren't competing forces. They're two sides of the same vision — one that's not just possible, but necessary.