Ecotourism Australia certified operators have continued to outperform the Oceania regional average for guest satisfaction, according to the organisation’s ReviewPro 2025–2026 Customer Satisfaction KPI Benchmarking Report.
Released today, the report shows operators holding Ecotourism Australia’s globally recognised certification achieved an average Global Review Index (GRI) score of 88.8% for the 2025–2026 financial year, compared with the Oceania average of 84.2%.
Prepared specifically for certified operators, the annual benchmarking report draws on ReviewPro’s guest intelligence platform to provide insights into guest satisfaction and online reputation across the network. The GRI is ReviewPro’s online reputation metric, aggregating guest reviews from more than 175 online travel agencies and review sites in more than 45 languages. This year’s analysis covers 361,912 guest reviews, up more than 15% on the 313,804 reviewed in the previous financial year.
Couples accounted for 38% of reviewers, followed by families at 30% and solo travellers at 20%, while Booking.com was the leading review source (46%), ahead of Google (30%) and Expedia (8%).
Ecotourism Australia CEO Elissa Keenan said it was pleasing, but not surprising, to see certified operators achieving such high guest ratings, with the findings offering valuable insight into how they are performing against broader regional benchmarks.
“Guest feedback is both an important measure of how visitors experience a tourism experience, but also strongly influences travellers’ decisions when planning their holidays,” Ms Keenan said.
“These results show that Ecotourism Australia’s certified operators are delivering experiences valued by guests, while demonstrating a commitment to independently verified sustainability practices and global best practice.
“It’s also encouraging to see a 5% increase in our overall total operators represented in the benchmarking, giving us a broader picture of guest satisfaction across our certified community.”
Tour operators record highest guest satisfaction scores
That strong overall result was reflected across each category of certified business. Tour operators recorded the highest average GRI at 95.3%, up from 95% in the previous financial year, followed by attraction operators at 92.8% and accommodation operators at 85.4%.
Beyond these category averages, approximately 2% of certified operators achieved a perfect GRI score of 100%, a result Ms Keenan described as an extraordinary accomplishment in the tourism industry.
“While we congratulate all our certified operators on achieving remarkable scores this year, to be recognised in the top 2% reflects an unwavering dedication to delivering exceptional, responsible experiences that sets certified businesses apart.”
Among those achieving a perfect score was Advanced ECO Certified operator Boobook Explore, a family-owned Queensland business offering small-group experiences with exclusive access to privately owned grazing properties, including Wallaroo Station in the Carnarvon Ranges and Massey Downs near Roma.
“As a small, locally owned business, achieving a 100% guest satisfaction score means a great deal to us. It’s wonderful recognition of the passion, knowledge and care that goes into every experience,” said Meryl Eddie, Founding Ecologist and Business Manager at Boobook Explore.
“We’re fortunate to share some truly remarkable places with our guests, and knowing they’ve enjoyed their time with us enough to leave such positive feedback is incredibly rewarding. It’s also a great encouragement to keep doing what we love and finding ways to make our experiences even better.”
Image – Boobook Explore is among the top 2% of tourism operators to achieve a perfect 100% guest satisfaction score, reflecting its commitment to delivering exceptional visitor experiences.
People remain central to the visitor experience
Behind these scores are the people who deliver the experiences. The report highlights the critically important role staff play in shaping guest satisfaction, with 85% of staff-related mentions in guest reviews positive. Staff, location, stay experience, rooms, and food and dining were the five categories that contributed most to operators’ scores.
Ms Keenan said the findings reinforce the importance of the people behind each tourism experience.
“Whether it’s a guide sharing their knowledge of a destination, a host welcoming guests or a team helping visitors feel connected to a place, people are central to the experience,” Ms Keenan said.
“For nature-based tourism in particular, the opportunity to learn from knowledgeable local guides and connect with the places and communities they visit can be an important part of what makes an experience memorable.”
Boobook Explore’s guides are a case in point.
“Our guides are absolutely central to everything we do. They’re locals who have a genuine connection to the region and a passion for sharing its landscapes, wildlife and stories,” Ms Eddie said.
“But it’s not just what our guides know – it’s how they share it. They’re natural storytellers who make people feel welcome, encourage curiosity and adapt each experience to the interests of their guests. We often find that people arrive expecting to see beautiful scenery and leave talking about the fascinating things they’ve learnt along the way. That’s the difference a great guide makes.”
Sustainability is part of the guest conversation
Guests are also taking note of the sustainability commitments behind certified experiences. Sustainability was mentioned in reviews for 343 certified operators, more than half of those analysed, and about two thirds of the 1,449 sustainability-related mentions were positive. Eco-friendly was the most common theme at about 49%, followed by plastic (23%) and sustainability itself (16%).
This reflects a travelling public that cares. Booking.com’s Sustainable Travel Report found 85% of travellers say sustainable travel is important to them, 60% say tourism has an overall positive impact on where they live, and 43% are avoiding overcrowded destinations.
“It is encouraging to see guests recognising the sustainability commitments of certified operators, and the majority of those comments are positive,” Ms Keenan said.
Ms Keenan added that the findings give operators an opportunity to see how sustainability features in guest feedback and to make sure their hard work is reflected in reviews, by communicating their practices clearly throughout the visitor journey.
“Clear, credible sustainability communication can help visitors better understand the work happening behind their experience.
“Behind every certified experience is a genuine commitment. Our operators invest significant time and effort to meet rigorous standards, and they keep raising the bar to reduce their impacts and contribute positively to the places in which they operate.
“Sustainability is about far more than the environment. Certification is built around four pillars: sustainable management, environmental, cultural and socio-economic impacts. That means operators are looking after their people, their communities and their culture as well as the natural environment.
“The opportunity is to make that work visible to guests in a clear and credible way, from pre-arrival information and on-site interpretation through to post-visit communications.
“By helping visitors understand the practices behind their certified experience, operators can build awareness among travellers of what credible sustainability looks like in practice.”
ENDS
Media contacts:
Kate Scott
Communication & Engagement Manager
commsmanager@ecotourism.org.au
(07) 3256 6777
Emily Flanagan
Communication & Engagement Specialist
communications@ecotourism.org.au
(07) 3256 6777
About Ecotourism Australia
Ecotourism Australia is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation, established in 1991, that promotes and supports Australia’s visitor economy through building capacity and actively promoting sustainable tourism operations and systems. Our legacy program – ECO Certification – was the world’s first national ecotourism certification program and the Sustainable Tourism Certification, launched in 2022 supports non-nature-based businesses achieve global best-practice. Today there are some 2500 accommodation, tours and attractions certified by Ecotourism Australia. Ecotourism Australia is also a founding member of the Tourism Sustainability Certifications Alliance (TSCA), a global association for sustainable tourism established in January 2025. TSCA members are responsible for certifying more than 19,000 travel and tourism enterprises, organisations, and destinations across the globe – representing the largest cohort of certified operators worldwide.