Balancing sustainability and profitability has become a major point of tension for China PRC’s tourism industry. Cresting demand forces destinations to scale up – pressuring operators to deliver commercial returns without degrading precious natural and cultural assets.
Koko Tang – a Yunnan native and noted sustainability strategist – relishes the challenge this contradiction brings. As she put it, “For us, profitability is not the opposite of sustainability. It is the long-term return that comes from respecting nature and local communities.”
Trained as a lawyer, Ms. Tang spent seven years at an international law firm before shifting into tourism, where she saw greater scope to shape how development unfolds on the ground.
Today, in her role as founder of Colorful Earth and co-founder of Vinetree Tourism, Ms. Tang mobilizes cross-sector partners to turn sustainability concepts into practice. She also serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, and as ESG Director at Fudan University’s Institute of Commerce, Civilization & Commons.
We spoke with Koko Tang about reconciling sustainability with profitability in China PRC tourism, translating biodiversity and inclusion into practice, and what it takes to build models that last.
There’s a bit of a backlash on “ESG” as a label in some corporate circles now, but you are still one of the strongest advocates for sustainability in the Chinese tourism industry. Why do you feel that sustainability is more relevant than ever today, for Chinese tourism specifically?
I think “ESG” has, in some contexts, been reduced to a label and sometimes misused. The backlash is more about trust and the risk of greenwashing than about rejecting sustainability itself.
For China PRC’s tourism industry, the sustainable transition is more relevant than ever. The sector depends heavily on our natural and cultural assets. Risks like extreme weather, biodiversity loss and overcrowding can raise costs and safety risks, even as they weaken destinations’ long-term appeal.
By considering these risks in how we design products, manage resources, and work with local communities, we build resilience and stay competitive over the long term. Well-managed tourism creates plenty of dividends: new jobs, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, and reinvestment in conservation by sharing benefits with the community. This is not a passing trend, but a prerequisite for long-term thinking in tourism.
As Co-founder and CEO of Vinetree Tourism, you were an early adopter of ecotourism in China PRC. Vinetree’s boutique tented resorts followed Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) standards. Why did you decide to focus on ecotourism at a time when it wasn’t seen to be very profitable?
I joined Vinetree Tourism because I was deeply moved by the founder’s long-term commitment to ecotourism, and because Yunnan is my hometown. I wanted to protect this landscape in a more responsible way.
In the short term, ecotourism does require higher upfront investment and more disciplined operations. Over the long term, however, it is commercially rational, producing sustainable returns.
For example, involving communities in tourism development reduces conflict and creates shared benefits. Building and operating within ecological limits protects the landscape and keeps the resort attractive over the long term. Better management of energy, water, and waste also improves efficiency and lowers costs. These choices attract stakeholders – visitors, investors and employees alike – who share our values.
For us, profitability is not the opposite of sustainability. It is the long-term return that comes from respecting nature and local communities.
Image courtesy of Vinetree Tourism
In 2022, you co-founded Colorful Earth promoting biodiversity and disability inclusion. What problem were you trying to solve with Colorful Earth that existing initiatives had not yet tackled?
From the outset, Colorful Earth chose to focus on two pillars: nature and disability inclusion.
We see them as two dimensions of the same challenge. One is the health and resilience of ecosystems. The other is people’s equal participation in society and their right to dignified experiences. This belief in diversity and coexistence is what inspired the name Colorful Earth.
On nature, our primary focus is on pollinators. They are essential to agriculture and ecosystems, but are rarely considered in planning decisions. We launched the Pollinator Protectors Alliance (PPA) to address this, by using science and experience to create replicable, place-based solutions that make ecological value visible and actionable over the long term
On disability inclusion, our work covers accessible information, service delivery, employment support for persons with disabilities, and broader awareness. Our aim goes beyond simply improving physical accessibility, toward helping the industry embed inclusion in governance and everyday operations.
These two pillars are cross-sector challenges relevant to many industries, not just tourism. Colorful Earth seeks to translate these priorities into replicable toolkits and pilot models. At the same time, we are strengthening how we measure impact and improve over time, so sustainable practices can be applied consistently and at scale.
Through Colorful Earth, you helped launch the Pollinator Protectors Alliance (PPA), with Colorful Earth serving as the initiator and secretariat, to promote pollinator-friendly urban and agricultural practices. Can you tell me about this project and its outcomes so far?
The Pollinator Protectors Alliance (PPA) was established in December 2022 and jointly initiated by 41 founding organizations – a cross-sector collaboration network that includes businesses and professional institutions, as well as media and content partners. Colorful Earth is one of the initiators and serves as the Secretariat of the Alliance.
PPA uses pollinators as an entry point to link biodiversity protection with community engagement and practical business action. Our goal is to transform pollinator conservation into a sustainable and replicable industry practice.
To lower barriers to implementation, we have published two practical handbooks: “Protect Pollinators: How to Build an Insect Hotel” and the “Pollinator-Friendly Urban Landscaping Design and Management Toolkit”, which provide actionable guidance and day-to-day maintenance tips for different audiences.
PPA members lead pilots like Jinjiang Hotels’ internal training and implemented demonstration practices. We also engage the public through interactive science communication at events such as the Shanghai Flower Show.
Image courtesy of the Pollinator Protectors Alliance (PPA)
In your opinion, how does the Chinese tourism industry handle the issue of carrying capacity? How has your work helped raise awareness about this issue, and what do you see as the remaining challenges in resolving this issue?
Managing carrying capacity and peak visitor management is a worldwide issue – not just in China. In many cases, the key to successful implementation does not lie in setting “high” or “low” visitor numbers, but managing peak flows in a more orderly and sustainable way.
In China, many attractions are gradually developing practices that can be replicated – including (but not limited to) advance booking, timed entry and visitor flow dispersal.
For example, the Dunhuang Mogao Caves implement real-name, timed-entry reservations and visitor caps, with a standard daily limit of 6,000 visits. During peak seasons, emergency visitation modes can be activated, and the Digital Exhibition Center serves as the entry point to reduce pressure on the core caves.
Since 2020, Huangshan Scenic Area has required real-name, timed-entry reservations and does not allow entry without a booking. In 2023, it announced a reduction in maximum daily capacity from 50,000 to 40,000 during peak periods, and to 30,000 in winter, with further adjustments based on ecological protection needs, reception capacity, and weather conditions.
As a GSTC board member, I have consistently advocated for bringing carrying capacity considerations forward into planning and operations. Addressing ongoing challenges in this department require systematic, sustained investment and iteration.
You were instrumental in launching the Disability Inclusion Self-Assessment Hotel Toolkit. What outcomes have you seen with this project, and again, what do you see as the remaining challenges in terms of inclusiveness for guests with disabilities in China PRC?
The Disability Inclusion Self-Assessment Guideline for Hospitality is a free public resource jointly launched by Colorful Earth, The Valuable 500, Accessibility Research Association, and Accor. Throughout its development, we continuously engaged persons with disabilities and experts in the field.
The toolkit is not meant to require hotels to achieve everything immediately, and it is not a scoring or certification system. It is designed to help hotels understand what disability inclusion covers, assess where they are today, and identify practical priorities for improvement. Our goal is to provide a shared language so different departments can work within the same framework, and teams feel confident to start, even when they are unsure.
Unfortunately, the tourism industry often equates disability inclusion with hardware modifications, while systematic management of the issue remains relatively underdeveloped. At a deeper level, psychological barriers exist, with many staff hesitant to act for fear of making mistakes.
We emphasize progress over perfection. Given the diversity of disabilities and individual needs, achieving 100% accessibility is extremely difficult in practice. A more workable approach is to establish strong baseline measures first, keep iterating, and co-create solutions with persons with disabilities, so inclusion gradually becomes part of service quality.
What role can standards like GSTC play in improving the sustainability of the Chinese tourism experience? In your opinion as a GSTC board member, what work needs to be done in this area, and where have you seen the most meaningful progress so far?
GSTC standards are valuable for the Chinese market because they provide a globally understood common language and baseline requirements, systematizing expectations across environment, community, culture, and governance. Given the scale and rapid evolution of China’s tourism and hospitality market, a consistent framework like GSTC helps embed sustainable management into day-to-day operations.
Feedback from frontline Chinese destinations helps improve the usability and practicality of international standards in the local context. For example, Huangshan Scenic Area Administrative Committee participated in discussions related to the development of the GSTC Destination Criteria.
At the hotel level, progress is becoming more concrete and more widespread, covering not only large hotel groups but also individual properties and diverse product types. For example, Spring City Golf and Lake Resort in Kunming was among the earlier individual resort hotels in China PRC to be certified. Large groups such as Accor and Huazhu (H World) have multiple certified hotels, and Ibis became the first economy brand in China PRC to achieve certification.
Serviced apartments are also entering the system, such as Ascott Shenzhen Raffles City, and luxury hotels are following suit, for example Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing in Beijing being certified from 2024.
Looking ahead, I see three priorities in the China PRC tourism market.
First, continued capacity building, expanding training and local assurance capability so more small and medium-sized hotels and new formats have a clear pathway.
Second, stronger governance of labels and claims to ensure consistency and credibility. And finally, translating standards into more user-friendly data management and continuous improvement tools, especially across supply chains and destination governance, so sustainability is integrated into everyday decisions and operations.
