Eco-friendly holiday claims under fire as watchdog cracks down on misleading adverts
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has used an AI-powered monitoring system to identify misleading environmental claims in holiday adverts from Thomas Cook and Loveholidays, ruling that terms such as "eco resort" and "eco hotel" were not properly explained. The watchdog found that consumers could reasonably interpret these labels as indicating genuine environmental benefits, yet the adverts gave no detail about what such features actually involved, breaching advertising rules. The companies have been told to amend or withdraw the adverts, reflecting wider regulatory scrutiny of vague "greenwashing" claims in the travel industry.
The ASA flagged a Thomas Cook Google advert from 15 July 2026 promoting the "Sandos Caracol Eco Resort," which the firm said had been partly auto-generated via Google's ad tools based on user search terms; Thomas Cook has since blocked the term as a keyword to prevent recurrence. Although the hotel did have eco-friendly features such as solar power and water treatment systems, none were explained in the ad. Loveholidays was similarly criticised over two adverts referencing the "Green Garden Eco Resort" and "Marvida Family Eco Hotel," with the company arguing these were simply trading names. The ASA maintained that "eco" has no standardised meaning, so marketers must clarify any environmental claims to avoid misleading customers.
- ASA ruled Thomas Cook and Loveholidays adverts made misleading "eco" claims
- Terms like "eco resort" lacked explanation of actual environmental features
- Companies must amend adverts; Thomas Cook has already blocked the keyword
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Package holidays and package flights are usually sold with a range of environmental and sustainability terms attached, and travel companies increasingly use such labels in their marketing to appeal to holidaymakers who care about the impact of their trips. The Advertising Standards Authority is the UK's independent regulator for advertising, and it can rule on whether adverts are truthful and not misleading, though it is not a court and cannot fine companies directly.
Thomas Cook and Loveholidays are two well-known UK holiday retailers that sell package trips and hotel stays, often through online adverts generated to match what people are searching for. The specific concern here is the use of the word "eco" in hotel and resort names or descriptions, which has no fixed or legally defined meaning, so different companies and consumers can understand it very differently.
This matters because "greenwashing" – making a product sound more environmentally friendly than it really is – has become a growing focus for regulators across many industries, not just travel. How the ASA treats these cases could influence what holiday companies are allowed to say about eco-credentials in future advertising, and how much detail they must provide to back up such claims.