Digitalization renders approaches that address sustainable consumption in tourism activities solely within the framework of individual environmental awareness and ethical preferences inadequate; it reshapes consumption practices through algorithms, digital platforms, and data-driven guidance mechanisms. In today's travel plans, which destinations, types of accommodation, and experiences tourists prefer are largely determined through online travel platforms' ranking algorithms, recommendation systems, user reviews, and sustainability labels. In this context, sustainable consumption has become a structural phenomenon that should be evaluated not so much in terms of what the individual “chooses,” but rather in terms of which options are made visible and how they are framed by digital platforms.

This study critically examines the digitalization of sustainable consumption in tourism, discussing how algorithms and the platform economy transform the discourse of sustainability. While digital platforms have the potential to promote sustainable consumption, this process also carries risks such as greenwashing, visibility inequality, and performative sustainability. In particular, the reduction of “eco,” “green,” and ‘responsible’ tourism labels to marketable symbols in the digital environment is addressed as a significant problem area that weakens the transformative potential of sustainability. It also examines the “new consumer” profile emerging in the digitalization of tourism consumption. This new consumer is positioned as an actor who makes many of their decisions through digital platforms, makes their experiences visible online, and increasingly interprets sustainability through digital performance and symbolic representation. This situation can lead to a widening gap between the real environmental and social impacts of sustainable consumption and digital discourse.

Finally, it argues that the future of sustainable consumption in tourism cannot be left solely to individual awareness and voluntary choices, and that digitalization without external intervention may risk undermining sustainability goals. In this regard, the study repositioning sustainable consumption in the digital age provides a critical discussion platform for tourism policies and academic research.