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Small nudge, big impact: New guide shows how sustainable travel can be communicated effectively
Tatjana PetersHow do you get travelers to act more sustainably - without bans, renunciations or moral finger-wagging? The new guidelines for effective sustainability communication in tourism, developed by Futouris together with Visit Finland and Tourism Ireland, offer an innovative approach. The focus is on the principle of "nudging" - i.e. small, targeted impulses that intuitively encourage people to adopt more environmentally friendly behavior
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"Sustainability should not come across as a burden. Through nudging, we make it easy for travelers to do the right thing - without pressure or pointing fingers."
Nadine Lehmann, Market Manager Germany, Tourism Ireland
Why nudging?
According to Booking.com's Travel & Sustainability report 2025, sustainability is important to 84 percent of travelers - but positive environmental awareness does not automatically lead to sustainable behaviour.
This is exactly where the new guide comes in: Instead of pure information or labeling, it shows how language, images, default settings or playful approaches can be used to simplify sustainable decisions.
What the guide offers
The new, practical guide uses concrete tips and examples to show how effective sustainability communication in tourism can succeed. Understanding target groups, clear language, emotional appeal and the right nudges are key success factors. The right nudges can make sustainable offers the new normal - for example through smart placement of information or playful elements. Recommended nudging methods include:
Social norms & Role models ("90% of guests use bicycles")
Gamification (e.g. digital stamp campaigns) digital stamp campaigns)
Default settings (e.g. sustainable option as standard in the booking tool)
Emotional framing & Plain text instead of technical jargon
Reward systems (e.g. discounts or benefits for sustainable cycling)E.g. discounts or benefits for sustainable decisions)
In addition, the guide offers specific recommendations for credible communication: understandable terms instead of jargon, consistency in text and images, a clear understanding of objectives and an individual approach instead of one-size-fits-all messages.
Click here to go directly to the guide
Two Futouris projects provided the basis for the new guide
The guide was developed based on the results of two Futouris practical projects:
In the Ruka-Kuusamo region in Finland, a communication concept for sustainable tourism was developed together with Visit Finland. The natural destination served as a testing ground for communication measures to make more sustainable offers more visible and attractive to guests.
Find out more about the project
Tourism Ireland investigated how German travellers can be motivated to behave more responsibly through targeted "nudges" - for example in social media or newsletters. The impact of these nudges was systematically evaluated and used in a targeted manner in future to make a visit to the "Emerald Isle" even more sustainable.
