Tips for effective ‘Nudging’ of sustainable travel offers
How do you encourage travelers to act more sustainably – without bans, sacrifices, or moralizing? The new guide for effective sustainability communication in tourism, developed by Futouris together with Visit Finland and Tourism Ireland, offers an innovative approach. It focuses on the principle of ‘nudging’ – small, targeted stimuli that intuitively encourage people to behave more environmentally friendly.
About the guidance
According to Booking.com’s 2025 Travel & Sustainability Report, sustainability is important to 84 percent of travelers – but positive environmental awareness does not automatically lead to sustainable behavior.
This is precisely where this practical guide comes in: It provides concrete tips and examples of how to achieve effective sustainability communication in tourism. Understanding the target audience, clear language, emotional appeal, and the right stimuli are key success factors. The right nudges can make sustainable offerings the new normal – for example, through smart placement of information or playful elements.
The guide also offers concrete recommendations for credible communication: understandable terms instead of technical jargon, consistency in text and images, a clear understanding of the goals, and a personalized approach instead of one-size-fits-all messages.
Download the guidance
Types of nudges
Social norms & role models
- E.g. ’90 % of guests are using the bike to explore the region’.
Gamification
- E.g. digital stamp campaigns for the successful completion of hiking routes.
Default settings
- E.g. setting the sustainable option as the default in booking systems.
Emotional Framing & easy language instead of technical jargon
- E.g. Making tours with a focus on sustainable activities more visible and describing them accordingly without using any special terms.
Incentives
- E.g. discounts or benefits when choosing the more sustainable option (‘10% discount when traveling by train’).
Project “Successful communication for sustainable travel in Ruka-Kuusamo”
Visit Finland’s vision is to be the world’s leading sustainable travel destination. But how can potential travelers to Finland be made more aware of the existing sustainable offers so that they book them preferentially? These questions were examined in a bachelor thesis as part of the joint project.
Project “A ‘nudge’ towards sustainability”
How can travelers be encouraged to travel more sustainably? The joint project between Futouris and Tourism Ireland Germany intended to provide answers to this question. A concept for using effective ‘nudging’ methods to successfully communicate sustainable travel offers in Ireland was developed and tested in practice.