When Copenhagen’s tourist office announced earlier this month that it could reward travelers with free services for responsible behavior reminiscent of using public transportation, sustainable travel advocates welcomed the launch of a method to encourage responsible behavior.
“Tourists want to have the good feeling of doing something sustainable without having to be ashamed of it,” says Paloma Zapata, the managing director of Sustainable Travel Internationalthat works with destinations and tour operators to contemplate climate and community impacts. “These programs make sustainable tourism very tangible.”
In the carrot or stick debate, punitive measures reminiscent of charging a fee for day visitors to Venice dominate the discussion. But there are quite a few recent measures designed to encourage and reward good behavior amongst travelers.
Visitors might have a nudge. A brand new Booking.com Opinion poll of 31,000 travelers worldwide found that 75 percent of travelers need to travel more sustainably next 12 months, but 45 percent admitted that this isn’t a priority when planning their trip. And 28 percent said they’re bored with hearing about climate change.
Incentives aim to bridge the gap between intention and motion. Jonathon Day, an associate professor in Purdue University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism, said tourism programs that positively reinforce good behavior could also be simpler at a time when many vacationers just need to let go.
“In the past, we’ve said, ‘People should just do the right thing and when they’re educated, they’ll do it,’ but that’s not the case,” Day said. “That’s when people forget.”
He added that destinations are increasingly “managing their visitors using cutting-edge technologies, gamification, behavioral science and incentive management. This is much more productive than simply saying, ‘Travellers should try harder.'”
Organizations with reward systems pursue quite a few sustainability goals, including protecting the environment, reducing overtourism, supporting local businesses, and preserving cultures, as the next programs illustrate.
Disperse crowds
Introduced in January, Florida Keys Eco-Adventure Trail The pass encourages travelers to go to 55 nature-related attractions across the island chain. Checking in at any of those attractions earns points that registered users can collect and exchange for destination-branded prizes reminiscent of tote bags, and it also offers discounts and perks at paid attractions.
“It’s a connect and protect initiative,” said George Fernandez, interim director of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, which oversees tourism marketing within the Florida Keys. “We’re encouraging people to consider our precious environment and motivating them to take action.”
In addition to promoting the region’s eco-attractions, this system makes exploration fun and attempts to spread visitors across the 125-mile-long chain of islands from Key Largo to Key West. The trail includes state parks, a coral reef research center, wildlife refuges and industrial operators for scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking and fishing.
The pass allows travellers who Dolphin Research Center On Grassy Key, for instance, you get $3 off admission and 6 points. In Key West, visitors who book snorkeling trips, dolphin watching and other excursions with Honest eco-tours receive 10 points and a free t-shirt.
Users who collect 40 points can exchange them for an adjunct bag with the Keys logo. Those who collect 100 points receive a shopping bag.
“They’re thanking the travelers,” Mr. Fernandez said of the loot. “People appreciate it.”
Promoting local businesses
Between the opening of the Sea to Sky Gondola In coastal British Columbia, where passengers are transported nearly 3,000 feet above Howe Sound and the push for outdoor activities has continued within the pandemic era, the town of Squamish, between Vancouver and Whistler, has seen a surge in visitors, especially in the course of the busy summer season.
To keep the mountaineering trails and campsites clean this summer, Squamish Tourism led the Red Bag Program Ambassadors distribute free red plastic trash bags at popular trailheads and parks. Staff encourage hikers and campers to make use of the baggage to take out their trash and to choose up trash found along the way in which for a reward.
After dropping off a trash bag on the Visitor Information Center, travelers receive a token that they will exchange for a free coffee, craft beer or ice cream cone at participating local businesses.
“We want to make sure they take back what they brought with them,” said Shawna Lang, director of destination marketing and member engagement for Tourism Squamish. “We give them a tool, and a little incentive goes a long way.”
The program, which runs until September, addresses two pillars of sustainable travel: environmental impact and community advantages.
“We would especially like to encourage camping and hiking enthusiasts to support one or more local businesses,” added Ms Lang.
Cultural engagement
Palau – an archipelago in Micronesia – was about to introduce an incentive program for sustainable travel Olau Palau in 2022, however the arrival of Covid-19 on the distant island nation in 2021 weakened tourism, which was slow to get better, and put the initiative on hold.
Scheduled to launch in late 2024, Olau Palau will take a cultural approach to its rewards system, promising special experiences reminiscent of encounters with locals or access to personal spaces after travelers reach a certain variety of points. These points are earned by participating in activities reminiscent of purchasing reef-safe sunscreen, supporting businesses that reduce their environmental impact and visiting culturally significant sites.
“We hope that the gamification process will get people excited and they will get a reward and learn something about our culture in the meantime,” said Jennifer Koskelin-Gibbons, co-founder of the Palau Legacy Project, which Olau Palau leads and previously led the Palau Promisea passport pledge to stick to sustainable practices that visitors must sign upon entry. “To protect our environment, we must protect our language and culture,” she added.
The word “olau” means “to invite” in Palauan, and Olau Palau invites visits to special places – reminiscent of a personal taro field or a men’s meeting house – for which travelers pay locals a fee to encourage local spending.
“We’re not going to give you a discount on anything,” Ms. Koskelin-Gibbons added, “but we’re saying, ‘You’re the right kind of person to be sensitive and to get into a family or clan-based space.'”
Restoring nature
In 2019, Hawaii was one in all its busiest years when it comes to tourist numbers, attracting over 10 million visitors. However, the boom put a strain on local communities and the environment, which Hawaii Tourism Authority to rethink one’s standards.
In 2020, it led Look at Hawaiibased on the Hawaiian word for “to care for”. The aim was to get visitors to volunteer – lots of them in nature, reminiscent of beach clean-ups and tree planting – by offering them discounted hotel rooms, free meals or hotel vouchers in return.
Since its launch, this system has rewarded volunteers with rewards reminiscent of discounts of as much as 15 percent on room rates at Castle resorts and hotelsBut a brand new category of opportunities touts the advantages of volunteering because the only psychological reward.
“You can’t find experiences like this anywhere else,” says Kalani L. Kaanaana, chief stewardship officer for the Hawaii Tourism Authority, noting that this system has “shifted toward community partnerships and creating new experiences.”
In the primary quarter of 2024, lower than 5 percent of Americans who visited Hawaii reported participating in a volunteer program, in keeping with state data statisticsBut with 9.6 million visitors to Hawaii in 2023, even small percentages are significant. Between early March and mid-July of this 12 months, 463 visitors participated in a Malama Hawaii activity, providing an estimated 1,400 hours of service.
“I would call it a success because it has opened up a new category of things that people know Hawaii for and that we offer to our guests,” Mr. Kaanaana said.
