Tips for Effective Nudging on Sustainability Issues in Tourism

About the guidance

According to Booking.com’s 2025 Travel & Sustainability Report, sustainability is important to 84 percent of travelers. However, an interest in sustainability issues does not automatically mean that they are taken into account when making travel decisions.

This is where this practical guide comes in: It provides concrete tips and examples to show how transparent and target-audience-specific sustainability communication can be designed in the tourism sector. Understanding the target audience, clear language, an emotional appeal, and the right incentives are key factors for success. The right nudges can help bring sustainability-related offerings more into the spotlight—for example, through the smart placement of information or the use of playful elements.

In addition, the guide offers concrete recommendations for credible communication: understandable terms instead of technical jargon, consistency in text and imagery, a clear understanding of the target audience, and personalized messaging instead of one-size-fits-all messages.

Types of Nudging

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’).