Sustainable consumer behavior in hospitality encompasses actions that help preserve the environment, such as green purchasing, recycling and conserving natural resources. In the tourism context, this includes actions such as buying local products, saving water, reusing towels, conserving energy and reducing food waste. However, these behaviors and their motivations can vary significantly among different consumer groups. This makes it very difficult for hospitality actors to create sustainable offers – as what “sustainable” means varies between tourists and whether they will buy it or pay more for it is another under-researched question.
Defining sustainability for the right audience
According to the World Tourism Organization, sustainable tourism is “tourism which leads to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems”. Tourists thus should be encouraged “to opt for environmentally-friendly activities that reduce their carbon footprint as well as contribute to the preservation of the natural environment and cultural heritage”. This reflects a growing consumer need to offer green hospitality. Switzerland Tourism has, therefore, launched the “Swisstainable” initiative.
To be effective in promoting sustainable tourism, it is crucial to understand tourists' perceptions about the concept of sustainability. Different consumer segments interpret and practice sustainable consumption in different ways. Therefore, tourism and hospitality companies must first understand what sustainability means to their customers to tailor their offerings accordingly and align with their expectations. Second, they must understand what exactly these segments are willing to pay more for. This alignment can promote sustainable tourist behaviors but also enhance guest satisfaction.
The research project: Sustainable tourist behavior in Switzerland
Therefore, we ran a research project in three phases. First, we interviewed experts in hospitality in Switzerland to find out what they offer and what could be relevant for tourists in Switzerland seeking to behave more sustainably. We created a list of sustainable behaviors of tourists in Switzerland. Second, we ran a representative study with participants from Switzerland, Germany, the UK, USA, Netherlands and France who had been on holiday in Switzerland during the past year and asked them to indicate whether they engaged in these sustainable behaviors. Third and last, we had a machine learning algorithm establish the number of “green tourist” segments in the dataset. This created seven distinct “green tourist” segments, which we then interpreted and named.
The segments: Green tourist behavior in Switzerland
1. Regionality-Driven Green Tourists
- Size: 23% of tourists in Switzerland
- Interpretation of sustainability: “Sustainability means immersing yourself in local culture.”
- Mean age: 36 years
- Over-/underrepresented origins: all countries included in the survey.
Regionality-Driven Green Tourists emphasize supporting and preserving local communities and culture, advocating for hospitality actors to offer sustainable options and charge a premium. These tourists are a prime target for actors marketing regionality-focused offers.
“Sustainability in the travel and tourism sector means for me to create awareness among the guests for the environment as well as for the local cultures and traditions. […] It also means distributing income based exclusively on the travel and tourism sector in a fair way and creating offers that support the local population.” - CH, 34 years old.
2. Opportunist Non-Green Tourists
- Size: 22% of tourists in Switzerland
- Interpretation of sustainability: “Sustainability is nice, but not that important. I only do it when easy, pleasurable and affordable.”
- Mean age: 48 years
- Over-/underrepresented origins: more likely to come from Germany.
These tourists are not especially enthused or excited by sustainability as they do not greatly care about the topic. However, if a sustainable offer is carefully presented (not pushed), affordable, non-aggressive and non-invasive they might choose it. This segment engages in sustainable behaviors when it is convenient and affordable. These tourists are not ideal targets for any sustainability offers.
“[Sustainability is to] buy from locals, give back to locals, not change my linen or towels at all until I end my visit, not overuse the destination facilities.” - UK, 38 years old.
3. Cheap-Seeking Non-Green Tourists
- Size: 15% of tourists in Switzerland
- Interpretation of sustainability: “Sustainability is expensive. I cannot afford it.”
- Mean age: 45 years
- Over-/underrepresented origins: more likely to come from Germany, less likely to come from France.
These tourists believe sustainability is expensive, therefore, they do not like the topic too much and stay away from it, as they associate it with paying too much for something. These tourists are not ideal targets for any sustainability offers.
4. Image-Driven Green Tourists
- Size: 13% of tourists in Switzerland
- Interpretation of sustainability: “I already am a sustainable person and don’t need to ‘buy’ sustainability.”
- Mean age: 36 years
- Over-/underrepresented origins: all countries included in the survey.
These tourists are of the opinion that they are already sustainable, as they spend a lot of time outside hiking, paragliding and doing yoga or Pilates. Since they already see themselves as sustainable, they will not spend more money to ‘buy’ additional sustainability. These tourists are not ideal targets for any sustainability offers.
“[Sustainability means] more environmentally-friendly flights to reduce Carbon Footprint etc.; with low carbon emission” - UK, 31 years old.
5. Delegating Green Tourists
- Size: 11% of tourists in Switzerland
- Interpretation of sustainability: “Sustainability means ‘upgrading’ my existing travel practices to more green options.”
- Mean age: 40 years
- Over-/underrepresented origins: more likely to come from Germany and USA. Less likely to come from Switzerland.
These tourists upgrade existing travel practices to make them more sustainable. For example, they look for sustainable labels and certifications, buy CO2 compensation options, etc. to make their travel more sustainable. These tourists are a prime target for actors marketing all kinds of certifiably sustainable offers.
“[Sustainability] means using products that are good for the environment. It means going green and lowering one's carbon footprint while traveling the world.” - USA, 54 years old.
6. Green Enthusiasts
- Size: 10% of tourists in Switzerland
- Interpretation of sustainability: “Sustainability is a way of life.”
- Mean age: 37 years
- Over-/underrepresented origins: more likely to come from Germany.
These tourists see sustainability as their guiding star, their way of life. Everything they do is sustainable. For them, sustainability has transcended its conventional purposes, e.g., “protecting the climate” or “reducing waste.” Sustainability – for them – has become a goal in itself which they see as their lifestyle. These tourists are a prime target for all actors marketing all kinds of sustainable offers.
“For me, sustainability … means that travel and tourism activities are designed to have a long-term positive impact on the environment, the social community and economic development.” - DE, 37 years old.
7. Non-Green Skeptics
- Size: 6% of tourists in Switzerland
- Interpretation of sustainability: “Sustainability is a hoax.”
- Mean age: 46 years
- Over-/underrepresented origins: all countries included in the survey.
These tourists dislike sustainability. They believe it is a hoax and a symptom that the world is moving in the ‘wrong’ direction. These tourists are put off by hospitality actors offering sustainable options. These tourists are not ideal targets for any sustainability offers.
Green strategies for the hospitality industry: What next?
Based on our findings, hospitality actors seeking to create sustainable offers should target regionality-driven green tourists, delegating green tourists and green enthusiasts. While the regionality-driven green tourists require sustainable offers to benefit the local population and culture and the delegating green tourists require offers to be certifiably sustainable, green enthusiasts will buy the most sustainable offers. All these groups think positively about sustainability, are willing to pay more for it, and include more than half (55%) of all tourists in Switzerland.
However, our study shows that the offers nevertheless need to be carefully targeted. Advertising them too broadly will make non-green skeptics dislike the brand, or cheap-seeking non-green tourists may think you are expensive. Understanding the diverse definitions and expectations of sustainability among different tourist segments is essential for hospitality companies aiming to promote sustainable behaviors.
By tailoring their offerings and communication strategies to align with the specific needs of each segment, hospitality actors can enhance guest satisfaction, help the environment and ultimately contribute to the broader goals of sustainable tourism. The insights and methodologies from this research can serve as a blueprint for similar studies in other regions and industries, advancing the global agenda for sustainable development in the tourism sector.
Assistant Professor at EHL Hospitality Business School
Assistant Professor at EHL Hospitality Business School
