Denmark, Hawaii rewarding eco-conscious travelers

Innovative approaches are emerging to encourage tourists to make sustainable choices in an era where travel increasingly impacts the environment, cities like Copenhagen and Hawaii are leading the charge with creative initiatives designed to promote eco-friendly behaviors among visitors.

If you recently visited Barcelona, Mallorca, or Venice, you might feel unwelcome based on the anti-tourism protests that have erupted in some European cities this summer, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

These demonstrations suggest that tourists like you are part of a problem rather than welcome guests.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, 142 countries are expected to surpass their pre-pandemic tourism levels this year out of the 185 countries they track. Tourism is projected to evolve into a $16 trillion industry over the next decade, accounting for 12.2 per cent of global jobs. However, the influx of tourists and rising costs have left many locals feeling overwhelmed.

"It's not that tourism was once a force for good and has now become a force for evil," says Ondrej Mitas, a senior lecturer at Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands who specializes in overtourism. "News coverage often presents overtourism as a singular, insurmountable issue. By breaking it down into smaller, more manageable parts, we can identify effective solutions."

In Mitas’s view, overtourism comprises four distinct issues. First is the classic problem of overcrowding at popular sites. Second is the disrespect towards cultural norms, such as inappropriate behavior or attire in sacred places. Third is the disruptive behavior of some tourists, who vandalize or damage public property. The fourth, and most complex issue, is the unequal distribution of tourism benefits, which often leads to local resistance, as seen in Spain this summer. “This is a political problem,” Mitas says. “It’s much more difficult to solve.”

Despite these challenges, there is reason for optimism. Various destinations worldwide are experimenting with solutions to these issues, from Copenhagen to Thailand to Hawaii. Here are three pioneering initiatives—some new, some established—that aim to tackle these problems. Though they are still relatively small in scale, each has the potential to make a global impact and address the growing concerns of travelers.

Redefining a Destination’s “Must-Sees”

In a 2021 experiment led by Mitas and his team at Breda University, 155 visitors to the Dutch province of Overijssel used one of two digital tools to plan their trips. One group utilized a traditional app highlighting popular sights, while another used an AI concierge called Travel With Zoey, which recommended lesser-known attractions verified by a team member.

Both groups followed the recommendations, and surveys revealed equal satisfaction with their experiences, regardless of whether they visited the main tourist spots or off-the-beaten-path locations. “People enjoyed their vacations equally well, whether they visited popular spots or not,” Mitas notes.

Most destinations have lesser-known attractions that could benefit from increased tourist traffic. However, travelers often rely on mainstream sources like Google Maps or TripAdvisor, which typically direct them to the same popular locations. This study suggests that encouraging tourists to explore less-visited sites can enhance their overall experience and ease congestion at major attractions.

While travelers can still use traditional sources for planning, this research might prompt tourist boards and travel agencies to promote alternative recommendations. “The source that presents the least friction and makes the experience sound the most appealing will be the winner,” Mitas says.

Currently, Mitas and the Zoey team are collaborating with tourism boards in Amsterdam and Copenhagen to replicate the experiment in crowded city centers. If successful, “the next step will be integrating these findings into tools for policymakers and destination management organizations,” says Rajneesh Badal, CEO of Zoey.

Spreading Tourism Revenue

For the past seven years, Tourism Cares, a nonprofit organization, has been developing a “meaningful tourism map” to promote sustainable travel experiences worldwide. This map features vetted providers offering unique activities, such as a weaving workshop with women in rural Jordan, bird-watching with conservationists in Colombia’s Otún Quimbaya Sanctuary, or a woman-led history tour in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

The map currently includes 321 impact partners across 22 countries. It primarily serves as a business-to-business tool, helping tour operators and travel agents design trips around these experiences and drive larger bookings. Tourism Cares collaborates with tourism boards, including those from Colombia and Thailand, to identify at least 10 responsible tourism enterprises in each region.

The initiative began in Jordan, aiming to diversify tourism beyond Petra, the country’s renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site. Companies like Insight Vacations, Intrepid Travel, and G Adventures have integrated local workshops into their itineraries, benefiting rural communities such as Bani Hamida, located 90 minutes south of Amman.

Challenges include tourism boards' varying expertise in identifying impactful local partners. However, Tourism Cares CEO Greg Takehara reports significant progress, with destinations such as Panama, Scotland, Ireland, Hawaii, and San Luis Obispo adding around 200 impact partners in 2024.

Creating Behavioral Incentives

What does it take to encourage tourists to make sustainable choices? Copenhagen’s tourism board is experimenting with fun incentives to drive climate-friendly actions. In July, they launched a monthlong pilot program offering rewards for eco-conscious behaviors. Visitors who choose biking or public transport to reach local attractions could earn perks like free museum tours, kayak rentals, or locally sourced meals. Additionally, those who bring plastic waste to the National Gallery of Denmark could participate in a complimentary workshop on upcycling the materials into art. The results of this pilot are expected to be released later this month.

Similarly, Hawaii's “Malama Hawaii” initiative has been promoting volunteer activities since 2020. In the first quarter of 2024, nearly 20 per cent of visitors engaged in activities such as shore cleanups, native plant propagation, and farm sanctuary work, a rise from 16 per cent in early 2023. Participants can earn rewards like discounts or free nights at participating hotels, such as a complimentary sixth night at the Grand Wailea on Maui for joining a beach cleanup with the Hawaii Land Trust.

The trend of incentivizing sustainable tourism is spreading. On Vancouver Island, visitors who collect trash from beaches or forests can receive rewards such as hotel discounts or a free pint of beer. These efforts reflect a growing movement towards integrating sustainability into tourism practices, even in an industry often resistant to change.