Study calls for easier sustainable choices for tourists

Tourists are more likely to use public transport, sort their waste and save water at their accommodation when sustainable choices are made easy and convenient, ERR reported. Researchers at the University of Tartu said better-coordinated cooperation among tourism-sector stakeholders could help promote this approach more consistently across Estonia.

“You cannot really order tourists around. They have come to enjoy themselves, relax, experience something special and gain positive feelings, experiences and new knowledge,” said Margrit Kärp, a junior researcher in business administration at the University of Tartu.

Sustainability and environmentally responsible behaviour are widely accepted principles in tourism in Estonia and Europe. However, expectations about tourists’ environmental footprints do not always match reality, prompting Kärp and her colleagues to examine the issue more closely.

The research team conducted 13 in-depth interviews with tourism experts at national, regional and local levels. The interviews examined how tourists’ behaviour could be guided, according to the experts.

“Environmentally responsible behaviour emerges when infrastructure, communication, funding, skills, monitoring and cooperation among stakeholders function as a whole,” Kärp said.

Environmental behaviour includes all actions by visitors and the tourism system that either reduce harm to the environment or benefit it. In simple terms, this means sorting waste, drinking tap water and saving energy.

In nature, it means staying on marked trails and avoiding sensitive natural areas. It also includes using public transport or modes of transport with a lower carbon footprint, as well as respecting local rules, Kärp said.

Tourists themselves can contribute by bringing a reusable water bottle, using less water at their accommodation and planning their journeys in advance around public transport. Kärp also considers avoiding entertainment involving captive animals, not bringing invasive species home from trips and avoiding peak travel periods to be environmentally responsible behaviour.

“This is not only a matter of the tourist’s personal moral choice. It must and can be supported by the destination’s own system, whether through infrastructure, information, signage, perhaps price incentives or other local arrangements,” Kärp said.

The stakeholders examined in the study include destination management organisations. Experts identified three main shortcomings in the current approach. The first was a lack of clarity over who is responsible for guiding visitors’ awareness and behaviour.

“Many people do this, but who is actually responsible for the area where …”