Tackling Overtourism with Behavioral Insights: How Understanding Human Behavior Can Help Us Preserve Our Destinations

With tourism booming again post-pandemic and overtourism continuing to grow, we are back to the pre-pandemic challenge of facing pressures in many places. This is true for natural landscapes where human impact can be particularly damaging and where high concentrations of visitors can leave highly undesirable footprints. Now more than ever we need smarter solutions to balance the allure of nature with sustainable practices that protect these fragile environments.

By leveraging behavior insights, you can implement strategies that not only mitigate the negative impacts of unbalanced visitor flows but also enhance the visitor experience.

In this article, we will explore how understanding and influencing tourist behavior can be a powerful tool in your destination’s arsenal, helping you balance the allure of nature with sustainable practices.?

Understanding Overtourism?

In many cases, overtourism in natural areas is less about how many visitors show up and more about what they do when they’re there. For example, even small groups of visitors can damage ecosystems simply because they do not adhere to the norms of leaving no trace behind. Often, this is simply because they’re unaware of the best practices for engaging with nature. This is why overtourism is often not just about numbers; it’s a problem of knowledge, experience, and awareness.

Key Disparities that Lead to Overtourism?

While large numbers can overwhelm a destination, the real challenge of overtourism often lies in behavior. A behavior-smart definition of overtourism reveals three key disparities that lead to negative impacts:

Volume vs Capacity?

One of the primary factors contributing to overtourism is the sheer volume of visitors overwhelming a destination's capacity. The disparity often occurs when tourist numbers grow exponentially, outpacing the development of adequate infrastructure and the physical capacity of the destination (attraction) to welcome them. For instance, popular attractions may struggle to accommodate incoming flows, leading to long queues, overcrowded spaces, and strained local resources.?

Type of Activities?

The nature of tourist activities can significantly impact the effect that tourism is having on the natural environment. Certain behaviors, such as exploring river deltas with rich biodiversity on motor boats, can cause disproportionate damage. They are also disruptive for other visitors who have opted out for low-footprint experiences such as kayaking or stand up paddling.?

Behavior vs Local Norms?

When visitor behavior clashes with local customs and norms, it can create tension even if tourist numbers are relatively small. For example, if the local residents of a nature-based destination are used to following leave-no-trace-behind principles they may feel frustration even if a small group of visitors violates these and fails to collect their waste after a picnic. Another example could be a fishing hole, popular with the community, which may feel overrun if some visitors arrive on leisure boats, swimming, playing loud music, or water skiing.

How Can Behavior Insights Help Us Tackle Overtourism?

A behavioral approach can help us understand the above patterns and implement practical solutions to tackle them. From influencing traveler choices through accessible apps, targeted signage, and trail markings that subtly guide behavior, there are many ways to nudge people toward actions that protect nature.

Here are some ideas:?

• Implementing subtle behavior cues: Creating "heat maps" that display peak visitation times and crowded trails can encourage tourists to explore less frequented, equally beautiful locations. This strategy helps distribute visitor impact more evenly across the destination, reducing the pressure on the destination's hotspots.?

• Influencing through technology: Technology can play a crucial role in nudging tourists towards responsible behaviors. For example, by developing accessible apps that provide real-time information about less crowded areas, sustainable transportation options, and local customs, tourists can make informed, responsible choices throughout their journey.?

• Local engagement: Tour operators can showcase local goods, products, and service providers in ways that are hard to resist for their clients. This increases the spend in the local economy benefitting the destination economically but also helping visitors develop a deeper appreciation for the local community and culture, leading to more respectful behavior.?

What Next??

These are just a few illustrations of how behavioral insights can revolutionize sustainable tourism. By understanding the motivations behind travelers' behaviors, we can implement tailored strategies that guide travelers toward more responsible decisions and actions.?

The beSMART Platform makes this transition easier by providing behavior-driven tips and practical tools that allow tourism businesses to seamlessly integrate sustainability into their operations. Grounded in behavioral economics, the platform helps you understand the psychological reasons for the intention-action gap and equips you with strategies to make sustainable choices effortless and appealing.

Start tackling overtourism at your destination with the beSMART Platform today and see how small changes can make a big difference for your destination, both economically and environmentally.?