C: Where to communicate
intro
Many of these ideas are actions that deliver benefits for your guests, and in so doing communicate about your business, your approach to sustainability and the experiences you provide.
Online
1: Highlight your sustainability initiatives on your website
While you should be communicating about your sustainable tourism efforts throughout your business, the advantage of also having a single dedicated page for sustainability is that it provides you with a place where you can go into more detail, share evidence etc.
Make sure it’s easy for people to find. You know that anyone who is on the page has consciously chosen to be there, so they are looking for information. It can also be useful to provide this information quickly and clearly to journalists or potential suppliers who want to get a deeper understanding of who you are.
2: Share sustainable tourism content on social media platforms
Posting to different social media sites offers excellent ways of connecting with specific demographics. Depending on who you are trying to reach, it presents opportunities to connect with potential new customers or keep in touch with those who have previously visited, sharing stories of how your initiatives have developed.
3: Host webinars or workshops on sustainability related themes
Whether sharing your own knowledge, or hosting local experts, delivering workshops and online sessions offers a way to widen your positive impacts, while potentially engaging with new audiences.
4: Feature testimonials that highlight sustainable experiences
If visitors have written glowing reviews of the sustainable experiences they have enjoyed, they offer validation for others considering trying them. Testimonials might focus on the specific sustainability aspect of the experience, or might simply be sharing how great an experience someone has had. Both types of testimonial can be useful to share in the right context.
5: Engage positively with guests who mention your sustainability in reviews
A 2016 study in the Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism found that reviews that mention sustainability (implicitly or explicitly) rate higher than those that do not. If visitors leave any form of review, negative or positive, you should see this as an opportunity to engage constructively and positively with their opinion.
If they have specifically talked about your approaches to sustainable tourism, the door has been opened for you to respond, giving others who read the reviews a sense of who you are and what to expect.
6: Share stories of your suppliers
If you work with suppliers with the same values and approaches to sustainability as you, sharing their stories has multiple benefits. It’s good for them, since you are promoting their business to potential clients; it’s good for you, since their story becomes part of yours, and the act of sharing their stories publicly also reinforces your brand’s association with being a sharing, community focussed, collaborative business.
An example from the Inhabitat, London
It’s crucial to us that we are a positive part of our neighbourhood, through supporting social enterprises and good businesses and through connecting with our local community. Allow us to introduce you to some kindred spirits and inspiring members of our network below — and please pop in and say hello if you’re passing by…. An award-winning online shop that sells ethical homewares and gifts, all of which are handmade in the UK by people facing social challenges. In the rooms at Inhabit, you’ll find beautiful cushion covers sewn by Studio 306.
Transport
7: Provide information about sustainable transport options
Make it as easy as possible for your guests to reach you using sustainable transport. Give as much detail as you can on trains, buses, or taxis along with links to the booking sites. If you have any tips about making the journey more enjoyable, from recommended cafes to iconic sights to look out for from the window, make sure you share these.
Guests should also know before they get to you what sustainable transportation options are for when they arrive, from bike rentals, storage options and repair shops, to local public transport information, and information on charging electric vehicles on site and/or in the surrounding area.
An example from the The Yan, Grasmere
We encourage guests to move around the area on sustainable transport. We provide a secure heated bike store, electric car charging points, information on walks from the door as well as information on local bus transport.
8: Offer benefits for guests who arrive via public transportation
Incentivise public transport by offering discounts for guests who arrive by train / bus. There is also scope at a destination level to co-ordinate programmes with regional transport providers, offering discounts and benefits for people who visit national parks etc by public transport.
An example from the Cottage Lodge Hotel, New Forest
To thank you for helping us in our quest to be the first sustainable hotel in the New Forest National Park, and for offsetting your carbon footprint, we would like to give you our thanks and reward your efforts with a gift from the New Forest. Please let us know in advance how you will be travelling to us.
Property
9: Use energy-efficient lighting throughout your property
Having installed energy efficient lighting, you may wish to make customers aware via signage, in room materials, a guest app or on the sustainability pages of your website. Emphasise the benefits that it brings in terms of using less energy to give your rooms a warmer light.
An example from the Room2, London
The lighting and heating systems only work when someone is in the room. So despite what your parents told you, you now no longer need to turn lights off when you leave the room.
10: Highlight water conservation initiatives
Let visitors know if you have installed water conservation initiatives such as low-flow showerheads and taps, and how they are part of your efforts to save water - particularly if you are asking them to support these initiatives by having towels laundered less often. If you have developed systems where you recycle grey water into the garden, then share these with customers too. You can position your efforts ensuring customers can enjoy guilt-free showers and water usage while contributing to your conservation efforts.
An example from The Yan, Grasmere
To water our garden, we collect all of our surface water which we use to water the hanging baskets and plants around the farm as well as keeping our ducks and chickens well and truly hydrated.
11: Offer Behind-the-Scenes tours to showcase your sustainable practices
As well as providing tours to your usual attractions and exhibits, businesses that are working on sustainability can offer special behind-the-scenes tours that provide insight into the attraction’s sustainability practices not typically seen by the general public. These could include visits to waste to energy centres or organic greenhouses for example.
An example from the Living Planet Centre, Surrey
Our Standard Group Tour takes you behind-the-scenes to find out the story of the Living Planet Centre, its special design features and how it enables staff to 'Walk the Talk' at work.
12: Offer discounts or incentives for guests who choose eco-friendly options
The effectiveness of many of your actions will be significantly improved if you can also involve your customers - recycling of waste, towel reuse, plant-based food, sustainable transport, etc. There are many ways to incentivise guests, from offering discounts and benefits for choosing not to have linens changed (a free coffee or drink at the bar), to developing a loyalty programme that specifically rewards customers for making sustainable choices.
13: Host sustainable (and sustainability focussed) events
Businesses might wish to host a sustainable event for their clients and networks, and families and couples might be looking for somewhere to host a special event that connects with their own values. Highlight your sustainable event hosting options, from delegate rooms to sustainable sourced catering and nature focussed activities.
An example from Whatley Manor, The Cotswolds
At a time when so many of us are naturally thinking about the choices we make in life and the impact they have on the environment we have found many couples choosing Whatley for their wedding venue based on our sustainability credentials and we love this. If the environmental impact of your wedding is an important consideration in your planning we can offer the perfect solutions.”
14: Showcase local and ethical artists
Decorating your rooms with art from local artists provides an instant connection to your area, all the more so if you provide information explaining to guests about where they too can buy the art.
An example from Treehouse Hotel, London
We’re big fans of making the most of what we have, and that extends to our artworks. That’s why we’re excited to be partnering with the eco-social artist Luca Gnizio, who gives used materials a new lease of life – while telling a fascinating environmental story.
15: Showcase sustainable architecture and design features of your property
Some of your efforts to be more sustainable are not going to be immediately obvious - if they happen in the kitchens, or are to do with construction, waste management, or other design choices.
- Provide information on all of these in your sustainability webpages or in room materials
- Offer interested guests a guided tour of the property so they can learn from you about the opportunities and challenges that such efforts entail.
16: Develop signage that engages visitors more deeply in environmental information
Signage can be developed that highlights sustainability achievements, such as energy-saving measures, waste reduction efforts, or habitat restoration projects. It can be tailored to engage all types of audiences, such as children and university students, or use QR codes to connect to further information (for example, videos, articles etc) on your website.
Hotel room
17: Offer fresh water
Put a carafe of water in the room, letting guests know your water is great to drink. If necessary, put a water cooler in a communal area as well. If you also provide a reusable water bottle, then guests know they can go out for the day without having to buy plastic bottles.
18: Highlight and support waste reduction efforts
Provide the necessary bins for your visitors to easily separate their waste, and provide some supporting information providing more detail on your waste reduction efforts.
An example from The Yan, Grasmere
We return boxes and packaging to our suppliers to reuse. Bits we can’t, we recycle or put into the compost.
19: Provide insights into sustainable room fittings
A guest bedroom (and bathroom) contains the same types of furniture as people have in their homes - curtains, carpets, linen, lamps, beds, chairs. If you have fitted the room with sustainably sourced materials or recycled furniture, then you are offering guests the chance to experience the benefits of using sustainable products and living more sustainably for themselves. But this only works if they know the origin of the various objects and fittings. By providing the information on all the sustainable choices you have made to make their stay better, you might inspire them to go home and make similar choices for themselves.
An example from The Green House, Bournemouth
Some two years in the making, our sumptuous beds are unique to The Green House. Made by Hypnos, one of the UK’s leading bed manufacturers, they are made of entirely natural materials. The mattress covering is Bamboo, one of the fastest-growing and most versatile of plants used in manufacturing today.
20: Incorporate sustainability messages into your in-room materials
Along with your website sustainability page, dedicated pages on your app or using the in-house TV channels, are the ideal place to go into as much detail as you wish about your sustainability initiatives. Users won’t read the page if they don’t want to, so you aren’t overwhelming those with less interest, just ensuring that it’s all in one place for anyone who is keen to know more.
21: Provide each guest with a walking and cycling map for the local area
Share your favourite routes with your guests, along with any suggestions of places to eat etc.
An example from Thyme, Lechlade
Thyme is surrounded by glorious countryside and honey-hued market towns. Guests can take a map and head out on a walk through the surrounding countryside or borrow our bicycles and explore the neighbouring villages and towns.
22: Explain why you reduce room cleaning
Having your linen changed daily is a huge drain on resources, so increasingly hotels trying to reduce their impacts on the environment offer it less often. However, since many guests still associate it with part of the experience of being on holiday, you’ll need to communicate any changes in positive and thoughtful ways.
An example from Room2, London
Should we be lucky enough to be hosting you for seven nights or more, we will refresh all your linen weekly or if staying for less than 14 days the midpoint of your stay.
Bathrooms/Toilets
23: Use eco-friendly packaging for amenities
Depending upon what sort of packaging you use, you can take the opportunity to tell people how you compost your packaging to help the gardens flourish.
24: Provide guests with eco-friendly toiletries made from natural ingredients.
Communicate the use of eco-friendly amenities such as organic toiletries, provided in bulk dispensers, emphasising their quality, natural ingredients, and gentle effects on customers’ skin for a luxurious and guilt-free experience.
25: Recycle Soap
If soap is offered in bars and your hotel works with charities like CleanTheWorld.org you can tell guests about the positive impacts you are supporting, with a message like: ‘Millions of partially used soap bars can go to waste every year. By working with Clean The World, we are providing sanitation for thousands of people in need.’ Or you simply encourage guests to take soap home with them.
26: Towel Reuse Cards
Towel reuse cards are the most common (and most researched) of sustainable tourism communication devices. What is clear is that vague messages about ‘saving the planet’ have little effect, but depending upon the audience, different communication approaches can be more effective.
Focus on ‘social proof’: A 2019 study by Gössling and colleagues found that simply telling hotel guests that others were reusing their towels led to a 6.8% increase in towel reuse. This boost is very similar to what was seen in an earlier 2008 study, showing that social messages like “most guests do this” can be more effective than just asking people to help the environment.
Focus on habit: In 2017, TUI placed towel cards with a variety of messages throughout a 700 room hotel on Fuerteventura. Some of the guests were reminded about the environmental impact of their towel use, while other texts tested whether reinforcing habit would have more impact with the message: “Reuse me again tomorrow. Just like at home.”
While the towels with environmental messages were reused 39% of the time, those with messages reinforcing habit were reused 50% of the time.
Restaurant
28: Connect ethical choices to better meals
A 2024 study by Kim and colleagues found that when restaurant menus highlighted that ingredients were locally sourced, customers were more likely to see the food as ethical and environmentally friendly, especially when they ate the food soon after reading the menu. That quick connection between reading and tasting made the message about where the food came from feel more real and convincing.
An example from the Hampton Manor, Birmingham
The team’s seasonal tasting menu is served from an open kitchen. It celebrates a revolution in growing and farming that Chef David Taylor believes is the key to unlocking flavour. Quietly underpinning every choice is a commitment to soil health, biodiversity, ethics and sustainability.
29: Source ingredients from local and sustainable farmers and producers
If you are using good quality, locally sourced ingredients, then there should be stories to be shared that communicate your commitment to high quality farming practices, animal welfare, reducing food miles and support for the local community.
You can mention the names of key suppliers on your menus or go into more depth on a ‘suppliers page’ on the website. If you really want to show your commitment, you can also make clear that you have purchasing policies such as only using organic eggs, or fish with Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) labels.
An example from The Yan, Grasmere
We are very lucky to live in a part of the world that creates some of the best produce in the country. We support local producers and suppliers by creating menus that are seasonal which allows us to keep our food miles to a minimum. In recent years we have also been growing and generating as much of our own produce as possible.
30: Host sustainability-themed cooking classes or tastings
There are several ways you can provide enjoyable experiences for your guests that promote your commitment to sustainable cuisine, such as:
- hosting plant based and/or zero waste cooking classes, where participants learn how to make meals using the offcuts and peelings that otherwise go to waste
- hosting local chefs or partnering with organic farmers, winemakers and suppliers.
31: Be supportive and welcoming for vegetarian guests
Make your plant-based dishes more appealing for vegetarians and anyone else trying to eat less meat and fish:
- Focus on the ingredients: A 2023 review by Lee et al. found that people are more drawn to dishes with ingredient-based names than those labeled only as “vegetarian” or “meat-free.”
- Promote the positive: The same 2023 study found that names emphasizing ingredients are more attractive than labels like “meat-free” or “plant-based.”
Be original: Too often the vegetarian option goes no further than Mushroom Risotto or a Goats Cheese Tart. Take the time to show the growing numbers of people eating more and more plant based meals that you are thinking about them as much as others.
Make it easy for people: Even if your menu only lists one or two vegetarian options, it’s likely that there are the side ingredients of other meals that could be combined into something appealing. Make it clear to your guests that you are happy to ensure they can find variety.
32: Explain how you are avoiding wasting food and how it is reused
Whether you are creating compost to nourish your garden, converting into biogas, or redistributing food to foodbanks and other causes, there are opportunities to help people think differently about food waste, and maybe make similar changes in their own lives.
An example from the Old Rectory, Devon
All food waste is sent to feed the sheepdogs on a neighbouring farm.
Local Area
33: Offer nature walks focused on local flora and fauna
Showcase efforts to preserve local wildlife habitats, offering guests opportunities to observe and connect with nature while promoting biodiversity conservation and meeting with local experts. Design these to be seasonally specific, so guests staying with you at any time of year can not only enjoy a relevant experience, but see what else there might be to do if they came back at different times of year.
An example from Sheepdrove, Lambourn Downs
During your stay at Sheepdrove you have access to the private estate at the heart of the farm. Why not take a wander through Nut Wood (with perhaps a bit of forest bathing) and along the reed bed to the rushy lake, tuning in to the sights, sounds and rhythms of the natural world? As an organic farm, we have an abundance of wildlife with plenty of opportunities for guests to enjoy wildlife spotting – hares, red kites, deer, all manner of farmland birds, and, at twilight, barn owls – are easily visible for the most inexperienced of wildlife spotters. Your stay at Sheepdrove helps us to preserve the nature-rich heritage landscape which makes your getaway memorable, with revenue generated by the farm stays contributing to our nature conservation projects
34: Enable guests to take guided tours of sustainable farms or vineyards
Let your guests know which are the best farms and vineyards to explore, especially if they are also suppliers of the food and wine they consume while staying with you. Making these connections is a role local hotels are ideally placed to play, and it strengthens bonds between visitors and farmers, and yourself with all parts of your supply chain.
35: Offer guided walking or bike tours of eco-friendly attractions
Draw up a map of the different eco-friendly or community-focussed activities and attractions in the area, and create walking or bike routes enabling guests to visit several of them in one trip. These could be self-guided routes, or you might choose to offer guided trips. If you have good relationships with the people who run the attractions, you might also be able to get special discounts or ‘behind the scenes’ access or other benefits for your guests.
36: Invite guests to join you on a beach or river cleanup or tree planting activity
Getting actively involved in nurturing a place that people are visiting deepens the relationship. People want to know how their tree is growing, or feel proud seeing a post on your social media with a glorious photo of the river they’ve helped clear of rubbish (and a message thanking all those who helped clean it up). These can also be great team building activities for your staff.
37: Collaborate with local schools to educate students about sustainable tourism
During your quiet season, connect with local schools to host groups of children who are interested in learning about the environment and wildlife in your area. You can give them a chance to get out of the classroom and see how you run your business and get hands-on insights into some of the ideas and innovations you might be implementing.
38: Partner with local NGOs to support community-based conservation projects
Communicate opportunities for customers to participate in community engagement initiatives such as volunteering or cultural exchanges, fostering meaningful connections with local communities and enhancing the overall guest experience.
An example from The Greenhouse Hotel, Bournemouth
The award-winning Green Goals project is a unique partnership linking football, education and business which aims to improve the local environment, raise environmental awareness and deliver benefits for the community as a whole. Funding up to a maximum of £5,000 can be applied for individual projects which contribute towards improving opportunities for active travel (walking, cycling etc.).
Media / Suppliers / Investors
39: Provide access to data and reporting
While your guests might not want to know the details of your emissions measurement or waste reduction strategy, to ensure you are seen as being credible these should be accessible through the sustainability pages of your website. Just as you should make any company policies around accessibility and human rights transparent and available, so should your commitments to sustainability.
An example from Old Rectory, Devon
We encourage staff and guest involvement in environmental issues through practices as well as appropriate information, training and our Responsible Guest Charter. We have a Green Champion and we continually review our practices and empower our team in green’ thinking to ‘eliminate, reduce, reuse, recycle’.
40: Share stories
Whether through blogs, social media or elsewhere, share inspiring case studies of success stories from your work on sustainable tourism. If these have come out of local collaborations, then feature other partners, and share their roles in the case study too (they will also then be more likely to want to share the story themselves).
Staff
41: Engage your staff in co-creating initiatives
Ensure your staff are not only fully trained in any aspects of your sustainable tourism initiatives that rely on their involvement, but that you have taken the time to explain why these things matter, to answer any concerns they might have, and ensure they feel that they are part of your efforts, and able to comment or suggest improvements
An example from the Room2, London
We pay fair wages, offer great benefits and encourage our roommates to grow and develop. We also have a company-wide program, Team Planet, that rewards employees for making sustainable changes, making sure that sustainability is embedded across all departments.
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