AI Reveals EU Tourists Prioritize Environmental Over Social Sustainability in Travel Choices

By Dr Silpaja Chandrasekar, PhDReviewed by Joel ScanlonNov 18 2024

Discover how AI-driven insights are transforming EU tourism by bridging gaps in sustainability priorities and guiding tourists toward eco-conscious, socially responsible travel decisions.

Research: AI-Enhanced Strategies to Ensure New Sustainable Destination Tourism Trends Among the 27 European Union Member States. Image Credit: Shutterstock AI

In a research paper published in the journal Sustainability, researchers in Portugal examined European (EU) citizens' willingness to prioritize sustainability when choosing tourist destinations. The study employed a three-step methodology: descriptive analysis of demographic factors, classification using a random forest algorithm, and generative AI for tailored recommendations. Using data from Flash Eurobarometer 499 and a random forest algorithm, they classified citizens based on gender, age, and region of residence.

The study found that while EUs value environmental preservation, they place less importance on social sustainability. Interestingly, the classification model achieved a 65% accuracy rate, with the environmental pillar being the easiest to predict. Additionally, preferences for sustainability varied by demographic factors and regional differences.

Related Work

Past work has highlighted the growing importance of sustainable tourism within the broader sustainable development agenda, especially following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, progress toward the SDGs could be faster, with tourism driving economic growth and contributing to social and environmental challenges.

These challenges include mass tourism's negative impacts on local communities, environmental degradation, and the displacement of residents due to gentrification. For example, the paper notes that anti-tourism protests in European cities reflect growing dissatisfaction with mass tourism. Additionally, there remains a significant gap between the desired sustainable behaviors and actual practices among tourists, hindering progress in achieving sustainability goals.

Promoting Sustainable Tourism Choices

In recent years, sustainable tourism has gained significant attention as part of the broader sustainable development agenda. The concept was first introduced at a seminar in Bali, Indonesia, in 1990. It was further highlighted at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in 2012, where leaders acknowledged tourism's potential to contribute to sustainable development.

Ban Ki-moon, the former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, emphasized tourism as a transformative force that could create jobs and improve lives, with the capacity to contribute to global sustainability goals. This recognition has led to exponential growth in research on sustainable tourism, making it an interdisciplinary field with the potential to support achieving the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), from poverty reduction to peace-building.

Tourists play a crucial role in promoting sustainability through their choices and behaviors, which impact the three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic. Environmental sustainability typically focuses on conservation and minimizing tourism's ecological footprint, while the social pillar addresses community well-being, health, and safety.

The economic dimension relates to tourism's ability to drive local development, create jobs, and support the economy, with cultural offerings like museums and local events contributing to economic sustainability. Notably, the paper highlights that the social pillar often receives less attention from both tourists and researchers. Studies have shown that factors such as service quality, destination reputation, and the availability of cultural or eco-tourism activities influence tourists' destination choices, highlighting the importance of sustainability in their travel decisions.

European map showing the sustainability pillars.

Despite growing awareness, many tourists struggle to adopt sustainable practices, such as higher costs and the desire for vacation relaxation. Although some studies indicate that younger tourists, especially from Generation Z, show significant concern for environmental issues, these attitudes often do not translate into sustainable behaviors while traveling.

Tourists may prioritize convenience and leisure over sustainable practices, which could explain why they behave more sustainably at home than on holiday. Therefore, understanding the influence of demographic factors, such as age and gender, is vital in promoting sustainable tourism, as these characteristics shape tourists' preferences and behaviors toward sustainability during their travels.

The study analyzed data from the Flash Eurobarometer 499 survey, involving over 19,000 participants from the 27 EU member states. A random forest (RF) algorithm classified individuals based on demographic factors like gender, age, and region to understand their support for environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Additionally, generative AI produced tailored recommendations to encourage tourists to engage more with under-prioritized sustainability pillars. Examples include eco-friendly stays and community support initiatives.

Sustainability Priorities Analysis

The descriptive analysis categorized respondents by gender, age, and region, revealing varying priorities for sustainability across these demographics. Men showed more concern for economic aspects, while women leaned slightly toward social sustainability.

Older generations prioritized environmental preservation, whereas younger generations, particularly Gen Z, focused more on cultural activities and environmental protection. Regional differences were also notable, with the Western EU emphasizing environmental concerns and the Northern EU focusing on economic sustainability.

The classification model's accuracy of 65% highlights the complexity of predicting sustainability preferences, with the environmental pillar being the most accurately classified. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) was then used to suggest corrective measures for tourists, guiding them toward a more balanced engagement with the social and environmental pillars, even if they primarily focused on the economic pillar. For instance, tourists interested in economic factors were recommended eco-friendly transportation options, cultural experiences, and community-based activities to enhance their sustainability footprint across all pillars.

Conclusion

To sum up, the study developed an intelligent system to classify EU citizens' predisposition toward sustainable tourism and suggested corrective measures to improve low-contribution areas. It found that social sustainability was a lower priority than environmental concerns, which often competed with cultural and activity offerings. Gender, age, and region influenced willingness to support sustainability. The findings underscore that while awareness of sustainable tourism is growing, translating this awareness into actionable behaviors remains challenging. Achieving sustainable tourism remains gradual despite the sector's resilience and adaptability.