How Conscious Travel Campaigns are Reshaping Tourism

As someone who has lived most of my life in mountain towns frequented by tourists, I grew up disliking tourists. Visitors trashed beaches and trails, parked carelessly, needed rescuing from places they were ill-prepared to be, and stumbled down main street drunk and screaming well into the night. All common complaints from citizens living in tourist destinations. 
 
Communities worldwide have said enough is enough. Miami broke up with Spring Break last spring., Venice charges an entrance fee, and Barcelona shuttered their northern port to cruise lines. It’s clear that tourism needs a reboot.

Tourism isn’t simply “bad” or “good”. The truth is, it’s both, it can put a strain on the community and culture while also providing an economic lifeline for communities. This places a unique responsibility on destination marketers to promote their destination in a way that attracts mindful visitors who know and act like they are a guest in someone’s home.

While social media has fueled overtourism and influxes of visitors that often do more damage than good, it’s also where destinations are turning to cultivate conscious travel and attract the right visitors. Visit St. Pete Clearwater partnered with Trash Caulin to encourage visitors to keep the place pristine. Even Paris, The City of Lights has recognized the value of influencers in supporting conscious tourism, partnering with them to spread awareness about the impacts of overtourism.

At Steller, one of our core values is to Engage for Good. A commitment to use our platform and campaigns for the good of communities, humanity, and the environment. We’re seeing a surge in client requests for campaigns that promote conscious tourism. The Conscious Travel Foundation, defines conscious tourism as the intersection of empathy and exploration. The foundation calls on travelers to “examine and understand [travel’s] impact and to actively choose to explore the world in a meaningful, intentional way”. For tourism marketers, conscious travel initiatives mean attracting travelers who want to leave destinations better than they found them.

Our client, Copenhagen launched CopenPay in the summer of 2024, reminding tourists that their actions matter and even rewarding them for taking sustainable actions such as riding a bike, picking up trash, or working in a community garden. Twenty-four local business and attractions participated in the campaign where tourists could cash in rewards for ice cream, a glass of wine or discounted attraction tickets. Copenhagen partnered with Steller to promote the program in one of Copenhagen’s fly markets. The campaign went viral, garnering over 30 Million impressions and inspiring 320,000+ people to request and save conscious Copenhagen itineraries and info on CopenPay for future trips.   
 

The city also has GreenKayak, an NGO which offers tourists free kayak rentals if they clean up trash in Copenhagen’s waterways and post about it on social media. According to their website they have never had someone return without trash.   
 

Our client Hawai’i Tourism Authority took a similar approach to managing the downside of tourism. When tourism began to negatively affect the Pololū Valley they created The Pololū Trail Stewardship Program with lineal descendent community of Pololū, Makanikahiō and neighboring ahupuaʻa., Hawaiʻi KUPU, and the Nā Ala Hele Trails and Access Program.  
 
Today, visitors are met by a Pololu Valley Steward, often a lineal descendant of the original inhabitants, who guide visitors on responsible use and the history of the land.  

Steller designed a social-first, creator-led campaign to spotlight conscious travel on the Island of Hawai’i, with influencers promoting the Pololū Trail Stewardship Program and the beauty of Hawai’i, all while encouraging visitors to take the Pono Pledge. Tourists who take the pledge promise to be mindful, not disrupt the land or communities, and avoid risky behaviors that endanger themselves and drain local resources, which costs Hawai’i millions annually in rescues. 

As the call for sustainable travel continues to grow, Steller is working with several destinations on 2025 initiatives aimed at attracting conscious travelers. If one of your goals for next year is to appeal to travelers who respect the destinations they visit, let’s talk.