ORIGINAL RESEARCH TITLE
Green Tourists: Attitudinal and Behavioral Sustainable Tourist Segments for Switzerland
Project Description
Whereas the topic of sustainability was more a matter of choice years ago, it has now become a must for countries, companies, and consumers. Consumers are also becoming increasingly interested in ensuring that their holiday experiences are undertaken sustainably. According to extant research, one of the initial stages of encouraging sustainable tourism should be understanding tourists’ perceptions of sustainability. Therefore, companies seeking to offer a sustainable offer need to understand what consumers mean and thus look for. Additionally, it is important to know each consumer group’s motivation to behave sustainably. This will allow hospitality players to better target their current and potential customers not only with their offers but also with their communication.
The objective of this project are to:
- Identify sustainable consumer behaviors in the different hospitality domains (accommodation,
restaurants, transportation, activities, destinations and locations, wellness, and cruises). - On the basis of our findings, identify different tourist segments and the drivers for their varying behaviors.
- Outline each segment in terms of demographic characteristics including socio-economic variables.This includes estimating the size – and economic importance – of each segment for the Swiss market.
- Lastly, we aim to use the descriptions of these segments to make detailed recommendations to actors in the space regarding the structuring, the communication and the monetization of their offering.
