Highlighting Sustainability In Travel Content Marketing

93% of travelers worldwide want to make more sustainable travel choices. 

Music to the ears of anyone in the business of marketing sustainable travel experiences! 

But what’s the best way to speak to those travelers? How can you produce content that actually gets them to book trips and travel more sustainably?

If you’re a sustainable tourism brand, tour operator, or travel marketer, your job isn’t just to sell people on your destinations. You also have to shift perspectives. 

Your travel content marketing strategy needs to work twice as hard. Lucky you, right? 

It’s more work, it might be a little trickier, but it can also work in your favor. Since more and more travelers want to travel more sustainably, they’re looking for what you’re selling. It’s an opportunity to invite travelers to be a part of a new kind of story with your content, one where their experiences contribute to a more sustainable travel industry. 

In this article, we’ll cover how you can approach your content to appeal to eco-conscious travelers and get them excited to book your next trip with you. 

People Care About Sustainability… But It’s Complicated

Before you can create powerful content, you need to understand the impact of travel and tourism, what today’s travelers are thinking, and what’s keeping them from prioritizing sustainability. 

• Travel and tourism have a big environmental impact. In 2023, they accounted for 6.5% of global greenhouse emissions.
• Travelers want to travel more sustainably, but for most travelers cost and quality are more important than sustainability.
• In 2024, more than 40% of travelers said they would be willing to pay more to stay at sustainable hotels. 
• Some travelers simply aren’t getting the message on sustainability. In one study, more than 1 in 10 respondents said they hadn’t seen any sustainability messaging, whether online, in the media, or in their community. 

People care about the environment and tend to be more loyal to sustainable brands. But they aren’t always willing, or able, to pay a premium for it. That’s the tension your content needs to resolve. Or, for those who are willing to pay a premium, it simply needs to showcase the right experiences. 

Through smart, thoughtful content you can connect sustainability with real experiences and turn growing interest into action.

Don’t Just Say “Sustainable” – Show What It Looks Like

Talk of sustainability is everywhere these days. With it being such a buzzword it can start to lose meaning. Don’t let it. 

If you want people to care, your travel content marketing has to feel real. You need to show them what sustainability means to your brand. Show them you’re serious!

One way to do this? 

Ditch vague language like “eco-friendly” or “green.” That kind of language can come off as greenwashing. Instead, get specific. Say something like, “We limit tour groups to 6 people to reduce environmental impact.” It’s honest. It’s clear. And it builds trust.

Once you’ve nailed your message, it’s time to make your audience feel something. 

Appeal To People’s Emotions and Values

“Many WTTC [World Travel & Tourism Council] companies inspire change – whether that is regrowing coral reefs or reducing food waste. Customers engage with brands that have strong values.” 

- Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO

Appealing to people’s emotions and values is very important when it comes to sustainability. People want to support brands that align with their values and they want to feel like their choices matter. 

Use your content to speak to those motivations. Don’t just list sustainability credentials; tell stories. Show them what you and your travel partners are doing to make sustainable travel possible. Show them real-world results. 

When you lead with values, you make it easier for conscious travelers to say yes…

Yes to booking with you. 

Yes to making more conscious choices.

Yes to being part of something meaningful. 

That said, even travelers with the best intentions face constraints, especially around cost. Many believe sustainable travel is out of reach or reserved for a higher price point. That could be holding them back. Fortunately, sustainable travel doesn’t need to be expensive. 

How to Promote Budget-Friendly Sustainable Travel

Sustainability will take a back seat if it feels expensive when planning a trip. 

Your travel content should challenge the idea that eco-friendliness comes with a high price tag. Highlight experiences that are affordable and low-impact, like walking tours or scenic train rides instead of short-haul flights. Promote off-season deals in emails, showcase public transit itineraries, and include budget-friendly sustainable options in destination guides and blog posts.

Make the savings tangible. Share side-by-side cost comparisons or bundle experiences to show how travelers can do more for less while reducing their footprint.

At the same time, don’t forget the other end of the spectrum…

Show Travelers Sustainability ≠ Sacrificing Comfort

No one wants to sacrifice comfort or adventure for sustainability.

One of the biggest misconceptions in travel is that eco-friendly experiences are somehow less luxurious, less exciting, or less comfortable. You need to bust that myth and flip the narrative. Frame sustainability as a better experience, not a tradeoff. 

Highlight the richness of low-impact travel. Speak to people’s senses and emotions: 

• Cooking a traditional meal with a local chef in their home, surrounded by the smells of fresh herbs and spices.
• Sleeping under the stars in a solar-powered cabin, lulled to sleep by the sound of ocean waves or rustling leaves.
• Waking up in a treehouse eco-lodge where your breakfast is sourced from the on-site garden and served with a view of misty mountaintops.

Show how sustainability adds depth to the journey. How it creates opportunities for slower, more intentional travel. One that often leads to the kinds of stories people love to tell when they get home. 

Cold showers, compost toilets, or saying no to indulgence? No thanks. Sustainability can mean curated experiences – adventure that’s both comfortable and conscious. Your content should reflect that. 

Use imagery, sustainable travel storytelling, and testimonials so people feel like they’re missing out by not traveling sustainably, and not giving something up.

Make Sustainable Travel Convenient

Another barrier to sustainable choices is convenience. Even the most well-intentioned traveler is unlikely to dig through five tabs or read a whitepaper just to figure out which hotel uses solar power or which tour operator supports local communities.

So make it easy. 

The simpler it is to identify and choose sustainable options, the more likely travelers are to take them. Start by clearly highlighting eco-friendly features on your website or booking platform:

• Use visual icons (like water droplets, leaves, or sun symbols) to call out sustainable accommodations or carbon-neutral experiences.
• Add filters like “low-impact,” “locally owned,” or “zero-waste” to your search tools.
• Create dedicated landing pages or roundups like “10 Easy Eco-Friendly Stays in [Destination]” or “Our Top Sustainable Adventures for First-Time Visitors.”

You don’t need to oversimplify complex issues to make sustainable travel more convenient. You just need to make it more accessible. Then you can take it a step further. Make it so easy that choosing sustainable options feels like the default. 

Help Travelers Make Any Trip More Sustainable

Your content should show travelers just how easy it is to make more sustainable decisions at every stage of their trip. They’ll be far more likely to follow through when they see sustainability as something approachable. 

Simple things travelers can do when planning a trip include:

• Choosing trains or buses instead of planes when possible;
• Booking locally owned accommodations or eco-lodges;
• Avoiding cruises that aren’t committed to environmental standards.

While already on their trips, they can:

• Using public transit, bikes, or exploring cities on foot;
• Supporting community-based tourism and shop at local markets;
• Carrying a reusable water bottle and skipping the single-use plastic.

These kinds of actions don’t require a massive lifestyle shift. They just require a little guidance. So provide that guidance in your content. Make including actionable advice and tips a standard practice for your content. Offer downloadable packing lists that encourage reusable items and zero-waste essentials. Include pre-built itineraries with public transit options, bike rentals, or walking routes. Share content like “Top 3 easiest sustainable swaps.”

These ideas don’t always need their own spotlight. You can layer them into destination guides, blog posts, or newsletters. For example, a city guide could include local public transit schedules, or tips on restaurants that use seasonal ingredients.

By presenting sustainability in this way, you empower travelers to make better choices. 

Educate And Raise Awareness With Your Content

Some travelers might not even be aware of the importance of sustainability. And that’s okay. Others may care deeply but may be unaware of how your brand is working to be a part of the solution. Make it your job to educate them. 

People are open to making better choices when they understand why it matters and how they can help. Close that gap between intention and action with content that informs, inspires, and empowers.

The WTTC’s Bridging The Say-Do Gap report offers great advice to this end. 

The first suggestion is to release case studies that demonstrate how you’ve worked with destinations and their communities. This is a great way to deal with traveler concerns regarding sustainability. Show what changed, who benefited, and why it matters. Connect the dots between your efforts and the traveler’s experience. 

The second suggestion is to run an educational campaign or post short, engaging videos on social media that explain how your sustainability efforts are making a difference. Then invite your audience to get involved. Show them that your story can be theirs too. 

Highlighting Sustainable Travel Goes Beyond SEO

Whether you’re mapping out itineraries, filming a behind-the-scenes tour, or blogging for sustainable tourism, remember: your content can be a bridge between what travelers want and what the planet needs.

Approaching your travel content marketing strategies with intention can help you show travelers that they don’t need to compromise in the name of sustainability. They don’t have to splurge to travel sustainably, and they don’t have to sacrifice comfort. If they need to keep their trip under budget, show them sustainable experiences that won’t break the bank. If they’re worried about accommodations, show them eco-luxury at its finest. If they’re unsure where to start, give them actionable tips to travel better.

At Intuitive Digital, we love helping values-driven organizations that care about promoting eco-friendly travel through content. Sustainability matters to us too. That’s why we wrote this article, and it’s why we’d love to help you tell your story in a way that moves people to act.

If you’re looking for a marketing partner that gets it, let’s talk. Schedule a free digital marketing audit and let’s start building a more sustainable future together.