Tourists who act sustainably on holiday quickly go back to old habits at home—but a weekly chatbot reminder might be all it takes to change that, according to a new study from the University of Surrey.
The study, published in the Journal of Travel Research, shows that simple AI-powered chatbot messages can trigger long-term behavior change in tourists, encouraging them to continue living more sustainably weeks after they return home.
Researchers tested the idea of “flashback nudging”—weekly reminders sent via chatbot that asked participants to reflect on their past environmentally friendly actions while on holiday. These nudges, delivered to Indonesian tourists who had visited eco-regulated Gili Islands, significantly boosted their use of sustainable transport at home compared to a control group.
The findings suggest that revisiting personal memories of eco-friendly actions strengthens a person’s identity as someone who cares about the environment—ultimately influencing their future behavior.
Professor Iis Tussyadiah, co-author of the study and dean of Surrey Business School at the University of Surrey, said, “We often assume people return from nature-focused holidays with good intentions, but those intentions quickly vanish. Our study shows that reminding people of what they’ve already done—even something as simple as cycling instead of driving—can reignite that behavior. It’s memory, not motivation, that holds the key.”
The study, which ran over six weeks, tracked two groups: one that visited Gili Islands and received nudges reminding them of their past pro-environmental actions, and one that has never visited the islands and received only educational nudges. Participants showed a clear and growing difference in environmentally friendly transport use, with the effects becoming strongest in the final week of the study—highlighting the importance of patience in behavior change.
Dr. Jason Chen, co-author of the study and associate professor in tourism and events management, at the University of Surrey said, “What sets our research apart is its use of scalable, low-cost technology. While previous behavioral change interventions often required in-person engagement, these nudges were delivered via a conversational chatbot—making it feasible for tourism boards or governments to implement at scale.”
The research also sheds light on how emotional responses such as guilt, and psychological concepts like environmental self-identity, change over time. It found that people who were reminded of their actions felt less guilty and more confident in their environmental values—a crucial shift in maintaining consistent behavior change.
More information:
Gilang Maulana Majid et al, From Destination to Daily Life: A Longitudinal Study on the Effects of Flashback Nudging on Pro-environmental Behavior Spillover, Journal of Travel Research (2025). DOI: 10.1177/00472875251337777
University of Surrey
Citation:
From beach break to behavior change: How AI is turning tourists green for good (2025, July 24)
retrieved 24 July 2025
from https://techxplore.com/news/2025-07-beach-behavior-ai-tourists-green.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
