How do you make sustainability something guests actually notice and act on? Destination Fyn’s 3ST pilot explores how behaviour design, stakeholder collaboration and local testing can turn good intentions into real-world impact.
Destination Fyn is leading a regional pilot in the 3ST project with a clear ambition: to make sustainable tourism not just something operators do, but something guests experience. Their biggest challenge? Bridging the gap between what guests say they value sustainability and how they actually behave during their stay.
Attractions, campsites and hotels often invest in green cleaning products, circular practices or energy-saving measures, but these efforts remain hidden “backstage”. Without visible cues, the opportunity to influence behaviour is lost. That’s why the pilot is focusing on guest behaviour and waste handling. Two elements where smart design and communication can make sustainability tangible.
A shared effort across the island
The pilot brings together Destination Fyn, the ten municipalities of Funen, local Visit organisations, SMEs, and nature-focused NGOs such as UNESCO Geopark The South Funen Archipelago and Little Belt Nature Park. Experts from Aalborg University, Transition, Behave Green and TripDoodler add insights from behaviour design, circular economy and ESG.
Importantly, local tourism entrepreneurs play a central role. Not just as implementers, but as co-creators. Many already apply sustainable practices informally. Their input, combined with academic knowledge and practical expertise, ensures that solutions are grounded and relevant.
Designing for action, not just awareness
So far, the team has:
- Conducted a stakeholder analysis and regional Sustainability Barometer
- Facilitated a Theory of Change process to define shared goals
- Launched a business development programme with workshops, field visits and effect measurements
- Contributed insights to a barrier-mapping framework and the development of a national sustainability toolbox coordinated by project partners.
- Organised training on behavioural nudging for tourism businesses
One of the key insights? Sustainability must be felt, not just explained. Guests may say they care but without intuitive sorting systems or visible signals, good intentions rarely translate into action. This has led to a shift: from communication-first to design-first.
Next steps: testing what works
The coming phase will focus on testing and implementing practical solutions with local SMEs. Ranging from sorting systems to signage and guest-facing tools. Destination Fyn will also:
- Launch a regional climate action plan for tourism
- Develop a data dashboard to monitor progress
- Share pilot results at events across the island
- Publish an inspirational and practical guidebook for tourism SMEs, based on tested solutions and field visits
What remains uncertain is how quickly guests and tourism professionals will embrace new behaviours—but that’s exactly why this pilot exists: to explore, test and learn.
“What I’ve learned is that communicating sustainability isn’t about saying more. It’s about showing more. When guests see, feel, and act sustainably, the experience becomes authentic. That’s where the real change begins.”
– Mark Hauge Østergaard, Business Developer Destination Fyn