Su Barcelona: A website proposal encouraging sustainable tourism in Barcelona

Abstract

Though a major global industry, tourism’s negative impact on the environment frequently comes under scrutiny. In Barcelona, large proportions of the resident population have grown frustrated by what they consider overtourism throughout the city. Within the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the UN address the environmental, economic and sociocultural issues that increased tourism has on tourist destinations. This paper adopts a framework grounded in behavioural theories to propose a novel approach to tackle the sustainability challenges that tourists often create. Applying behavioural interventions into the digital sphere, a website proposal is developed to provide a multifaceted communications platform with a user-centred approach to encourage an increase in sustainable and environmentally friendly behaviours by tourists whilst visiting Barcelona.