Policies for Sustainability Transition in Tourism Destinations—The Case of Lucerne

Abstract

The article analyzes how tourism businesses can be activated for sustainability by destination management organizations and how a destination sustainability program can be used to promote sustainable development. Based on an applied research project in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland, different approaches to mobilizing and activating tourism companies for sustainability are analyzed and successful strategies are identified. Experience shows that regular communication via various channels and the involvement of tourism partners are key. Direct contact between the representatives of the destinations or associations and the tourism companies is the most promising way of mobilizing them, although this also involves a great deal of effort. While intrinsically motivated businesses usually hardly need any external incentives, a considerable proportion of businesses only become active when either concrete financial incentives are promised, or they are forced to do so by regulatory requirements. The experience gained from the implementation of various mobilization strategies and their analysis enabled the authors to develop and put up for discussion a typology of motives and associated mobilization strategies.

1. Introduction

Many tourism destinations strive to promote sustainable tourism development and position themselves as responsible destinations. However, for credible positioning at the destination level, it is crucial that sustainable orientation is evident not only within the destination management organization (DMO), but also within the tourism businesses. Mobilizing and supporting tourism service providers on the path to more sustainable development is a key challenge for DMOs. At the same time, their scope for action is generally limited, as they lack the authority to issue instructions to tourism service providers. This article analyzes the means and opportunities available to DMOs to mobilize and activate tourism businesses toward sustainability and identifies the key challenges and successful strategies.

1.1. The Role of the DMO in Mobilizing Key Stakeholders for Sustainability

Implementing the concept of sustainability in tourism practice is one of the key challenges for tourism destinations. Sustainability certifications for destinations can be helpful in ensuring systematic access to the topic and making commitment to sustainability more visible to the outside world. Most sustainability certifications at the destination level (such as Green Destination or TourCert) emphasize the systematic integration of tourism service providers into the destination’s sustainability process but do not specify a minimum number of businesses that must have proof of sustainability. Swiss Tourism’s sustainability program, “Swisstainable”, goes a step further by making a certain level of penetration within the destination with businesses committed to sustainability a mandatory requirement for participation in the destination program.

The requirements of the destination program include signing the Swisstainable commitment, establishing a coordination office, conducting a sustainability check, embedding sustainability in the destination strategy, developing an action plan, ensuring penetration with Swisstainable businesses, communicating sustainability, and engaging with businesses participating in the Swisstainable program. A central task of the coordination office is the “information, coordination, motivation, and capacity building of service providers on the topic of sustainable tourism development”. Destinations wishing to participate at Level II or III must also have sustainability monitoring in place. Participation at Level III requires a recognized destination certification [1].

The level of penetration to be achieved varies depending on whether a destination wishes to participate in the program at Level I, II, or III. This requirement is intended to ensure that, in addition to the DMO, there is a certain number of tourism enterprises within the destination that are systematically developing in a sustainable direction.

This requirement provides a strong incentive for DMOs participating in the Swisstainable destination program to mobilize their tourism service providers and convince them to participate in the operating program. Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts is supporting Lucerne Tourism AG in an applied research project on the sustainability transformation of tourism in the canton of Lucerne (Switzerland) called the “LUNA Project” and provides guidance to the canton’s various tourism destinations in meeting the requirements of the Swisstainable destination program. This support was used as an opportunity to examine which motives and approaches to mobilization are particularly promising.

1.2. Scope and Objectives

The canton of Lucerne is located in central Switzerland (Figure 1) and consists of the following six different tourism regions: UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch, Weggis Vitznau Rigi, Willisau Tourism, Seetal Tourism, Sempachersee Tourism, and the City of Lucerne (Figure 2).

Tourism is very important to Lucerne’s economy. According to a value creation study [2], direct tourism value creation for 2019 was CHF 1037 million, and the industry created 10,525 jobs. That represents 3.4 percent of all jobs in the canton of Lucerne [3]. In 2024, hotels and spas in the canton of Lucerne recorded around 2.4 million overnight stays, reaching a new record high. The majority of overnight stays were in the city of Lucerne, which recorded 1,413,000 overnight stays in 2024 [3].

The canton of Lucerne as a tourism destination pursues the long-term goal of positioning itself as a sustainable destination along the entire tourism value chain. One measurable outcome is recognition as a “Swisstainable Destination” for the canton’s various destinations. This requires a joint sustainability transformation of tourism stakeholders and service providers. To support tourism service providers on this path, a joint project of the relevant tourism stakeholders (Lucerne Tourism AG, regional tourism organizations, tourism associations) has been launched, with technical support from the Institute for Tourism and Mobility at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

The six tourism regions within the canton of Lucerne differ in terms of the variety of offerings, guest segments, and the integration of sustainability principles. Nevertheless, the challenges facing all destinations are very similar. Both tourism organizations and companies generally lack the resources to systematically address sustainability management. Furthermore, the industry is very small scale and dominated by SMEs.

The LUNA Project focuses on mobilizing and empowering tourism service providers to move toward sustainability. Depending on their capabilities, the regional tourism organizations and associations chose different approaches, such as developing communication measures (flyers, videos, etc.) or organizing specific events for tourism service providers to inform them about the project and the Swisstainable program and to support them on their path toward sustainability. In all regions, a coordinated online survey was also sent to service providers. This survey provided information on the status of the companies’ sustainability efforts and, at the same time, information on the desired support needs and possible incentives. In connection with the survey, the companies were also offered various support options, such as a website analysis of their sustainability communication or specific coaching on the Swisstainable program.

As part of the training, the regional tourism organizations were also supported in their sustainable development regarding the requirements of the Swisstainable destination program.

As shown in the following literature review, previous studies indicate that a key challenge in implementing sustainability at the destination level is mobilizing individual tourism companies to support the cause. In particular, the question arises as to what role destination management organizations play in this and what options they have to support these efforts. So far, relatively little is known about the motives of businesses and the most promising approaches to mobilization from the perspective of DMOs. Accordingly, the research question is as follows:

“What strategies effectively mobilize tourism businesses to adopt sustainable development practices, and how do motivations and barriers influence their implementation of sustainability measures?”

The primary objective of this paper is to identify successful strategies to mobilize tourism businesses for sustainable development. It considers the motivations for and barriers to tourism businesses in implementing sustainability measures and analyzes different strategies to mobilize and support tourism service providers.

Section 2 contains a comprehensive literature review, before Section 3 describes the methods and materials used. Section 4 presents the results of the applied study, first describing the motives and obstacles (Section 4.1) before comparing different approaches to mobilization (Section 4.2). The success of the various strategies is described in Section 4.3, and based on this, a typology is developed in Section 4.4. Finally, the results are discussed (Section 5) and considerations regarding limitations and further research are presented (Section 6).

2. Literature Review

The sustainable transformation of tourism destinations has emerged as a critical area of policy, practice, and research. Despite widespread recognition of the importance of sustainability, its implementation at the company level remains fragmented and uneven [4,5,6]. According to Dodds & Butler [4], there is a need for outlining and understanding barriers to achieving successful policy implementation as well as for new frameworks of how to achieve successful sustainable tourism policy implementation in the future development of more sustainable tourism.

This literature review provides an overview of the barriers to and motivations for tourism businesses in adopting sustainability practices, the role of destination management organizations (DMOs) as change agents, and the effectiveness of policy mixes for enabling sustainability transitions in tourism.

2.1. Sustainability in Tourism Businesses: Barriers and Motivations

The integration of sustainability into tourism businesses remains a complex task. While environmental awareness is increasing, many tourism companies struggle with translating intention into action [7]. Common barriers include limited financial and human resources, unclear regulatory requirements, and a perceived lack of customer demand [8].

A major constraint is the dominance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector, which often lack the financial resources and human capital needed to engage in structured sustainability efforts [9,10,11,12,13]. Other barriers include uncertainty about customer demand for sustainable tourism products [14,15,16,17], low levels of “eco-literacy” at the business in terms of sustainable tourism [17,18,19,20], and a lack of support from governments [12,16,17,19,21].

The literature repeatedly identifies a gap between sustainability intentions and actual behavior among tourism businesses, often described as the “attitude–behavior gap” [22]. When it comes to demand, a lack of behavioral change on the part of tourists can also play a role. While motivation to engage in sustainable tourism practices can be intrinsic or extrinsic [23], businesses with intrinsic altruistic motivation show the greatest commitment and investment into sustainable tourism initiatives [21]. According to Font et al. [8], intrinsic motivations such as personal values, a desire to be an ethical employer, and long-term business resilience frequently drive early adopters. However, Elhoushy et al. [15] noticed a shift from business being primarily internally driven towards being externally driven.

Especially for those tourism businesses not motivated altruistically, economic drivers, such as resource efficiency and long-term cost savings, can motivate sustainability adoption, especially when framed in terms of competitive advantage [11,17,21,24]. Further, marketing benefits, increased profit margin, and the creation of a positive brand image are drivers for engaging in sustainable practices [9,11,14,17,19,24,25,26]. Both corporate reputation and customer awareness have significantly positive impacts on the level of strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) [27].

2.2. The Role of DMOs in Mobilizing Sustainability Transitions

Destination management organizations occupy a unique position in the tourism governance landscape, acting as coordinators between various stakeholders [10]. The DMO is responsible when it comes to sustainable development at the destination level, by establish strategic goals for sustainable destination development, and achieve desired targets [28,29,30]. They play a crucial role in educating tourists, local communities, and tourism businesses about sustainable tourism practices, supporting protective areas and advocating for sustainable practices [10,30].

DMOs’ effectiveness in promoting sustainability depends on their ability to build trust, tailor communication, and facilitate collaborative processes among fragmented actors [31]. Their central position in the local tourism ecosystem enables them to act as knowledge brokers and motivators [32].

However, DMOs also face challenges, including limited budgets [33]. Yet, many tourism businesses expect governments—or destination management organizations—to provide financial incentives towards the implementation of sustainability measures [11]. Financial support can be used in terms of funding research and development, training programs, infrastructure development, and marketing campaigns to create an environment that fosters sustainable tourism development [11].

The role of the DMO in general is defined as being a leader and coordinator of activities under a coherent strategy [34]. Destination management organizations are increasingly positioned as catalysts for sustainability transitions. Although they typically lack legislative authority, they influence tourism actors through strategic visioning, coordination, and communication [35]. As Baggio & Valeri [15] note, DMOs can act as coordinators that can align various tourism stakeholders toward shared sustainability goals. The pooling of resources has become especially important for small tourism bureaus [35].

Stettler & Mueller [36] see the sustainable development of destination as one of the key tasks for a DMO. According to the authors, the role of the DMO must increasingly evolve from “habitat management” to “destination responsibility”. The tasks of a DMO vary depending on the context. According to Stettler & Mueller [36], the following core tasks of a DMO can be summarized:

• Planning, governance, and financing;
• Offer and destination development;
• Information and services (for third parties);
• Marketing and communication;
• Stakeholder management and support;
• Representation of interests;
• Operation of infrastructure;
• Data and monitoring.

However, when implementing incentives from a DMO perspective, the following issues can occur: legal restrictions, tying performance to a corresponding incentive, unnecessarily rewarding good behavior, creating negative inducements, public perception, and funding problems [37].

In the canton of Lucerne, Lucerne Tourism is by far the largest DMO, which also engages in international marketing and political representation of interests. The regional DMOs have significantly more limited resources and focus mainly on regional destination development, marketing, and stakeholder support. The regional DMOs have a cooperation agreement with Lucerne Tourism. Supporting the sustainability efforts of service providers is an explicit part of this agreement.

2.3. Strategies to Mobilize Tourism Businesses for Sustainability

To mobilize tourism businesses, a “policy mix” approach—comprising regulatory instruments (sticks), incentives (carrots), and communicative tools (sermons)—has proven effective [38]. According to Rogge & Reichardt [39], well-aligned policy mixes enhance the chances of systemic transformation.

A growing body of literature emphasizes the need for a mix of tools—referred to as “policy mixes”—to effectively foster behavioral change and sustainability adoption in tourism [38,39].

According to Vedung [40], there are three categories of policy instruments:

• Economic policy instruments (“carrots”): These are not mandatory for companies to engage in [40]. They can come in the forms of subsidies, tax benefits, and grants for sustainable investments [39]. Research shows that access to financing significantly contributes to sustainability performance amongst SMEs [41].
• Regulations (“sticks”): Regulations are meant to influence people through formulated rules and directives [40]. Regulations can also come in the form of laws [39]. Legal obligations such as guidelines relating to sustainability reporting or sustainability communication are increasing. Another possible regulation is that certain sustainability standards must be met for businesses to gain access to funding instruments.
• Information (“sermons”): Moral suasion, influencing people through the transfer of knowledge and information programs seem to have an effect when they strengthen well-reasoned self-interest. Information programs are generally not very costly, but the effects on behavior are often hard to detect [40]. The information measures also include campaigns, toolkits, workshops and initiatives to raise public awareness.

It is evident that to be effective, sustainable tourism policy measures need to recognize owner–managers’ self-efficacy beliefs and create the conditions that will enable them to feel more efficacious [42]. Local champions and early adopters can act as role models, generating normative pressure and reducing perceived risk among laggards.

Additionally, the literature identifies the importance of peer learning [43] and best-practice diffusion. Recent studies also highlight the growing role of sustainability branding and market-based signals—where businesses adopt sustainability practices to gain visibility in tourism platforms, booking sites, or certification programs [44].

3. Materials and Methods

Since this is an applied project, whose primary goal is to support tourism destinations and businesses, the existing project measures and frameworks were used for the analysis wherever possible. The findings presented are therefore based on various methodological approaches.

3.1. Case Study Analysis

Since the research project is being carried out in a project context, the case study method is suitable for investigating the specific research question. Choosing a case study methodology facilitates the discovery of new information while remaining within well-established borders [45]. Additionally, case studies offer a rich, in-depth perspective on the research topic, not only describing and interpreting the issue at hand, but also supporting the development of theoretical constructs [46].

In this specific case, the data for the case study was collected in the context of the LUNA Project. The researchers were commissioned by Lucerne Tourism to provide scientific support for the project. This included conceptual support, conducting a survey among service providers, and providing consulting services. They also gained access to all the results and findings from the project.

The main sources for the case study are composed of various approaches. To determine the motives of tourism companies and their need for support, an online survey was conducted among them. Regular project meetings and exchanges with destination representatives served to evaluate and discuss mobilization strategies. In addition, the destinations’ documentation on meeting the requirements of the Swisstainable program was analyzed, and finally, the numbers of companies participating in the Swisstainable program were evaluated.

3.2. Survey of Tourism Businesses

One of the first mobilization measures was a coordinated online survey of service providers in all tourism regions of the canton of Lucerne. The survey assessed the status of the companies’ sustainability efforts. It also provided information on the companies’ motivations and desired support needs. In addition, the companies were offered various support options, such as a website analysis of their sustainability communication or specific coaching on the Swisstainable program.

The questionnaire was primarily developed based on the practical needs and input of project partners, who are actively involved in tourism development and sustainability initiatives. As the study aimed to explore current challenges and motivations from a practitioner-oriented perspective, the questionnaire was primarily designed to capture real-world issues and operational considerations. While some items were informed by a previous project, the majority of the questions were newly developed to reflect the specific context of the project and the target group. The questionnaire was conducted using a standardized online questionnaire that was divided into the following sections: the importance of sustainability for the company, motives for getting engaged, implementation within the company, and support requirements.

The survey was conducted in all tourism regions of the canton of Lucerne between 21 June 2024 and 31 December 2024. The online link was distributed by Lucerne Tourism, the regional tourism organizations, and the Lucerne Hotels and Gastronomy associations via their communication channels. In total, 440 respondents clicked on the survey link; 142 establishments completed the survey.

The participating tourism businesses were distributed across the regions as follows: 39% Sempachersee, 20% City of Lucerne, 15% Biosphere Entlebuch, 15% Willisau, 6% Seetal, and 4% Weggis Vitznau Rigi. The businesses were categorized as hotels (25%), other accommodation (11%), gastronomy businesses (12%), tourist transport companies (4%), other tourism-related businesses (27%) and other (non-tourist) businesses (20%). The respondents were mainly micro- and small enterprises, as well as a few medium-sized companies. This is reflected in the number of employees. Only 17% of companies have more than 50 full-time equivalent staff members and only 9% have more than 100.

3.3. Analysis of DMO Mobilization Approaches

Thanks to the broad support of relevant project partners, regular project meetings could be used for reflection and evaluation of the mobilization strategies. In addition, regular bilateral meetings were held with all regional destination managers to discuss the current implementation status, challenges, and implemented and planned measures to mobilize service providers. Two to three bilateral meetings were held with each of the six tourism destinations.

A framework was developed for the discussions based on the requirements of the Swisstainable destination program. For the analysis of the mobilization strategies, the topic of “information, coordination, motivation, and capacity building of service providers on the topic of sustainable tourism development” was of particular interest.

Documents on the implementation status were sent to the project team prior to each meeting and were included in the analysis. Finally, the official reporting of the Swisstainable program was used to monitor the number of participating businesses in the destinations.

4. Results

4.1. Central Motives for and Barriers to Tourism Businesses

The results of the survey among tourism companies show that sustainable development is of great importance to the vast majority of companies (85%). Furthermore, 66% of respondents rate their current commitment to the topic as high or very high. Regarding motives, the results show that “personal conviction of managers,” “resource savings,” “cost savings,” and “attractiveness as an employer” are among the most important reasons for tourism companies’ commitment to sustainability (Figure 3).

On the other hand, the most frequently cited barriers to implementing sustainability measures were:

• Lack of human resources (mentioned by 42% of the respondents);
• Lack of financial resources (32%);
• Not urgent/important enough (27%);
• Lack of profitability (costs too high) (26%);
• Lack of demand from guests (25%);
• Lack of know-how/don’t know where to start (14%);
• None (11%).

In addition, the condition of the building, the requirements of the monument protection, the remote location of the business (lack of connection to public transport), the high number of guests from overseas (and the associated carbon footprint), and a lack of sensitivity in parts of the team were mentioned as further hurdles.

The experiences of destination managers and sustainability officers at the destinations show that the motives of tourism businesses vary greatly. They largely confirm the survey findings in this regard. Many businesses are heavily absorbed in day-to-day operations and, due to their size, do not have anyone dedicated to addressing the issue. If management lacks personal conviction, the issue is often not given priority.

The picture is less clear regarding the need for support (Figure 4). By far the most important aspect was attributed to “financial incentives”. This is not surprising, given that some tourism businesses in Central Switzerland are simply struggling to survive. Many also consider the provision of “best practice examples” and the “exchange of experiences” to be important. Furthermore, the categories “support for the development of sustainable offers” and “toolboxes and guidelines” received relatively high approval.

Interestingly, the specific coaching received relatively low approval ratings. This low approval rate is probably due to the high costs associated with coaching and the large amount of time required by the company. However, experience in the project has shown that direct contact is highly promising, and the free consultations provided received very positive feedback.

While some businesses argue that there should be neither external pressure nor incentives, others welcome the opportunity to access concrete support. In particular, they mention that more can be achieved with a joint approach by the destination.

In the comments, the major differences between chain and independent hotels are also highlighted. Hotel chains/groups are already implementing many measures based on the group’s guidelines and are increasingly viewing sustainability as a hygiene factor. Many independent hotels, lacking resources, are lagging significantly behind in this development.

Some companies would like more clarity regarding legal requirements, some of which they perceive as contradictory. Regarding the content, there were comments that the economic and social dimensions of sustainability should be given greater weight.

In total, 54% of the responding companies wanted ongoing information about the project, 42% were interested in experience-based events/workshops, 27% of the responding companies registered for a website analysis (quick check), and 18% requested individual coaching on the Swisstainable program. The coaching service continued to be offered even after the survey ended. A total of 24 companies took advantage of the offer and received individual advice accordingly (as of April 2025). Coaching has proven to be particularly popular among small and rural businesses that are still in the early stages of their sustainability journey.

4.2. Approaches for the Activation of Tourism Businesses

To advance the sustainability transformation of tourism in the canton of Lucerne, the commitment of individual tourism businesses is crucial. Based on the Swisstainable destination program and with the support of all regional tourism organizations and tourism associations, mobilizing tourism service providers for greater sustainability is a key goal. This is measured, among other things, by the number of businesses participating in the Swisstainable program.

Based on Rogge & Reichhardt [39], the mobilization measures can be divided into the categories shown in

Table 1. Policy mix of mobilizing tourism businesses (categorization).

Information and Communication	Content Support and Exchange of Experience
Website Flyer Video Survey Newsletter Social media, LinkedIn Etc.	Events for tourism businesses Individual discussions Free advice Aids, guidelines Etc.
Incentives	Regulations
Assumption of fees Marketing campaigns Subsidies Minimum criteria Etc.	General legal requirements Performance agreements Etc.

.

• Information and Communication

As a first step, various materials were developed that could be used to communicate the project. These included a dedicated project website, a flyer visualizing the project goals, and short videos featuring testimonials from participating companies. The goal was to involve all project partners and utilize as many different communication channels as possible. The communication materials were distributed via newsletters, LinkedIn channels, social media, local newspapers, and annual reports, and at industry events.

The survey of tourism businesses, which was sent directly to partners by all regional tourism organizations, was also an important tool for raising awareness about the project and the support services available. One destination sent the survey in a personalized format. This enabled them to follow up with multiple reminders and personal phone calls, thereby increasing participation.

• Content Support and Exchange of Experiences

Whenever possible, existing channels and committees were used to inform and raise awareness about the sustainability transformation. The topic was included in the regular general meetings of all regional tourism destinations and associations. In addition, most regional tourism organizations organized specific events to provide information about sustainability efforts, foster exchange, and offer specific support. For example, the Sempachersee Destination invited its tourism businesses to a sustainability breakfast; the Restaurant Association organized an exclusive webinar for its members.

To support businesses in their efforts to achieve sustainability and to provide inspiration for potential measures, guidelines and tools on various sustainability topics have been prepared. While there is already a wealth of public guidelines and platforms to support businesses, discussions with tourism stakeholders have shown that orientation is often lacking and that the added value lies in making relevant tools available in a targeted manner.

In addition, the companies were offered a quick check of their sustainability communication on the website as well as individual advice as a free advisory service. The feedback on the consultations conducted was consistently positive, which is probably due to direct contact and the low-threshold opportunities for improvement.

Finally, destination managers and tourism organization representatives used direct conversations with businesses to inform them about the project and encourage them to participate in the Swisstainable program. These conversations took place both informally, when the opportunity arose, and more specifically, by contacting potential candidates individually by phone.

• Incentives

A key financial incentive is the fact that Lucerne Tourism AG covers the fees for participation in Swisstainable for all tourism businesses in the canton.

The high importance of the financial aspect was also evident in the survey’s questions regarding the biggest hurdles/challenges and the desired forms of support. Even though the annual costs for the Swisstainable program are relatively low, several businesses stated that Lucerne Tourism’s coverage of the fees was a key factor in their participation.

Tourism organizations also have leverage through marketing. Targeted marketing campaigns that highlight sustainable experiences and favor Swisstainable businesses can create an incentive for businesses to commit to sustainability. There are also incentives for specific topics. For example, conference venues receive additional contributions in the winter to counteract the pronounced seasonality. Associations also have opportunities to create incentives. For example, the Swiss Hotel Association has now included measuring resource consumption as a minimum criterion for hotel classification.

• Regulations

DMOs generally have limited opportunities to regulate destination development through binding specifications. Rather, the scope for regulation lies with the public sector. In addition to general legal requirements, e.g., in the environmental sector or in labor law, authorities can also steer objectives through performance agreements with tourism organizations. In the canton of Lucerne, the financing of regional tourism organizations will in future be partly linked to the fulfillment of specific sustainability requirements. Furthermore, the agreement stipulates that a coordination office for sustainable tourism must be established.

4.3. Results of the Mobilization Efforts

The measurability of the various mobilization strategies presents a challenge, as several factors typically play a role when a business decides to participate in the Swisstainable program. The number of businesses participating in the Swisstainable program is an important metric for the evaluation. At the same time, the businesses’ feedback and the project partners’ experiences with the various mobilization strategies are incorporated into the analysis.

Figure 5 shows that since the launch of the preliminary project in early 2023, an increase in the number of Swisstainable businesses has been recorded. This phase included a broad information campaign about the project and the Swisstainable program, as well as some specific input into events organized by tourism associations. Although it is difficult to attribute success to individual measures, the number of participating Swisstainable businesses in the canton of Lucerne shows that the mobilization measures are having an overall impact.

The same development can be observed when looking at the different destinations of the canton of Lucerne (Figure 6). Individual increases are probably due to specific measures such as information events in the destinations. Willisau for instance had its biggest increase to date in April 2025. This can probably be attributed to the Swisstainable event that they held in March 2025. The destination of Sempachersee recorded many new participations following a breakfast information event for tourism companies and a survey conducted in the second half of 2024. However, causality cannot necessarily be proven in every case.

A more direct impact can be assumed and measured when looking at the businesses that received individual coaching. A total of 45 businesses have taken advantage of one or both support services (quick check and/or Swisstainable consultation). Of these, 55.55% are now registered for the Swisstainable program and 35% have already been classified. Of the 24 companies that received personal coaching, 18 (75%) are registered and 11 (46%) have already been classified. This is a clear indication that the conversion rate can be increased in particular through personal contact and support.

On a destination level, an important indicator for measuring success is the fulfillment of the requirements of the Swisstainable destination program by the regional tourism organizations. The number of Swisstainable establishments provides information about whether a certain level of penetration within the destination has been achieved. The penetration requirements for destinations are listed in

Table 2. Swisstainable requirements for penetration.

Swisstainable Level	Penetration of Hotels		Penetration of Other Tourism-Related Businesses
	Share of Swisstainable Hotels	of which on Level II or III	Share of other tourism-related businesses
Level I	20%	no specification	10%
Level II	25%	≥30%	15%
Level III	30%	≥50%	20%

[1].

The table shows that for a destination that wants to participate in the program on Level I, at least 20% of the hotels and 10% of other tourism-related businesses in the destination need to be Swisstainable businesses.

When looking at the penetration in the destinations of the canton of Lucerne in

Table 3. Fulfillment of penetration requirements for Level I by tourism destination (April 2025).

	Total Number of Hotels	Number of Swisstainable Hotels	Share of Swisstainable Hotels	Total Number of Other Tourism Businesses	Number of Other Swisstainable Tourism Businesses	Share of Other Swisstainable Tourism Businesses
City of Lucerne	54	28	51.85%	111	45	40.54%
UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch	17	9	52.94%	116	25	22.20%
Seetal Tourism	17	3	17.65%	48	6	12.50%
Sempachersee Tourism	24	2	8.33%	135	15	11.11%
Willisau Tourism	13	1	7.69%	72	6	8.33%
Weggis Vitznau Rigi	28	11	39.29%	43	4	9.30%

(as of April 2025), the large differences are striking, which can be partly attributed to the different tourism structure but also to different possibilities and efforts in mobilization.

The table shows the share of Swisstainable businesses in the tourism destinations of the canton of Lucerne. While the fields highlighted in green indicate that the requirements for Swisstainable Level I have been met, red means that requirements have not yet been achieved.

While the city of Lucerne (Level I) and UNESCO Entlebuch Biosphere Reserve (Level III) already fulfill all the requirements and are already participating in the program, the other destinations are still in the process. However, they are confident that they will achieve the required penetration by the end of 2025 at the latest.

4.4. Successful Strategies for Mobilizing Tourism Companies for Sustainability

With regard to mobilization, it has been shown that the role of regional tourism organizations and associations is central, as they are closer to the members than a higher-level DMO or the university and can therefore reach them better.

Overall, the mobilization activities have proven to be very time-consuming. Many service providers have little time for these topics in their day-to-day business. While some of the most committed companies are already driving their sustainability efforts independently and are part of the Swisstainable program, the effort required to reach the remaining companies is significantly greater.

Communication measures play a key role in mobilizing stakeholders, even if their direct impact is difficult to measure. The importance of sustainability and a joint approach toward it must be communicated regularly and through the various communication channels of relevant tourism stakeholders in order to foster a sense of community and ensure credible positioning.

A key finding is that personal interaction often promises the greatest success in reaching tourism companies, which of course requires appropriate resources. According to destination managers, direct contact via personal phone calls and conversations has convinced some businesses to participate in Swisstainable.

The effectiveness of the tools and guidelines provided is unclear. Many companies seem to be overwhelmed by the wealth of information or their practical application. This makes specific support offerings even more important. Among the most effective measures were individual consultations. Feedback on the free, personal coaching was consistently very positive and led directly to the implementation of measures by the companies. However, the effort involved here is also significant, and securing funding is essential if this support is offered free of charge.

The assumption of Swisstainable fees by Lucerne Tourism AG has also proven to be a key aspect, significantly lowering the barriers to participation. A similar positive effect is also evident in other Swiss destinations where the fees are covered by the regional tourism region or the public sector.

Based on the initial experiences of tourism destinations in implementing the Swisstainable program and the analysis of the destinations’ approaches, a categorization can be made regarding motivations and mobilization strategies (see Figure 7).

The smallest group is the group of intrinsically motivated companies, which are primarily committed to sustainable development out of conviction and ethical considerations. The commitment of these companies is usually strongly linked to the personality of the manager. This is consistent with the findings of Lin, Yu, & Chang [47], whose study results indicate that managers’ attitudes towards benefits to society and corporate interests are the most important predictors of business operations in sustainability practices. This is also confirmed by the results from a study by Cunha, Kastenholz, & Carneiro [48] showing that entrepreneurs who are driven more by lifestyle motives have an awareness of sustainability that is reflected in successful sustainability management. These companies are usually the beacons that can set an example for other companies. It is therefore important to integrate them well and to showcase their commitment.

Another group of companies is particularly receptive to economic arguments [8]. The prospect of being able to directly save resources and therefore money through optimization measures can be a strong driver. Here, the DMO can primarily act as an intermediary, for example, to establish contact with an energy consultant. It takes significantly more persuasion to create and communicate indirect or long-term benefits for the tourism businesses. These include, for example, advantages in marketing, advantages on the labor market, or the first mover advantage that arises from the anticipation of future legal requirements.

Finally, there is a large group of companies that can only be activated when they are strongly incentivized or even forced by regulations. While the DMO’s room for maneuver is limited and it has leverage primarily through marketing and support measures, governmental authorities can create further incentives or regulations, such as restricting access to subsidies for certified companies.

5. Discussion and Conclusions

The findings from the Lucerne case resonate with existing research on mobilization for sustainable tourism. They confirm that the reasons for a commitment to sustainability are mainly seen in intrinsic convictions of managers and in financial savings, while external pressure (from competitors, politicians, partners, and guests) appears to be still less significant. The “personal conviction of managers” seems to be the most important motivator, underscoring the central role of leadership values in sustainability adoption. This mirrors previous findings that sustainability champions in SMEs often emerge from individual commitment [8].

It has been shown that tourism service providers in the canton of Lucerne participate in the sustainability program for different reasons. Although different categories of motives can be distinguished, in reality the motives and groups are mixed and so are the corresponding approaches. Experience to date suggests that tourism service providers need to be approached differently depending on their motivation.

The often small-scale and highly fragmented tourism structure and the high dependency between the actors have been identified as major challenges for the sustainability transition in tourism [13]. Aligning with Font et al. [8], it can be concluded that policy makers should segment the market of SMEs according to their motivations and suggest different reasons for engaging that match their values and preferred learning styles.

Nevertheless, since the motives are usually unknown, the whole cascade of different approaches is ideally used, ranging from information and communication, technical support, and marketing campaigns to regulatory incentives. While information and support are particularly important for groups motivated by conviction and by economic benefits, approaches such as providing visibility through marketing campaigns can motivate more companies. The businesses that are mainly motivated by regulations are the hardest to activate, as regulations are usually not within the DMO’s scope of action.

In general, it became clear that financial aspects play a major role in whether and to what extent sustainable development can be approached and practiced. It can be assumed that in Lucerne the intrinsically motivated businesses have long been active. This makes incentives such as Luzern Tourism AG covering Swisstainable fees all the more important for other tourism companies. The success of fee waivers as a motivator highlights the importance of removing economic barriers, which is a well-documented strategy in the sustainability policy literature [38,41]. While participation costs in the Swisstainable program are relatively low, even minor expenses seem to dissuade engagement, especially in financially vulnerable SMEs.

In addition to financial incentives, learning from other tourism businesses by sharing experiences and examples of best practice was considered as particularly important. The emphasis on communication reflects the “sermon” element of policy mixes [40]. However, the data suggests these efforts are necessary but insufficient on their own. Despite multi-channel outreach, it was direct contact and personalized coaching that was very well received and triggered the highest engagement.

Sustainability transitions in tourism require institutional innovation and policy coherence across governance levels. From a governance perspective, tourism sustainability is a complex concept that requires multi-level coordination, adaptive governance, and participatory approaches. Effective governance frameworks integrate top-down direction (e.g., policy mandates and funding) with bottom-up innovation and stakeholder empowerment. As decision-making competencies vary across national, regional, and local levels, and tourism is predominantly made up of small businesses with limited capacity beyond running the day-to-day operations, destination management organizations can play an important role in supporting the sustainability and resilience of businesses [13]. The case of Lucerne reaffirms the potential of DMOs as orchestrators, particularly when supported by broader institutional frameworks. Yet, their lack of regulatory power limits long-term enforcement. DMOs’ influence is strongest when they coordinate peer pressure, align incentives, and maintain continuous dialogue. The role of DMOs also includes the evaluation of processes and success. To facilitate such interactive processes, the monitoring and evaluation of the impacts of policy mixes are of fundamental importance [49]. Nevertheless, the selection of policy indicators is not a neutral device [50] and must align with the regional tourism strategy. Embedding sustainability metrics into funding agreements or performance evaluations of DMOs—as seen in Lucerne—is one way to operationalize transition governance in practice.

In conclusion, the findings suggest that the transformation toward sustainable tourism destinations is most successful when policy instruments are diverse, tailored, and embedded in coherent governance systems.

The effort invested in mobilization in relation to the businesses reached indicates that it is difficult and costly to activate tourism businesses and motivate them for sustainability activities and measures, especially since the most promising approach is direct contact and exchange with tourism companies. Mobilizing tourism businesses—particularly SMEs—requires not only motivation and support but also a sustained framework of incentives and role modeling. Information-based tools (e.g., workshops, toolkits), economic incentives (e.g., funding, tax breaks), and moral appeals (e.g., sustainability branding) need to be tailored to varied stakeholder motivations. Best-practice sharing and peer learning platforms are also seen as low-barrier, high-impact strategies. DMOs play a critical, albeit constrained, role in enabling this transformation, especially when acting as facilitators and conveners of collaborative processes.

6. Limitations and Further Research

While the findings of this applied research project provide valuable insights into mobilization strategies for sustainable tourism in the canton of Lucerne, several limitations must be acknowledged that constrain the generalizability and depth of the conclusions.

First, the study is based on an applied project whose primary goal is sustainability transformation. The focus is less on scientific aspects, which are only ensured in an accompanying manner. The findings rely heavily on qualitative inputs from project meetings. Additionally, while 142 establishments completed the survey, this represents a modest proportion of the total number of tourism businesses in the region, limiting the representativeness of the sample. Furthermore, it can be assumed that the majority of companies that took part in the survey have an above-average interest in sustainability.

Several factors are always decisive for a company’s sustainability commitment. Accordingly, measuring the impact of specific measures is difficult. Establishing a direct causal relationship between specific mobilization measures and increased participation in the Swisstainable program proved challenging. While temporal correlations (e.g., event-driven participation spikes) suggest positive impacts, the multifactorial nature of behavioral change in businesses prevents definitive attribution. Future research could consider experimental or quasi-experimental designs to better isolate the effects of individual interventions.

Given the recent implementation timeline of the Swisstainable initiative in Lucerne, the study captures only early-stage outcomes. Longitudinal data would be helpful to assess the durability of business engagement and the long-term sustainability impacts of mobilization strategies. Moreover, the current evaluation framework prioritizes participation metrics (e.g., number of registered businesses) over deeper indicators of sustainability performance.

Lucerne represents a specific socio-economic and institutional context, with strong public support and coordinated action among tourism bodies. The findings may not fully translate to destinations with different governance structures, less institutional support, or varying levels of tourism maturity. Further studies across diverse regions and countries are essential to test the transferability of the proposed typology of motives and mobilization strategies.

The effectiveness of information and communication tools varied, and impact was difficult to measure. Future research could explore the differential impacts of communication channels and message framing on stakeholder engagement.

To build on the insights of this study, future research should develop and experiment with additional indicators to assess the actual sustainability performance of businesses. Also, the role of peer influence and social networks in sustaining long-term engagement could be explored. In addition, it would be interesting to investigate how different types of incentives (financial, reputational, regulatory) interact over time and in different tourism sub-sectors as well as to examine the interplay between national-level tourism policy and local implementation practices.

In future research, it will be crucial to examine and test empirically how large the identified groups of motives are and whether there are other relevant distinguishing features. It would also be interesting to investigate which approaches or combinations of measures are most promising in activating and motivating tourism businesses to act sustainably. Sustained scholarly inquiry will help to refine the theoretical underpinnings, test implementation models, and enhance the evidence base for effective destination-wide sustainability transitions.