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, has shown that simple AI-powered chatbot messages can trigger long-term behaviour 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 behaviour.
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 behaviour. 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 behaviour 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 behavioural 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 behaviour change.
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