Sustainability as a Service

Sustainability in tourism is everywhere: on websites, in mission statements, on signs reminding guests to reuse towels. But for many travelers, it still feels like background noise. It's not part of the experience. It's not part of the story.

What if sustainability wasn't a back-office initiative, but a guest-facing service?

From Silent to Visible: Why Sustainability Needs a Front Row Seat

In both my bachelor's thesis on service quality in hotels (Lacle, 2013) and group fieldwork in Fiji and Sanur (Alberts et al., 2014), one thing was clear: guests respond most to what they experience, not just what they're told.

In Fiji, many businesses had sincere environmental goals — but lacked the capacity to turn them into something guests could see, feel, or participate in. There were compost bins no one used, solar panels never mentioned, and refill stations hidden behind counters.

In Aruba, the story is similar. Important steps are being taken — plastic-free initiatives, solar water heating, locally sourced food — but unless guests ask, these actions can remain invisible or taken for granted.

Theoretical Foundations

1. The Triple Bottom Line (Elkington, 1997)

Sustainability isn't just about the planet — it's also about people and profit. Businesses must balance all three to create long-term value. But in tourism, this balance must be felt by the guest.

2. Service-Dominant Logic (Vargo & Lusch, 2004)

Value is co-created, not delivered. When guests participate in sustainable behaviors, they become part of the value chain.

3. Green Nudging (Thaler & Sunstein, 2008)

Small prompts — visible waste stats, refill water incentives, "opt-in" green experiences — can shift behavior without guilt or greenwashing.

4. Regenerative Tourism (Hollender et al., 2020)

Goes beyond minimizing harm to actively restoring ecosystems, communities, and guest connections with place.

5. Experiential Sustainability (Wells et al., 2021)

Guests are more likely to support and advocate for sustainability if it's built into their journey, not just the resort's brand promise.

What This Looks Like in Aruba

Most sustainability efforts in Aruba are back-end — solar, recycling, policy — but not part of the guest experience. Staff often aren't trained to explain or invite participation. Front desks, menus, and activities rarely showcase actionable eco-touchpoints.

Palm Beach & Noord

• Partner with local wellness studios to offer low-impact, plant-based lunches and yoga classes. Eduardo's Hideaway shack is an example of plant-based meals in action.
• Create a "Bike the Backstreets" self-guided tour that includes refill stops and local artisans.

San Nicolas

• Curate a "Sustainability in the Arts" walk featuring murals that tell environmental stories.
• Partner with community leaders to offer guest workshops on upcycling or traditional food practices.

Paradera & Santa Cruz

In Aruba's mid-island areas, tourism isn't dominant — and that's a strength. These communities are rich with traditional agriculture and medicinal plant knowledge, quiet nature routes leading to Arikok Park, family-run bakeries, artists, and cultural spaces. Rather than increasing footfall, the goal here should be to design low-volume, high-value experiences that align with local rhythm.

Think: invitation, not intrusion.

Five Guest-Facing Sustainability Strategies

• Sustainability Touchpoints in the Guest Journey — Map every guest touchpoint and embed a small, visible sustainability cue. (Experiential Sustainability)
• Empower Staff as Green Stewards — Train frontline staff to explain not just the what, but the why behind eco-practices. (Service-Dominant Logic)
• Create "Opt-In" Green Experiences — Offer optional low-impact excursions, beach clean-ups, or plant-based tasting menus. (Green Nudging)
• Visualize Impact — Share real-time data, e.g., "You helped save 20 liters of water by reusing your towel." (Behavioral Economics)
• Collaborate Across Micro-Destinations — Unite businesses within San Nicolas, Noord, Oranjestad, Paradera, or Santa Cruz to build community-level sustainability routes. (Regenerative Tourism)

Final Thought

If guests don't feel sustainability, it's not a service — it's just signage.

We need to move beyond "eco-talk" to eco-experience. Let's make sustainability visible, participatory, and proudly Aruban.