Understanding User Perspectives on Sustainability and Fairness in Tourism Recommender Systems

Recommender Systems (RS) are widely used in various domains, including travel and tourism, to provide personalized recommendations for accommodations, activities, and destinations. However, the evaluation of RS has traditionally focused on satisfying the needs of end users, item providers, or the recommendation platform itself without considering the impact on society. Sustainable tourism practices are becoming increasingly important, and a Tourism Recommendation System (TRS) can play a crucial role in promoting sustainability by suggesting sustainable activities and less popular destinations to users. In this study, we explore the effect of integrating sustainable recommendations into TRS to ensure fairness for society. We conduct a user study utilizing synthetic recommendations to assess user perceptions of sustainable options versus unsustainable options. Our contributions include insights into effective strategies for incorporating sustainable items in recommendations, understanding user reactions to sustainable alternatives, and identifying helpful recommendation elements for users in their decision-making process. Our findings demonstrate that including sustainable options in recommendations can encourage tourists to visit sustainable and less popular areas and help address issues such as overtourism and undertourism in the travel and tourism industry.