HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM INDUSTRY

Sustainability in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry



Sustainability in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry

Introduction

Tourism plays a major role in a country's economy. It is the most important concern for the country to maintain the stable economic and social condition. Tourism provides various means and opportunities to open new fields for business and employment. Most of countries' economy depends on the tourism and this requires development of the states infrastructure and natural vegetation to attract tourist from all over world. Tourism plays an important role in the socio economic development as well as in the development and progress of the country's natural location to add more beauty to it.

Despite a continued focus on sustainability within the hotel industry, low customer demand and stakeholder pressures have acted as disincentives to the proliferation of sustainable initiatives. A number of studies further suggest that within the tourism industry at large, the expectation that the public sector will take the lead on local environmental management is prevalent. An early assessment that the hospitality industry will no longer be able to ignore it's environmental impact as it will have to respond to a number of pressures in part because the green tourist will demand green accommodations is not born out in practice.

Studies conducted in the United States in the 1990s concluded that while tourists were supportive of environmental stewardship, willingness to pay for preferential green hotel selection were at best premature assumptions. More recent studies indicate that guests view environmental strategies as part of a hotel's basic operations rather than representing a 'value added' or quality attribute where the latter remains far more significant in terms of behavioural intentions and hotel image assessment.

A 2010 United States study challenged a further assumption that raising awareness and educating tourists on environmental concerns leads to pro environmental behaviours. Rather a prevailing sense of entitlement with regard to local resources was indicated and overall environmental concern among tourists ranked low.

Considered from the hotel manager's perspective, studies suggest that customer satisfaction is of primary consideration and environmental concerns appear to have been prioritized accordingly. Additional studies undertaken in the United States suggest that the implementation of sustainable initiatives is simply not a tourism industry prerogative. As one study noted, anecdotal evidence would suggest that of more concern (than cost savings) to the hotelier is the impact of environmental initiatives on the perceived quality and service of the hotel.

According to the study corresponding lack of attention to sustainability initiatives among hotel managers mainly due to lack of customer interest. Besides a general unwillingness to assume responsibility for environmental impacts associated with tourism, inter industry rivalry may further encourage a 'free-rider' mentality where tourism operators and businesses are reluctant to adopt sustainable initiatives that would enhance the natural environment and benefit competitors at destination locations. These aspects of the hospitality and tourism industry, where tourism brokers are physically removed from destination locations, may further exacerbate indifference.

Discussion

The hospitality industry is characterized by a high turnover ...