GREEN HOTELS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES: THE CHALLENGE OF TRAVEL BEHAVIOUR CHANGE

Abstract

A hotel with a sound green image can achieve cost reduction from the use of energy and water, appeal to investors, attract and retain highly motivated employees and cultivate guest loyalty, thereby securing top market share and position. From the other hand, as climate change is expected to affect tourism more than most other economic sectors, it should be in the tourism sector's own interest to make a considerable contribution to emission reductions, even though there is also a clear ethical and moral dimension with regard to the human suffering caused by climate change. This paper shows that hotels use cleaner technologies in their operations in order to attract green consumers and so policy makers need to consider the effectiveness of promoting changes in travel behaviour due to sustainable reasons. Their managers are convinced that the concepts of tourism and environment are interrelated because tourism can’t be developed without the natural environment.