CO2 Neutrality of Small and Medium-Sized Hotels – Publicity Stunt or Sustainable Competitive Advantage?

Abstract

The topic of climate protection is steadily gaining importance in public discussion. This paper shows that CO2 emissions are also gaining significant influence on booking behaviour in tourism. At the same time, it can be demonstrated in the context of a large-scale survey that with a growing desire for CO2 neutrality, higher accommodation rates are also accepted. Large hotel chains already regularly have integrated sustainable thinking into their daily routine. SMEs currently have some catching up to do. While hotel groups are accused of greenwashing, SMEs can generate a competitive advantage through individual, traceable measures.