Developing a Model for Sustainable Hotels in Northern Cyprus

Abstract

Abstract:The purpose of this work is to develop a sustainable hotel building model (SHBM) that will allow for the measurement of sustainability in determining what conditions are most ideal for hotels in Northern Cyprus. This research method is based on the synthesis of international sustainable building assessment criteria from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the localization of these criteria in Northern Cyprus. Thus, this article proposes an SHBM, which is especially localized for Northern Cyprus that can be used for new hotel buildings' design and construction and renovations of existing buildings as well as to measure their sustainability regarding environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects. To serve this purpose, various methods of measurement of sustainability and green certificates (both qualitative and quantitative), global in scale were studied, which provided the basis for the development of the SHBM and local conditions of Northern Cyprus. Six hotels of differing sizes were studied in order to understand localized situation, conditions and priorities. The results of this study suggest that to have a more sustainable hotel in the aimed context, hotels of different scales (based on bed capacity and classification) must be evaluated adopting the SHBM model to achieve a better result for the sustainability of large-scale as well as small-scale hotels. In addition, this model helps the tourism industry and the hotel sector of Northern Cyprus benefit from sustainability in terms of environmental, economic and sociocultural aspects, which consequently help the local community in several ways.

Environmental awareness and guests’ intention to visit green hotels: The mediation role of consumption values

“…In the recent time, studies about green hotels in north Cyprus hotel industry are becoming significant. Record shows that most of the 5-star hotels in north Cyprus are implementing eco-friendly hotel [ 77 ]. However, some small and medium-sized hotels managers are yet to have adequate understanding and benefits of green hotels, and they failed to tender towards green hotels.…”

A Model for External Walls Selection in Hot and Humid Climates

“…However, this is no guarantee for the maximum efficiency since the incorporation of insulation with such materials may have more potential for energy efficiency as well as improving thermal comfort condition as it has been investigated and proved by the results of this study. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the building codes and combine the guidelines with that of the broad and locally used materials [61] and construction techniques for the maximum efficiency. It is worth mentioning that besides benefiting from insulation potential for energy efficiency [62], generally, employing insulation in wall configuration escalates the risk for condensation [63] due to the physical properties of the insulating materials that are mostly porous (as also seen in the results of this study).…”

Implications of BREEAM Sustainability Assessment on the Design of Hotels

“…According to a study from WTTC (World Travel and Tourism Council), Travel and Tourism was the sector with the fastest growth in 2018 (3.1%), ahead of the Construction (2,8%) and Banking (2.6%) sectors. In addition, Travel and Tourism sustained a total of 319 million jobs across the world and induced 10% of all jobs, exceeding the impacts of the Financial, Health and Banking sectors, among others [2,3]. The contribution of the Tourism sector is specified in Target 8.9 "By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products" [8].…”

“…Tourism is one of the most powerful drivers of development for the world economy and in particular, international tourism has been considered as a tool for development in emerging economies. Developing countries are leaders in including sustainability procedures for building and hotels are becoming more eco-friendly by including environmental standards in their design, architecture and management [2,3].…”

“…Hotels are key in this process of sustainability; in places where tourism is the main contributor to GDP (Gross Domestic Product), the addition of a sustainable design and sustainable certifications for new buildings and renovations is crucial [3]. For a decade, the Hospitality sector has been pressured to include environmental strategies and reduce the carbon footprint by government legislation, in order to minimize its impact on the environment [4,5].…”