Good environmental practices for hospitality and tourism

Abstract

PurposeThere is a consensus about the negative effects of transportation and some activities related to hospitality on the environment. In this sense, several proposals have been pointed out to pursue environmental sustainability of tourism activities and minimize their impact on climate change. In particular, some applications of information and communication technologies (ICT) have a direct contribution to the reduction of the demand of supplies and energy by the hospitality industry. The present paper has a double aim: first, to focus on evaluating the potential of several ICT applications to reduce the environmental impact of hospitality and tourism activities. Second, considering the Spanish tourism industry, the paper aims to analyze the level of development of the environmentally sustainable technologies and the difficulties experienced in their implementation as well as the future challenges.Design/methodology/approachA content analysis was conducted based on the literature in hospitality.FindingsThe use of online promotion and booking, information analysis and report management systems, ERP systems, ICT systems connected to providers, GPS and ambient intelligence, among others, may help hospitality companies to minimize the environmental impact of their activities.Originality/valueTaking into consideration the evidence obtained from Spain, the second tourism destination in the world, the paper provides a set of implications for practitioners and policy makers that may orientate their decisions on ICT for the tourism and hospitality industry.

Determinants of successful revenue management

“…In line with our first hypothesis, the five-star hotels exhibited a degree of implementation 96 points higher than both three- and four-star establishments[7]. Ruiz‐Molina et al (2010) reported a similar divide between five- and three-/four-star hotels attributed to the greater availability of resources in higher-category hotels and to three-star hotels’ strong bid in trying to equal four-star establishments in terms of implementation of new technologies. Other studies have also reported on the importance of category (number of stars) in regards to hotel pricing and competitiveness (Becerra et al , 2013) as well as its specific impact on RM penetration (Abrate et al , 2012; Oliveira et al , 2013; Xiaowen et al , 2013; Talón-Ballestero and González-Serrano, 2013).…”

The Importance of Sustainability in Diving Tourism—The Case of German Speaking Diving Tourists

“…The connection between technology and sustainability in (sports) tourism can be closely linked to the use of renewable energies. In this area, reference is made to the work of Yaw [40] and Ruiz-Molina, Gil-Saura, and Moliner-Velázquez [41] as examples. Regarding the dimension of policy, reference is made to the importance of internationally recognized rules for tourism [42], especially the interaction of different stakeholders in destinations as a network [43][44][45].…”

Path analysis of the revisit potential of an iconic tourism destination

“…Anyway, all tourism transaction as transportation and activities related to hospitality may be hindrances in undertaking the environmental sustainability of tourism systems. The application of online booking and promotion, information and management systems transmission, other mode of internet-based tourism activities as ICT systems, AI and GPS that are connected to hospitality and tourism providers may help these companies decrease their environmental and cultural impact [27]. Interpretation plays an important role in the tourism industry.…”