PurposeDespite the significant economic contributions of the tourism and hospitality industry, it is also considered an emerging concern for its negative impact on the environment. This study investigated the association between green inclusive leadership (GIL), green human resource management (GHRM), and employee proactive pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). The study also investigated the mediating effect of GHRM between GIL and proactive PEB.Design/methodology/approachHotel employees in Malaysia were the respondents in this study. The researchers used a cross-sectional approach and partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyse the data.FindingsResults found a significant relationship between GIL, GHRM and proactive PEB. Findings of the study revealed that GHRM significantly meditates the relations between GIL and proactive PEB.Practical implicationsThis study presents practical implications for the hotel industry by encouraging employees' environmentally responsible behaviour. Enlightening the role of environmentally open and accepting ways to promote positive employee behaviour is of considerable practical use not solely for the organisations but additionally for culture as a whole.Originality/valueTheoretical contributions are made by constructing a new structural model supported by the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and the induction of GIL, GHRM, and proactive PEB and measuring the factors simultaneously. The study further established the mediating role of GHRM between GIL and proactive PEB.

The objective of this study is to examine the issues and challenges of making a geopark status as a destination brand to promote sustainable tourism. It briefly describes the process of obtaining geopark status based on the experience with Langkawi Island, Malaysia which was designated in 2007. 35 individuals were interviewed representing various important stakeholders such as different level of managers of a development authority, National Tourism Organization, tourism operators and local community concerning their expectations, government initiatives, and acceptance towards promoting Langkawi Geopark as a brand. The findings indicate that most of the stakeholders support and accept the Langkawi Geopark as a global brand that recognised by UNESCO. However, most of them are still confused about the Geopark concept in terms of its implementations and the actions needed to protect the brand. More concerted efforts are needed to create the Geopark brand awareness especially among local community and business operators. It is necessary to educate these stakeholders about the benefits of having the geopark status in order to use the brand to promote sustainable tourism development on the island.

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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the brand identity development efforts of Langkawi Island as one of the most prominent and well-guarded tourism destinations in Malaysia. It will be viewed from the historical perspectives for the last 35 years since the 1980s until the present time as to how this involvement influences the formation of its brand identity and later, the existing destination image. Based on in-depth interviews with eleven different levels of managers of separate divisions for destination management organizations (DMOs) in Langkawi Island, Malaysia, theoretically, the findings provide an opportunity to expand the knowledge of destination brand identity development and the involvement of DMOs in influencing image making over time. Practically, the findings indicate three key important antecedents of brand identity development efforts related to: (1) the effects from multiple positioning themes and slogans, (2) the important of brand coordination, and (3) brand leadership issue. These empirical findings provide new insights into enhancing the theoretical aspect of managing a destination brand, including its close relationship with issues faced by destination marketing organizations in managing destination branding strategy. Thus, using the case study of Langkawi Island, the context of multiple identities or image fragmentation is important to be understood due to the different perceived ideas on how the image should be projected according to stakeholders and market segmentation.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the concept of 2u2i – two years attachment with university and two years attachment with industry – a new learning mode introduced by the Ministry of Education as a strategy to enhance the employability of university undergraduate degree students in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach The new mode of undergraduate degree program requires the university and industry to collaborate on the design of the curriculum and development of student training programs. Based on a series of qualitative discussions, the paper draws on the perspectives of university administrators and selected practitioners from the hospitality and tourism industry who are interested in developing 2u2i curriculum and working together to enhance the overall employability of university graduates. The paper explains the issues and challenges in implementing the 2u2i program at a local public university as a case study in Malaysia. Findings The 2u2i program provides a significant opportunity for industry to collaborate with the university in enhancing competencies and relevant skills among degree graduates so that they are able to excel in the workplace. Some of the issues and challenges involve bureaucratic procedures, time constraints in developing the program with industry, delay in approval procedures of the program and extra costs highlighted in managing the program with industry. Despite several challenges relating to the implementation of the program, it is important for industry to collaborate with universities in designing relevant curriculum to augment the employability skills of university graduates in Malaysia. Originality/value This paper explores different strategies for engaging with industry practitioners so that they are able to work closely with the university in crafting academic curricula in the hospitality and tourism field. This is important because it enhances university graduate employability via a relevant curriculum based on input from the industry.