Barriers to sustainable tourism for small hotels in small island developing states and some suggested remedies

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the barriers and difficulties small hotels encounter in Cyprus and to identify possible solutions and remedies. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on both academic and trade literature to explore the challenges facing small hotel operations in Cyprus, both in the South and in the North of the Island and some possible remedies. Interviews with representatives from 12 small hotels across Cyprus were conducted online and in person. Findings Cyprus is a small island that is vulnerable to fluctuations in tourism numbers, has limited economic independence, unique characteristics of biological and cultural diversity, scarce resources and fragile and sensitive ecosystems. The Northern part of the island is more vulnerable and highly dependent on economic support from Turkey. Further, the North has less international support because of its status, while small hotels in the Republic of Cyprus benefit from being able to promote themselves internationally. In contrast, hotels in the North have more limited scope to promote their activity. Originality/value This paper raises awareness of the barriers to sustainable tourism and especially as it relates to small hotels in small island developing states. One of the main findings is that there are common barriers relating to sustainable tourism in both North and South Cyprus.

The Role of Accommodation Enterprises in the Development of Sustainable Tourism

“…These results are similar to the topics such as lack of environmental knowledge and skills, lack of specialized personnel, and high costs discussed in Sucheran's study which was conducted on 60 hotels and that examined obstacles to environmental practices (Sucheran, 2018(Sucheran, , p.1356(Sucheran, -1357. In addition, the results of another research show similarities about the obstacle of seasonality with the findings of present research (Guden et al, 2021).…”

Academic impressions pertaining to the “new normal” in tourism education and practice in accordance with digital technology and creativity

“…Again, subject experts instruct students through distance education, recognized training and training offered by nearby institutes. The participants generally agreed that, in the present, distance learning was safer than in-person instruction (Guden et al. , 2021a, b; Kim et al ., 2021).…”

“…Certainly, the goals of tourism education should be to train future tourism professionals and also assist in the development of important educational projects to attract the attention of domestic tourists and to place more focus on sustainable tourism models such as ecotourism and heritage tourism (Edelheim, 2020; Guden et al ., 2021a, b). By the same token, tourism academics should work toward introducing and developing a sustainable tourism model that could be adopted in tourism-based destinations around the world within the scope of the “new normal” (Guden et al. , 2021a, b).…”

The Sustainable Island Tourism Evaluation Model Using the FDM-DEMATEL-ANP Method

“…Dłu żewska and Giampiccoli [1] thought that the island characteristics related to tourism were isolation (transportation problems) and closed culture/social groups. Guden et al [25] thought that Cyprus's characteristics were vulnerable tourism, limited economic independence, biological and cultural diversity, scarce resources, a fragile and sensitive ecosystem, and a high dependence on economic support from Turkey.…”