Energy practices among small- and medium-sized tourism enterprises: a case of misdirected effort?

Abstract

Discussion of sustainable tourism has become dominated by the issue of climate change. As a major source of emissions, the tourism sector has a vital role to play in efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. Within the current body of knowledge and among major policy discourses, the prevailing paradigm has been to encourage action: reduced emissions will follow innovations in managerial practices and the uptake of the latest, most resource-efficient technologies. This paper examines energy practices among small-and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs), reporting empirical research conducted as part of a five-year programme. Although energy was a significant cost of production, it did not feature prominently in the business administration of most SMTEs. A major knowledge gap was exposed regarding how energy was consumed and administered by individual businesses. The paper argues for a major shift in thinking away from the number of actions as the key success criterion. Action alone is no guarantee of emissions reductions in a sector where growth is the dominant imperative.Instead, a crucial reorientation towards stimulating higher levels of energy literacy among SMTEs is necessary in parallel to rebalancing of attention towards energy generation.

Approaching the Sustainable Development Practices in Mountain Tourism in the Romanian Carpathians

“…The interviews were recorded, and the transcripts of each record were created and, based on them, the authors have processed and analyzed the collected information. The pillars that were the base of the interview guide are: nominating indicators of sustainable development [51,61,69,75,[96][97][98][99] and their implication in the process of planning and adopting decision policies [100]. The semi-structured in-depth interview was undertaken at the accommodation units' headquarters between January and May 2017.…”

“…In Canada (Whistler, British Columbia-one of the largest mountain resorts in North America), tourism contributes approximately 65% of the total emissions due to energy and gas consumption [36]. The accommodation units' comfort level is an element that influences the energy expenditures and at international level this indicator lies within large limits, between 2.9% and 21.8% [51]. Studies conducted in China, in Heilongjiang province, highlighted that tourism contributes to 48.5% of the economic development of the province, but at the same time, is responsible for 47.9% of the negative impact on the environment [45].…”

“…Compared to Poland, where 85% of the analyzed accommodation units monitor their energy costs [14], the gap is huge. Nevertheless, it is important to mention that tracking bills is a priority for managers mainly from the costs point of view, the ecological aspect being often neglected [51]. In Romania, electricity and gas prices have increased.…”

Carbon villains? Climate change responses among accommodation providers in historic premises

“…The results of this stage have been reported in detail elsewhere (Coles et al 2013;Coles, Zschiegner and Dinan 2014;Coles, Dinan and Warren 2014). Of relevance here is that there was no significant difference in the number of, and level of total investment in, pro-environmental innovations among properties of different age.…”

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IN HOTELS: SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES AND PRACTICES APPLIED IN HOTELs1

“…In this sense, tourism-related businesses have sought to adapt to the new trend of incorporating environmentally responsible practices and technologies in many different levels, from change in behaviors to the use of EMSs -Environmental Management Systems (Hsiao et al 2014;Cumo et al 2015;Coles et al 2016;Pace, 2016).…”