Environmental management in slovenian tourist enterprises

Abstract

The attitudes towards the natural environment and its uses are becoming an issue of global concern. Climate change and the associated natural disasters have created a demand for different practices in the use of natural and environmental goods in a more long-term, sustainable way to reduce the damage caused by different economic and human activities. Such activities also include leisure and tourist activities where the focus should be on sustainable tourism development to strike a balance between economic interests and ecological requirements. The EU has adopted and implemented programmes for sustainable development where special support is devoted to the sustainable economic development of different economic activities. Considering the level of economic development and Slovenia's membership in the EU since 2004, it is surprising that in the field of tourism there is only one certified enterprise or product with the EU Eco-label in Slovenia. This is even more striking if we consider the fact that ecological policies have already been implemented at the government level for few years and that based on the rate of biodiversity Slovenia is among the richest regions of the EU (Natura 2000). There are specific ecological programmes to protect the environment, but few in the field of tourism in comparison to some other EU countries. So far, there is only one registered tourist enterprise 'Spa Snovik' near Kamnik in Slovenia that is certified with the Eco-label. Moreover, 'Spa Radenci' and 'Spa Snovik' are the only tourist suppliers with the ISO 14001 certificate for the integrated management of the environment. In this study, we aim to explain why Slovenian tourist suppliers are reluctant to introduce standards with eco-labels and other ecological symbols. We analyse the costs and benefits of environmental management in tourist enterprises by considering the importance of brand name and image building, which are important for competitive position in tourist markets.

Is ISO 14001 certification really good to the company? a critical analysis

“…Bojnec (2009), Cañón-de-Francia & Garcés-Ayerbe (2009),Aiyub et al (2009),Kehbila et al (2009),Iraldo et al (2009),Turner (2009), Oliveira & Serra (2010), Oliveira et al (2010), Heras-Saizarbitoria & Arana (2010), Heras-Saizarbitoria et al (2013), Oliveira & Serra (2010), Zeng et al (2008), Chan (2010), Marimon et al (2010), Brendler & Brandli (2011), Borella & Naime (2012), Simon et al (2012), Whitford & Tucker (2012), Ferron et al (2012), Tarí et al (2012), de Vries et al (2012), Gavronski et al (2013), Seijo-García et al (2013), Kadasah (2013), Zobel (2013), Alemagi et al (2006), Lagodimos et al (2007) and Eng Ann et al (2006) Legislations Constant changes in countries' environmental standards Oliveira & Serra (2010), Oliveira et al (2010), Oliveira & Serra (2010), Agan et al (2013), Silveira et al (2013), Schylander & Martinuzzi (2007) and Zeng et al (2008) Governament Agencies Difficulties imposed by government agencies as a result of the laws in the countries Aiyub et al (2009), Oliveira & Serra (2010), Heras-Saizarbitoria & Arana (2010), Oliveira & Serra (2010), Bernardo et al (2012), Agan et al (2013) and Halila & Tell (& Chou (2009), Alemagi et al (2006) Documentation Difficulty in recovering all the documentation involved in obtaining environmental cycles Brendler & Brandli (2011) and Zeng et al (2008) Lack of Motivacional Incentive Lack of senior management incentive with employees to meet ISO 14001 certification requirements Chan (2010) and Zeng et al (2008) Cultural Change Changes in the company's internal culture with the implementation of ISO 14001 Simon et al (2011)…”

Spatial planning of tourism in protected nature areas in Slovenia and the tourism carrying capacity of Škocjan Caves Regional Park

“…To a large extent, the development of sustainable and eco-tourism in protected natural areas is the recommended practice. However, there are some shortcomings in the implementation of such plans: the shortage of qualified labour; lack of financing and appropriate expertise; lack of interest in municipalities; and lack of political support-not to mention problems stemming from the reorganisation of states at the local governance level, and almost non-existent inter-sectoral mutual interest and cooperation (Jurinčič and Bojnec, 2009).…”

Exploring the organisational culture construct for small and medium enterprises in the ecotourism of emerging economies

“…In Europe, eco-labelling and eco-certifi cates are issued to those tourist organisations whose products and services have met the standard of being environmentally friendly [6]. Bio-hotels, the European Blue Flag, Eco-label, Green Globe 21 and Nordic Swan are among the many environmentally-conscious programmes that have been implemented in Europe [7]. These have shown to us some examples of practices for organisations to effectively minimise the negative impacts of tourism on the environment.…”

“…In addition, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is argued to result in curbing the negative impact of tourism companies' business activities on the environment [8]. However, in less developed countries among the European Union, such as Slovenia, only a few tourist areas have specifi c environmental protection programmes because of limited resources and expertise, despite the well-known benefi ts of such programmes [7]. Similar scenarios occur in many countries of emerging economies.…”