Sustainability Indicators for Tourism Smes: Application to Portuguese Context

Abstract

Tourism has been a fundamental pillar for the development of the Portuguese economy and has supported and stimulated new opportunities. However, for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the hospitality sector, and given their specific characteristics, there are no specific indicators to monitor sustainability, and they are only based on existing generic models such as ETIS, WTO, and Green Globe. Given the complexity of the indicators in these models and their comprehensive vision, it makes it difficult for hospitality SMEs that have limited resources

Environmentally responsible consumption by rural tourists in Rio Grande do Sul—Brazil

“…The answers were homogeneous, as 31% strongly agreed, 16% partially agreed, 25% neither disagreed nor agreed, 18% partially disagreed, and 10% strongly disagreed. These are activities outlined by Silva and Almeida [33] , who describe rural tourism as a more restricted modality than tourism in rural areas, as it would be reserved only for cases in which traditional rural activities (agriculture, extractives, and fishing) play some role in the visit.…”

Strengthening the Resilience and Perseverance of Rural Accommodation Enterprises in the Iberian Depopulated Areas through Enterprise Architecture

“…Understand the consumer criteria for rural tourism products and apply sustainable development indicators such as ETIS, WTO, and Green Globe to Portuguese hospitality SMEs [3]. In addition, reducing energy consumption and introducing renewable energy sources in the accommodation sector [48] that are aligned with customer preferences [49], including solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass, can help reduce CO 2 emissions [10].…”

“…While seasonality provides opportunities for economic expansion and tourism development [45], the mismatch between accommodation capacity and demand results in persistently low occupancy rates [50], leading to economic vulnerability and a high debt burden for small and medium enterprises in the sector [52]. Short-term measures reflect a need for long-term strategies and sustainability indicators [3].…”

“…While seasonality provides opportunities for economic expansion and tourism development [45], the mismatch between accommodation capacity and demand results in persistently low occupancy rates [50], leading to economic vulnerability and a high debt burden for small and medium enterprises in the sector [52]. Short-term measures reflect a need for long-term strategies and sustainability indicators [3]. The Spanish government's Horizons 2020 tourism plan emphasizes the importance of cultural heritage in attracting tourists to combat seasonality by attracting visitors outside the high season [53].…”

“…However, the aftermath of the pandemic felt worldwide, especially the moments of dejection, has confirmed that remote work is possible, shifted the focus away from sustainability, and brought the world's citizens back closer to nature [2]. Therefore, in the context of the evolving digital transformation and the changing behavior of tourists [3], especially in areas with low population density [4], the adaptation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector, especially accommodation businesses, is crucial [5]. This requires a focus on digital experiences, quality assurance, and sustainability measures, including certifications [6] and leveraging the potential of smart tourism to serve a new type of digitally savvy tourist [7][8][9] while addressing challenges related to energy sustainability [10], telecommunication, and remote work opportunities [2].…”