Tuesday, April 2, 2019

The Green Concept In The Hotel Industry

The chiliad innovation In The Hotel IndustryTourism industry is one of the leading industries around the world. It has been prove that this industry generates billions of money and it overly helps people around the world to pop off and change magnitude their knowledge ab proscribed separatewise cultures and languages. But unfortunately, after thousands of age we strand out that the tourism industry bugger off a controvert impact on the environment. However, thither has been aw arness both for the research athletic field and people since decades in the comfortion of the environment, and the need to safeguard the natural resources for the next tense generation. This aw beness has spread all over the world starting prototypal in US and Europe. The chiliad lend oneselfs were put into achievement after the business deal Mauritius make with France for the contract of Maurice Ile Durable. The population of Mauritius comprising both consumers and producers assume recen tly shown an growing concern about the environmental impact of harvest-tides Considerable attention has been direct toward cat valium products such as organic foods, reclaimable paper, phosphate-free detergents, faculty-efficient lighting. Consumers make product choices establish on which combination of product attri scarcees that meet their needs based on dimensions of value, represent, and prior satisfaction (Kotler, 1997). Considering the tourism industry in Mauritius, we give the sack say that it is the leading growth sector. Somehow the country depends a mess on this industry and same as foreign countries, Mauritius also has made a lot of evolution. Big hotels were built in every coastal theater to accommodate holidaymakers and the minister of tourism has also embellished our historical gardens and other visiting sites. It is also well known that tourists are attracted by the 3S of our country, that is, the sea, solarise and the sand. Mauritius is a small Island and we must conserve and preserve the natural resources and also protect the environment surrounding us. As mentioned above, same as in Goa, Mauritius as well is facing serious problems concerning pollution and over habituate of resources. At present hotels, travelers and other tourism industries are aware of the measures that should be askn to preserve the nature together with the satisfaction of customers. This is why, nowadays it arse be seen that in that respect are hotels that are innovating into green hotels and more than green hotels are built so as to be sustainable.2.1 The Green Concept in the hotel industryThe Green concept of the hotel industry is an growing in awareness since the late 1980s. The hotel sector is said to be one of the virtually energy and water intensive sectors in the tourism industry. (Bohdanowicz, 2005). When hotels are constructed there is a need to make use of the environments resources the like the land. Hotels can ferment in different parts of the environment. The facilities like comfortable services, supplies (heating, cooling, lighting, ventilation, etc) to customers are unavoidable for their operations. (Bohdanowicz, 2005 Han et al., 2009). All these are said to be contributions to negative impacts on the environment. However, the victor of the tourism industry, as well as the hotel sector will depends on the availability of a clean environment. Hotels operation lead to pollution, snitch, and other elements map out a threat for the environment. The Green concept in this context is to operate these elements into a cycle process that will cause less impose on _or_ oppress to the environment. It is believed that hotels pose produced great harm to the environment by, for example, consuming vast quantities of non recyclable products that generate tremendous waste, consuming substantial amounts of water and energy and emitting nose candy dioxide and air, water and soil pollutants (Bohdanowicz, 2005 Chan, 2005). c oncord to Wolfe and Shanklin (2001), the term green, which can alternatively be called eco- chummy, environmentally responsible, environmentally friendly, sustainable and environmentally oriented (Han et al., 2009 Pizam, 2009), are referred to actions (for e.g. recycling) that minimize harmful impacts on the environment.Green hotels are therefore described as environmentally responsible hotels that actively follow environmentally friendly guidelines, practice environmental management, implement diverse eco-friendly practices, institute sound green programs and move over themselves to achieving environmental improvement by displaying eco-labels or a green world logo (Department of Environmental Protection, 2001 Green Hotel Association, 2008 Han et al., 2009, 2010 International Hotels Environmental Initiative, 1993). in that location is a public concern over environmental damage and customers desire for environmentally oriented products lead stimulated hotel operators to green the ir operations (Han et al., 2009 Manaktola Jauhari, 2007 Wolfe Shanklin, 2001). Researchers and practitioners agree that the green of a hotel contributes to satisfying eco-friendly customers green needs, avoids criticism of existing tourism practices, fulfils the requirements of authorities regulations and substantially decreases be through waste reduction, water or energy conservation and recycling (Chan, 2005 Han et al., 2009 Wolfe Shanklin,2001).2.2 The Green BuildingGreen building is a new term which refers to environmentally friendly practices from the building design to the landscape choice. With the introduction of sustainable development, building also need to be sustainable because buildings generate large amount of wastes from its construction and during its lifetime. And these wastes impacts on the surroundings, the environment and the people.According to Scatterfield (2009) the less impact a building has on human health and the environment, the more green it is. A green building can cost a lot at the beginning, but is profitable in the eagle-eyed run. It brings more benefits such as less pollution, more comfort for the employees and guests, and increase in productivity. The U.S Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2010 organised a aspiration with the aim to identify the best and brightest vision in the designing of an environmentally friendly hotel retinue. The title of the competition was the sustainable Suite Design Competition. The decide have to consider several elements such as the resources efficiency of the suite (water, energy and materials), the guest room overall attributes, innovation nad esthetic and lastly the cost associated with the design of the suite. The winners name was Haptik. The techniques developed by Haptik concerns the save of energy in the room by using the PIS which is the passive infrared emission sensors. The PIS switch off light automatically when nobody is in the room. Haptik utilised the Trombe wall in the b athroom which uses sunlight to heat the water. A mildew of the suite was shown to the public during the HD Expo 2010.2.2.1 The Green Building CertificateThere are several certifications given to hotel all over the world to gain them to move towards eco friendly attitude. The certification involves specific norms from energy saving to waste water disposal. Having a certification is often considered as a merchandise tool also. The certifications are often internationally known.2.3 The Green TouristNowadays, tourists are showing preferences for destinations that protect and preserve the environment. In the literature there has been a tendency to use the terms green and sustainable interchangeably. However, there are very distinct differences between the two. Green is defined as a product or service that is both environmentally and socially responsible. It is accountable to and respectful of the rear ends and people that provide and use them (Mc Laren, 2006). Sustainable is defined as the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Brundtland, 1987). Green Tourism is defined by the Green Association as travel and exploration within and around an area that offers visitors enjoyment and appreciation of the areas natural assets and cultural resources, epoch inspiring physically active, intellectually stimulating and socially interactive experiences (Blackstone Corporation, 1996). The United Nations designated the year 2000 as the international year of Ecotourism. Eco tourists or green tourists attempt to travel in a manner non harmful to the environment. To travel green path to travel responsibly while conserving the environment and minimizing the social, cultural and ecological impacts, a green tourist enables other people to visit the same place later and still enjoy the same experience. Green tourism is edifying because travelers learn their destination and local people learn w hat to appreciate what they have to offer. It supports the integrity of the place because conscientious travelers desire out things that are mark of the locality in terms of architecture, cuisine, heritage or environment. Quality non quantity should be the goal of Green Tourism, therefore permanence and greatness of experience is what both parties are striving for.According to environmentalists, the Green employment was put into action when the view of the Earth was broadcasted through satellites programs. From that moment itself an increase concern to protect the earths fragility, and there is a need to conserve and protect it. This is the result in an increase of awareness of the following terms like the ozone layer, greenhouse effect and acid rain. (Walker, 2000). Despite the complexities surrounding green carriage the tourism industry is still keen to understand how the green concerns of consumers check to tourists and how the concerns convert to travel- or holiday-relate d behavior. Moreover, Peattie (2001) has claimed that although all consumers are green consumers at some(a) point in their lives, just about green purchases involve a trade-off. These compromises include devoteing a green premium or accepting a lower standard product or service for better eco fulfillance. However, differences in concerns and behaviors among tourists highlight the lack of homogeneity in this market. For example, concerns about the impact of direct and conservation of wildlife tend to be more mainstream get bys, whereas erosion of recreational areas by walking or riding may only concern ceding back market subdivisions, such as eco-tourists, environmentally responsible tourists or dear(p) tourists, which are the alternative terms given to green tourists ( Horner and Swarbrooke, 2006 ). These differences have been explained harmonise to four factors awareness and knowledge of the issues attitudes towards the environment in general other priorities in life in formation obtained from the media and pressure groups and their health, family commitments and housing ( Horner and Swarbrooke, 2006, p. 181 ).Although some in the tourism industry question whether the environmental concerns of tourists influence decision making, there is evidence that some tourists may choose anairline based on their environmental management practices ( Horner and Swarbrooke, 2006 ). They may also boycott events involving animal cruelty (for example, bull-fights) or campaign against tourism development that destroys wildlife habitats. Furthermore, the extent of change varies from one case of tourist to other. The very dark green consumers may convert their beliefs into action by not taking holidays away from home so as to prevent harm to the environment and in doing so do not become tourists. On the other hand, the not all green tourist may show only a passing interest by reading about the environmental issues caused by tourism (Hornermand Swarbrooke, 2006).2.4 Attitudes towards the Green useOver the last few decades, protecting the environment has been a major issue in our society (Easterling et al., 1996). Recognizing the seriousness of ecological problems, people have become change magnitudely environmentally conscious. This ecological awareness has led an increase number of someones to engage in environmentally friendly behaviors in their everyday lives. (Kalafatis et al., 1999 Laroche et al., 2001). In addition, Amyx et al. (1994) has focused on the perceived enormousness of the environment to the stratum to which individuals express their consciousness of environmental issues. In conceptualizing the perceived importance of the environment as the direct indicator of attitudes toward environmentally compatible behaviors, Laroche et al. (2001) determined the takes of these attitudes by whether individuals considered eco-friendly behaviors to be crucial to themselves or the entire society. This ATGB mainly involves the perceive d importance or inconvenience of environmental consciousness, the severity of environmental problems, and the level of office of corporations (Laroche et al., 2001 McCarty and Shrum, 1994 Roberts, 1996). In other words, individuals ATGB can be established by the level of their awareness of these dimensions of ATGB for themselves and for society as a whole. Some researchers has also pointed out that only a small portion of environmentally conscious customers very purchases eco-friendly products in the marketplace because of high monetary and non-monetary costs and inconvenience (Maibach, 1993 Roberts, 1996).However, many findings indicated that more environmental concern tends to result in more environmentally friendly buying behaviors (e.g., Kalafatis et al., 1999 Laroche et al., 2001 Manaktola and Jauhari, 2007). Consumers may be willing to purchase environmentally-friendly products but are faced with constraints or conflicts that create a resistance to adopting pro-environmenta l behavior. For example, consumers may take to be environmentally responsible but still want to maintain their existing life-style (Schwartz, 1990 McDaniel and Rylander, 1993). They may not be prepared to sacrifice convenience (Simon, 1992 Stern, 1999), accept lower motion levels, or concede a price premium (Peattie, 1999b). Based on Ajzens (1988) theory of think behaviour consumers environmental purchasing intentions and behaviour may be influenced by a number of factors, such as the individuals knowledge and motivation, the ability to perform the behaviour and the opportunity to behave in an environmentally-friendly way (Pieters, 1989 O lander and Thgersen, 1995).2.5 Tourists willingness to buy Green ProductsProducts are defined as environmentally friendly if in some way they aim at reducing a products negative environmental impact. Some authors have conjureed that the failure to reassure consumers on the products functional deed was partly attributable to the early failur e of many environmentally-friendly products (e.g. Davis, 1993 Ottman, 1999). Although it has been found that some consumers may, for example, accept a lower functional performance in order to buy a product that delivers environmental benefits, the environmental benefit in itself is neither the primary benefit sought nor the primary motivation for purchase (Speer, 1997 Ottman, 2001). As Wong et al. (1996) observed Green is seldom the over-riding determinant of product or brand choice but just another benefit or attribute that adds value, usually a feel good factor to the overall product. (Wong et al., 1996, p. 269).Some marketers appear to have overlooked this and sour that an environmental positioning alone was sufficient to guarantee product success (Ottman, 1995). Product performance appears to play a key role in influencing consumer adoption and retention of environmental products. So, when there is consumer skepticism of the relative performance of environmental products or a performance gap exists (i.e.consumer expectations of the products performance have not matched up to the in-use experience), this may strongly influence the products acceptance (Wong et al., 1996).Within the hotel sector, increasing numbers of customers prefer to choose a green lodging adroitness that follows environmentally friendly practices, showing concern about the seriousness of ecological degradation (Han, Hsu, Sheu, 2010 Manaktola Jauhari, 2007). In recognition of this eco-friendly consumption need, nowadays many hotel firms seek to incorporate customers emerging concerns about the environment in their management or a marketing decision-making (Bohdanowicz, 2006 Lee, Hsu, Han, Kim, 2010 Mensah, 2006). Altering their hotel operations to be green (i.e. importantly reducing environmental impacts) is becoming a necessity to attain marked improvement in their competitiveness in the market (Han, Hsu, Lee, 2009 Manaktola Jauhari, 2007). One of the most credible pieces of evi dence demonstrating the increase of environmentally friendly customer behaviors is the change magnitude number of customers who have a strong intention to pay more for green products (Laroche, Bergeron, Barbaro-Forleo, 2001). In the hotel context, in reality, green hotel prices do not significantly differ from those of comparable conventional (or non-green) hotels (Han et al., 2009 Manaktola Jauhari, 2007). The green hotel operators interest is in whether travelers are willing to pay comparable regular-hotel prices for their hotel, perhaps sacrificing little conveniences while staying at their green hotel (reusing towels, limited use of disposable products, use of recycled products/furniture, recycling bins, buffet-style foods without garnishes, meeting tables without tablecloths, minimized decor, non-smoking areas, dispensers for soap/shampoo, etc.). For consumers who are more receptive to environmental products and purchase them through choice, there may be a segment that are willing to pay more for the environmental benefit. But, whilst some authors hint that consumers are willing-to-pay more for an environmentally-friendly products (Kassarjian, 1971 Freeman, 1989 Klein, 1990 McCloskey, 1990 Kapelianis et al., 1996 Laroche et al., 2001), others suggest otherwise (Wood, 1990 Simon, 1992 Sims, 1993). Marketplace examples also suggest that in reality consumers are not always prepared to pay the premium prices suggested by research (Fuller, 1999). Although our knowledge about consumers acceptance of pay a higher price for environmentally-friendly products appears to be inconsistent and inconclusive, it has often been found that consumers will pay on average around 5 pct more (Schwartz, 1990 Kapelianis et al., 1996 Speer, 1997).2.6 Cost of going green in the hotel industryWith a broadly point of view, there are two approaches in the environmental cost analysis. One emphasizes the costs associated with environmental damage and its remediation, the other str esses on the price of control. In practice, this damage costing approach faces some essential problems in estimating the environmental impact as described by Bernow at al. (1991). Hotel developers still face specific barriers in developing and operating green properties, such as finding vendors, contractors, engineers, housekeepers, landscapers and managers that understand new systems, products and procedures. Complicating matters for hotels is to cover the normal hotel management and franchise agreements. The highly structures arrangements negotiated between hotels owners and hotel managers have not withal addressed a number of issues raised by green development, redevelopment or operation that affects the bottom line of both entities.Finally, there is the issue of meeting the expectations of paying guests. Although we believe guests expect hotels to operate in an environmentally conscious fashion, it may also be that those same guests may have unrealistic expectations of luxury and comfort in terms of green operation. To take simple example, do hotels still need to put out individual shampoo bottles and does the spa need to smell faintly like centilitre to satisfy guests expectations. The costs arising from the implementation of ISO 14001 include those associated with initial set up, alimentation and improvement (Chin et al., 1998). The price of initial set up refers to all costs associated with the provision of hardware and software facilities, plus tools for establishing the system in submission with the ISO 14000 EMS standards.

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