Content Library | Editorial Notes

Shouldn’t eco hotels have blown by now?

from SAHIC’s Content Center

Sustainability has been on SAHIC’s (and the world’s!) agenda for many years. Yet, in the hotel & tourism industry, we don't see eco hotels blown and over tourism is still a massive problem, which tells us that there is a clear gap between what people say and how they act. In other words, evidence shows that the money is not where the mouth is.

In a recent study, researchers identified some interesting data when comparing “Statements” vs “Behaviour”.  Some of the most interesting findings, regarding their lodging choices, are the following: When asked how likely it was for them to choose their lodging based on its environmental friendliness rather than from price, 50% of them said that would be the case. Yet, behavioral data shows only 6-13% chose lodging properties that prioritize green practices.

Another example of notorious discrepancies between belief & behavior is seen in their transportation choices. When asked if they were likely to choose a method of transportation for its carbon footprint than for convenience, 50% say they would but behavioral data shows that 1 in 10 do so.

The big question is, why?

In the process of trying to understand what causes this gap, 3 clear ideas have been identified:

  1. Travelers find standard for sustainable traveling confusing to keep track of: they are somehow familiar with some environmental initiatives like no littering, recycling, water and electricity conservation during their stay but they still don’t see other aspects of sustainability like over tourism, economical sustainability or going local in their expenditure.

  2. Travelers don’t hold themselves accountable: even when they know what constitutes a non-sustainable practice, travelers don't believe they need to do anything about it as they perceive their actions as insignificant since they take trips once or twice a year (if so), which is a problem because, cumulatively, it does become impactful. Travelers think it is not for them to figure this out but the government, travel providers or destination organizations.

  3. Travelers have internalized that sustainable equals more expensive: whether it's true or not, that's their perception. As per “how much” are they willing to pay extra, the acceptable variance would be around 10 to 15%. 

What then?

Given the situation, it is very likely that the solution comes from understanding people. Where do they find their motivation? On this regard, these 4 initial steps sound like a good start to move forward in this crusade:

  1. Create more available options that meet requirements. Being sustainable on its own is not a value proposition. It has to fulfill travelers' needs. 

  2. Improve communication: green options need to be clearly labeled, demarcated, prominent and easy find and understand (specially if business owners want to charge premium for them)

  3. Push sustainable options at a variety of price points

  4. Educate: build understanding from the ground up.

We look forward to meeting you all in our next meeting - Lima, Peru March 11 & 12 - where we will be hearing from and discussing with industry experts on this subject, understanding what’s in it for the industry makers.