Environmental Sustainability Practices in Hotels: From Attitudes to Implementation Case of Resort Hotels in Bishoftu, Ethiopia

Abstract

Tourism usually consumes natural resources. This behavior demands better environmental management that Leads to sustainability. This research aimed to ascertain the operational environmental sustainability practices of Bishoftu resort hotels. Managers attitude and factors affecting performance are also identified. A mixed research design is applied to the study. Quantitative data were gathered from hotel managers through a self-administered questionnaire, and qualitative data were collected through the semi-structured interview from hotel managers and observation on the ground. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and thematic analysis, respectively. The environmental practice indicators were examined under the groups of water-saving, energy-saving, green purchase, waste management, and creation of clean air. The results show, that the installation of energy-efficient bulbs and key card/sensor for light, using energy-efficient appliances, the installation of dual toilet and other low-flow water technologies, reuse items like used water for gardening and cloth napkins, and buying of local products were implemented at significant level in sample hotels. But environmental certification program, setting up polices and targets, using alternative fuels and energy sources, and participating in carbon offset projects implementation were insignificant. The results also revealed that more than 99% of hotel managers possess positive attitudes but low level of performance because of owners’ less awareness and commitment, low applicability of government rules and regulation on the ground, and the absence of incentives and motivation mechanism for better achievement. The literature to date researched more on corporate level issue, and their targets were external stakeholders and limited departments. But this research examined environmental sustainability practices at the core hotel outlets and property level where policies and programs are into practice. The study’s findings provide practical guidance for hotel managers who seek to implement sustainability practices. The information reported in this study would be valuable and useful for the local government and hotel companies in the region as well.

1. Introduction

The debate on sustainability issue within tourism and hospitality sector has become viral nowadays. Within this debate, it is argued that modern hotel management should appreciate that the power of socio-environmental transformation is increasingly latent. Available evidence also further emphasizes that green products and services have gained tremendous attention, because customers are more concerned with environmental sustainability and worried about the deteriorating environment. However, a number of challenges have been highlighted that impede the implementation of the sustainability paradigm within the hotel industry [1]. Currently in every corner of the world, there is an increment of awareness about human being interfere toward environment in terms of deforestation, pollution, and wastes. This environmental interfere has led to destruction and excessive use of natural resources, especially water, forests, and natural landscape [1, 2]. These environmental destructions reveal that individuals’ attitudes influence their behavior with regard to the environment. Currently, the environmental issue is not only a concern of manufacturing sector around the world but also the focus area of hotel industry, which can be affected by climate change impacts [3, 4]. The characteristics of tourism and hospitality industry in the world are similar, but the performance level and the managers’ environmental attitude may differ from country to country [5].

Environmental management leads to reduce environmental damage that supports the concept of sustainability [6, 7]. Sustainability process can help a wide range of sectors including tourism and hospitality to minimize environmental damages, which is not only about minimizing uses of energy, water, and amount of waste produced, but also give attention to social responsibility and the economic benefits as cost-saving [8, 9]. Analyzing hotel managers’ attitudes about environmental management is important because of their attitudes, and performance is directly related [10].

Inefficient use of energy, water, and waste from tourism and hotel activities generally has a significant impact on natural resources and environment [11, 12]. Thus, tourism and hospitality industry emit greenhouse gases (GHGs), which contribute to environmental pollution and climate change [13]. So, tourism and hospitality industry must have to manage early toward sustainability in order to reduce their negative impact on the environment. It also helps hotels to be economically cost-effective and provide healthy environment to hotel guests and community around.

The tourism and hospitality industry are highly dependent on natural environment that is very sensitive and needs attention. In Ethiopian case, even though the sector has not been well developed, currently there is progressive development in the area that gives hope in the future if the current attention from government side is continued strongly. Despite the positive signs of development in the sector, first there were still observed gaps with respect to sustainability of the resorts due to current and future environmental degradation. Second, hotel mangers environmental attitude, the level of performance, and problems that hinder adoption of green practice were not well identified and worked on in the region. If the owners and managers of resort resources are not given attention and aware of the significance of managing such resources in a sustainable manner, the problems could be contained.

So to overcome the currently observed environmental issues, research that identifies the critical gaps in the management of resort hotels and the challenges that are facing the wetlands surrounding them, and recommendation on how to handle the issues to the government and all stake holders are also crucial. However, there has not been research in Ethiopia concerning hospitality sector mangers with respect to environmental issues and current adoption level of practices. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to understand attitudes of resort hotel managers and the adoption level of environmental sustainability practices. Specifically the goals of the study are as follows: (1) to understand attitudes of managers in terms of perceived benefits, environmental knowledge, and subjective norms; (2) to identify social factors can influence manager’s attitudes; and (3) to identify key issues influencing adoption of environmental sustainability. To achieve the purpose of the survey, this study examined top managers’ environmental attitudes toward environmentally friendly practices, currently adopted green practices, and the most important factors influencing adoption of those actions.

2. Literature review

2.1 Concept of sustainability

The sustainable development in tourism and hospitality covers three sustainability areas that are economic, environmental, and social versions [14]. Sustainability is as also defined as “the relationship between humans and global environment.” Sustainability is linked to intergeneration equity [15, 16]. Other researchers Lee and Jan [17] considered that appropriate strategy across different developmental stages is also another important issue. So that hoteliers should find the best possible options to reduce costs and tourism negative impacts through environmental management [18].

2.2 The concept of environmental sustainability

Environmental sustainability in hotels connects to human life and health issue like food, water, air, energy, and waste management programs [19]. Social dimension sustainability is also another important part to increase social responsibility at corporate level that helps to increase the commitment of staff and customer to work together [20]. Every country has their own strategy to balance between input and output to achieve environmental sustainability. For example, some countries give priority to control pollution than considering consumption level from the beginning and others may prefer to reduce their population before reaching carrying capacity. Nowadays, hospitality industry contributes nearly 30% of emissions [21].

2.3 Environmental attitude and behaviors

Environmental attitudes have been defined as “the collection of beliefs, affect, and behavioral intentions a person holds regarding environmentally related activities or issues” [22, 23]. Environmental attitudes and concerns are interchangeable, and environmental concerns represent the tendency of human beings to influence their behavior in some way [24, 25].

In addition to macro-lodging facilities, environmental attitude of hotels connects to issues of corporate social responsibility, environmental, and green marketing policy [26]. Hotels aware about their negative impacts on environment but low actions to minimize impacts [27]. Hotels also expect financial and educational support from government to perform environmental sustainable practice [28]. There is a relationship between top management commitment and some external and internal factors. The top management commitment can influence environmental performance [29]. Travelers’ comments also affect environmental management and sustainability of hotels [30, 31].

2.4 Sustainable environmental practices in hotels

Environmental-oriented practices are one of the quality scale services in hospitality [32]. Green practices performed in each area of service operation and categorized them into three main areas of environmentally friendly practices: energy management activities, waste management, and water conservation [33]. Food and beverage section, guest rooms, housekeeping section, laundry, conference, and meeting facilities are the basic service area hotel companies that implement green practices [34].

2.4.1 Energy efficiency and management

Hotel sectors consume massive amount of electricity as a main source of energy that covers about 75% of total energy consumption [35, 36]. Electricity consumption accounts for 73 and 75% of the operating costs of hotels in Hong Kong and New Zealand, respectively [37, 38]. Bohdanowicz [11] estimated that the carbon dioxide content in the floor of a hotel room was between 160 and 200 kg/m², based on the fuel used by the hotel to generate electricity. Therefore, the hotel industry must make a positive contribution to the environment and reduce energy consumption [36, 39].

2.4.2 Water consumption and efficiency

Among natural resource used in hotels, water is very important and consumed more within one night [40, 41]. Hotels can practice different efficiency measures such as using water-saving or dry horticulture technology, using treated wastewater for garden irrigation, and water-saving equipment (low-flow or infrared activated faucet, low-flow shower nozzle, low-water-volume toilet, etc.), instituting a linen reuse program and using water-efficient laundry equipment and dishwashers [40, 42, 43].

2.4.3 Waste management

Scholars [44] found that weak waste management in hotels not only affects environment but also their market. Waste from food service section is the greatest amount of waste generated from hotels [12]. Food and beverage service areas in particular produce a variety of solid and organic wastes such as food waste, corks, and glass bottles. Housekeeping also produces clean materials and plastic packaging. The scholar [35] pointed out that hotel waste not only increases operating costs, but also leads to resource depletion. On the other hand, Pham Phu et al. [45] and Mensah and Ampofo [46] also stated that high-rated hotels have higher waste generation rate.

2.5 Factors influencing adoption of environmental sustainability practices

2.5.1 Knowledge deficiency

There are a number of factors that influence hospitality sector to implement environmentally friendly practices in their organization [47]. These factors are organizational and industry barriers. It can be categorized as internal and external factors [48]. Other scholars [49] also maintained that lack of environmental knowledge and information has been identified as a major constraint. Chan et al. [50] showed that environmental knowledge has a positive impact on environmental awareness and behavior. Zientara and Zamojska [51] found that most of the time low level of environmental knowledge leads to weak organizational emphasis on green practices.

2.5.2 Customer attitudes

Hotel amenities and green practices can influence customer revisit intentions [52]. Many guests are not willing and prepared to pay extra in order to support green initiatives [53, 54]. But Gagiolli [55] pointed that the conscientious customer is willing to spend the money to use sustainable products. Chuang et al. [7] found that hotel water-saving and waste management practices have significantly increased the environmental willingness of guests. Consumers can implement green practices when they stay at green hotels that lead to sustainability [56].

2.5.3 Owner/manager attitude

Hotels in developing countries take part in some of sustainable practices, but they have no green management policies [18, 57, 58]. Other scholar [59] also pointed out that Sri Lanka’s hotel operators have taken some positive measures in their daily operations to achieve sustainable development, but they have not yet reached a satisfactory level. Musavengane [60] proposed the “Best Responsible Tourism Model,” which comprises education, economic and marketing motivation, and building social networks, which can encourage small hotels managers to participate in responsible tourism.

2.5.4 Finance

Sustainable practices and polices help to minimize cost, and simple projects can be implemented by employee’s commitment. Sustainable practices are often promoted as opportunity to minimize cost, but many mangers do not believe this [61]. Many hotels have difficulty in the pressure of implementing green practices that demand environmental auditing, impact assessment, and accreditation, which have high certification fees attached, especially during financial difficulty [59, 62].

2.5.5 Legislation and accreditation

Government policy and accreditation system have a significant effect in implementation of environmentally friendly practices because of their influence on decision making [63]. Specific tourism policies and general public policies have to be differentiated for the reason that many government organizations lack both regulatory capacities [63]. The legislation has led to widespread environmental awareness, and that the organizations are willing to change their business processes and environmental strategies [64]. A presence of green agenda is a significant and important condition for green hotel choice [65, 66].

3. Case study

Bishoftu is a town of seven lakes in it. That is why it was named Bishoftu in Afaan Oromo, whose meaning is full of water. Located in the Oromian region, the city is about 47 km of East Shoa zone from the capital city Finfinnee (Addis Ababa). The town is specifically located at 80°43′– 80°45’ North latitude, at 380°56′–390°01′ East longitude, and at elevation of 1900–1995 meters above sea level. Ada district borders Bishoftu town in all directions, and the town is a capital city of Ada and a home to the Ethiopian air force. The geographic coverage of the town is about 15,273 hectares in 2002 E.C. The major tourist attractions around Bishoftu town include Kuriftu, Babogaya, Bishoftu, Arsedi, Calalaka, Hadho, and Kilole lake. Another unique cultural festival celebrated every year toward the end of September is Irreecha which the Oromo people gather on the shore of the lake Hora Harsde where they conduct ritual ceremony (traditional thanksgiving ceremony). This ceremony which millions of people attend is believed to be the oldest form of monotheism practiced in Africa. At this festival, the people pray to God for the goodwill and wellbeing of their cattle and family, in the coming year. On this day, young Oromo are seen in their colorful traditional clothing, dancing, and singing, which are worth visiting the area.

Bishoftu is from the category of moderate temperature and receives a total mean annual rainfall and temperature of 974 mm and 18.60°C, respectively. The highest rainfall was recorded in the month of August. Geographical locations of the sampling sites are given in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Map of study area.

The Ethiopia Central Statistical Agency population projection reported that a total population of 2017 Bishoftu city was 161,354 of which 76,529 were men and 84,825 were women. The majority (80%) of the inhabitants said they are followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, while 14% of the population were Protestant and 5% were Muslim. This indicated that the town is an area in which diverse groups live together in harmony and where active flow and mixture of cultural practices and indigenous knowledge exist. The people of the study area make their livelihoods on employment in government offices and private organizations, small-scale businesses, service-related trade (hotel and butcher), occupations that require skills such as wood work, metal work, blacksmith, and urban agriculture (personal communication with the city administration) [67].

4. Methodology

4.1 Research context and design

The study was conducted in Bishoftu town. Since it is an old tourism destination in Ethiopia with so many resort hotels established around the lakes, this destination was selected purposively out of three resort destinations of Oromia region called Langano, Batu, and Bishoftu. The reasons to select are as follows: (1) The high intensity of utilization of the fragile ecosystems, which deserve to be assessed for the impact they may have on the sustainability of the natural resources that were serving as tourist attraction, and (2) it is intended to study the suitability of attitudes and practices toward environmental sustainability in the selected area because of the perception this resort destination had greater opportunity in terms of technology, awareness of hotel owners, and educated and skilled man power relative to other resort destinations. Systematic random sampling was used to select sample resorts [68] (field photo from sample resorts are shown in Appendix A: Figures A.1 and A.2). The study is also focused on the seven categories of environmentally sustainable practices defined by Hsieh: environmental policy, education, incentives, green purchase, programs, environmental reports, and sustainability credentials [68]. And other studies state green practices performed in each area of service operation and categorized them into three main areas of environmentally friendly practices stated by energy management activities, waste management, and water conservation [33].

This study sought to examine the environmental sustainability practices adopted by sample hotels and manager’s attitude that are informed by stakeholder’s theory [69] the extent to which hotels accept physical environment including community. According to Creswell [70], both qualitative and quantitative methods were used that were followed in two steps: (1) analysis of pretest questionnaire survey and (2) interview with hotel owners and observations. The main data type used in this study was primary data, and published and unpublished secondary data such as tourist guide, annual reports, and strategic plans from regional- and town-level tourism office were also accessed.

4.1.1 Questionnaire survey

The questionnaire survey developed in two steps. First, the initial lists of variables about manager’s environmental attitude were developed by an in-depth literature review [11, 35]. Second, hotel managers in Bishoftu were interviewed, the edition of the questionnaire was also further validated with the tourism experts and supervisors from school, and the questionnaire was finalized (questionnaires are shown in Appendix B: Questionnaire Survey).

4.1.2 Interview and site observation

Interview was done with the owners (managers) of six resorts. Lakes, garden, and hotel section observation was also carried out based on checklists to document the practices in place in order to triangulate the responses obtained through questionnaire survey and interview with general managers to check with realities on the ground. The observations and interviews were included like environmental pollution, waste management system, and conservation activities of the hotels. Questionnaires were delivered from July to August 2021. Human resource sections were asked for permission and support to submit survey packages to the respondents after orientations were given. Initially, 56 questionnaires were sent to six hotels. Each hotel had a week to complete the survey. Afterward, the author monitors survey questions together with human resource section. Finally, 44 completed questionnaires returned. This procedure resulted in 81.4% response rate.

4.1.3 Sample determination

There were 12 resort hotels in the study area. So, six resorts were taken from total population by considering the degree of variability, and response rate is not more than 20% and 80%. Sample size formula [68] is as follows.

$$n=\frac{\frac{p\left(1-\mathrm{P}\right)}{\frac{A^2}{{\mathrm{Z}}^2}+\frac{\mathrm{P}\left(1-p\right)}{N}}}{\mathrm{K}}$$E1

where n = sample size, N = number of population, P = estimated variance which (0.5 for 50–50, 0.3 for 70–30, and 0.2 for 80–20), A = precision desired (i.e., 0.03, 0.05, and 0.1 for 3%, 5%, and 10%, respectively), Z = based on confidence level: 1.96 for 95% confidence, 1.64 for 90%, and 2.57 for 99%, and K = estimated response rate.

4.1.4 Methods of respondent selection

The general managers or department heads of resort hotels in Bishoftu were purposively selected as sample group of study in sample resorts. The main reason of selecting the hotel managers was that the influence role of hotel performance. Attitudes of resort managers influence actions, even though many hotels and hotel managers aware the negative impacts of their hotel on environment but low commitment to perform actions [10, 71].

4.2 Data analysis

Simple descriptive statistics (mean, percent, average, and frequencies) were used. SPSS Software version 20 was used to analyze data. And the results were presented in the form of tables. In order to describe the attitude of hotel managers toward environmental sustainability practices, the performance level of practices, and the most important factors affecting the adoption of practices, a frequency analysis was conducted. Simple regression analysis was used to explore whether hotel managers’ attitudes were influenced by social and demographic characteristics. Qualitative data were analyzed using listening and transcription.

5. Results and findings

5.1 Research results

5.1.1 General profile of managers and resorts

The majority of respondents were male (64%), more than half of hotel managers also had bachelor’s degree and above (68%), and near to half (43%) have tourism specialization in both diploma and bachelor’s degree (Appendix C: Table A.1).

5.1.2 Bishoftu hotel manager attitudes toward environmental sustainability practices

The highest average on the scale is in good agreement with the belief that hotel should support local conservation efforts (4.59). Hotel is responsible for responding to the environmental impacts of tourism (4.57), and sustainable practices can increase the market value of the hotel (4.48). Hotels cannot be environmentally friendly and profitable at the same time. The positive attitude reflected in terms of perceived benefit and awareness about environmental sustainability practices at lower mean (M = 2.02, SD = 1.59) (Table 1). The results show that managers have positive attitude in all points that were generally seen in both higher and lower mean.

Attitude toward practices	N	Mean (SD)
Hotels should support local conservation efforts	44	4.59 (0.87)
Hotels have to respond to the environmental impacts of tourism	44	4.57 (0.90)
Sustainable practices can increase the market value of the hotel	44	4.48 (1.00)
Hotels supports the current environmental policy of the government	44	4.39 (1.02)
Hotels have a responsibility to develop quality environment	44	4.36 (0.98)
Hotel operation must consider environmental sustainability	44	4.34 (1.05)
There is a change that exists in environment around the hotel	44	4.25 (1.12)
Hotels have to consider social obligations	44	4.09 (4.41)
Hotels may contribute to environmental degradation	44	4.05 (1.22)
The government should regulate the tourism sector regarding environment	44	4.02 (1.30)
The government regulations should contribute to reduce environmental pollution	44	3.98 (1.34)
Environmental impacts have to be considered while deciding company policy	44	3.84 (1.52)
Hotel activities can affect the environment around	44	2.50 (1.59)
Customers do not worry about environmental sustainability of hotels	44	2.18 (1.54)
Hotels cannot be environmental-friendly and profitable at the same time	44	2.02 (1.59)

Table 1.

Hotel managers’ attitudes toward environmental sustainability practices.

Note: Individuals were asked to indicate their level of agreement on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree.

5.1.3 Sociodemographic characteristics influence on manager’s attitude

This study investigated four sociodemographic variables: gender, age, educational level, and manager’s income. There were significant differences in age and education, but there were no significant differences in gender and income (Appendix C: Tables A.2–A.4).

The results indicated that respondents over the age of 35 years were more likely to agree with all nine attributes than respondents under the age of 35 years (Supplementary Materials: Table A.3). These attributes were as follows: Hotel activities have a negative effect on the environment (0.02), hotel has a responsibility to respond to environmental impact of tourism (0.03), environmental management must be a part of the hotel operation (0.01), the management of my hotel believes that climate change exists (0.02), the government should regulate the tourism industry regarding environment (0.01), all businesses have to be involved in fulfilling social obligations (0.03), hotel should support local conservation efforts (0.01), environmental management will increase the market value of the hotel (0.02), and environmental impact should be considered when deciding company policy (0.04). According to this result, older people show more attention than younger people.

There was a statistically significant agreement in seven out of 15 statements related to education, and respondents who had higher educational level were more likely to agree that. These attributes were as follows: Hotel activities have a negative effect on the environment (0.00), hotel will implement to respond to environmental pollution even if they are not required by government regulations (0.00), environmental impact should be considered while deciding company policy (0.01), all businesses have to be involved in fulfilling social obligations (0.01), hotel has a responsibility to respond to the environmental impacts of tourism (0.02), it is not impossible to be both profitable and environmental-friendly (0.03), and the government should regulate the tourism industry regarding environment (0.04). In this regard, respondents who have better education level show better awareness and commitment than lower-level respondents in this study which is in line with previous findings, but income and sex do not show a statistically significant agreement in this study.

5.1.4 Environmental sustainable practices implemented in Bishoftu resort hotels

The practices that resort mangers view as the most widely used and the highest performed environmental sustainable practices were reported as reusable items (3.57), implementing water-efficient gardening program (3.14), using energy-efficient appliances, and using high energy-efficient lighting (3.02). The average scores also showed that the lowest participation rate were to achieve environmental certification (1.16), initiate a resort hotel environmental policy and set up targets (1.41), and use alternative fuels and renewable energy (1.52) (Table 2). According to this result, insignificant amount of practices are adopted in resorts, because only four sustainable practices are adopted significantly in all resorts from 25 initiatives. Using cloth napkin, using water for gardening, and using energy-efficient bulbs are the most adopted practices in all sample resorts.

Practices	N	Mean (SD)
Hotels should use reusable items (e.g., cloth napkins)	44	3.57(0.95)
Hotels should implement water-efficient gardening programs	44	3.14(1.17)
Use energy-efficient appliances	44	3.02(0.79)
Use high energy-efficient lighting (e.g., bulbs)	44	3.02(0.82)
Conduct water-saving and reuse measures	44	2.98(0.90)
Apply control system for heating and lighting facilities	44	2.89(0.81)
Use environmentally friendly chemicals	44	2.89(0.94)
Install water-efficient devices and equipment	44	2.84(1.03
Conduct a linen and towel reuse program	44	2.68(1.12)
Reduce the use of air conditioning	44	2.61(0.94)
Provide environmental education	44	2.39(0.81)
Use energy control technology in guest room/card and sensor	44	2.36(1.14)
Recycle waste and raise guest awareness of waste management	44	2.36(1.10)
Adapt building design for energy-saving	44	2.05(1.08)
Provide locally produced and seasonal food	44	2.00(0.83)
Compost organic kitchen waste	44	1.98(0.76)
Reuse cooking oils and food waste	44	1.91(0.96
Encourage green vehicles and public transports	44	1.82(0.72)
Develop environmental code of ethics	44	1.75(0.61)
Offer incentives to sustainable practices	44	1.70(0.79)
Designate a manager with specific responsibility	44	1.64(0.97)
Motivate guests to involve in carbon offset projects	44	1.64(0.57)
Use alternative fuels and renewable energy	44	1.52(1.00)
Set up a hotel environmental policy and targets	44	1.41(0.62)
Achieve environmental certification	44	1.16(0.43)

Table 2.

Environmental sustainable practices implemented in resorts.

Note: Respondents were asked to show the level of environmental sustainable practices performance on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 = I do not know 1 = extremely low to 5 = extremely high.

5.1.5 Factors influencing adoption of environmental sustainable practices in resorts/rated problems

The higher mean values expressed very important or problems highly affect resorts. Those attributes are as follows: owners’ awareness and commitment (individual involvement, support for hotels, and pay attention), availability of incentive system for good achievement, level of policy, and regulation applicability. The participants with lower values showed attributes that are not very important or problems that can affect insignificantly: time availability and current information (2.11) and (2.61) (Table 3). According to the result, owners’ awareness level, availability of government incentive system, and monitoring the application of existing rules and regulations on the ground are main problems that affect adoption of sustainability practices.

Factors	N	Mean(SD)
Owners’ awareness and concern	44	4.66(0.61)
Government incentive	44	4.55(0.55)
Government policy and regulation applicability	44	4.32(0.88)
Customer demand	44	3.98(1.09)
Financial difficulty	44	3.82(0.99)
Level of knowledge	44	3.80(1.09)
Level of technology	44	3.77(0.83)
Support and control from government body	44	3.59(1.15)
Capital investment	44	3.32(1.01)
Staff availability and expertise	44	3.27(0.97)
Environment concern (all stakeholders)	44	3.05(1.03)
Parental company’s and social responsibility policy	44	3.02(1.11
Existing building structure	44	2.82(1.32)
Existing facility rather than building	44	2.77(1.08)
Employee loyalty	44	2.75(1.12)
Supplier availability	44	2.70(0.82)
Public relation and reputation	44	2.68(0.98)
Current information	44	2.61(0.97)
Stakeholder pressure, e.g., community and investor	44	2.61(1.06)
Time availability	44	2.11(0.58)

Table 3.

Factors influencing adoption of environmental sustainable practices in resorts (main problems: lower adoption).

Note: Respondents were asked to show the level of importance of factors on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = not very important to 5 = very important.

5.1.6 General managers and owners’ environmental attitude

Two owners acted as general managers, and four merits-based general managers were interviewed nine prelisted questions. As a result, more than 99% believed that physical environment around them changed gradually and they were willing to participate in sustainable activities. But more than 80% responded that they had no clear strategy and targets about environment protection. Continuous evaluation, control, supports, and incentive system from hotels and government side were almost none (Table 4).

Activities	N	Response
		Yes	%	No	%
Do you believe environment around you changed?	6	6	100	0	0
Do you observe any extreme disaster around?	6	0	00	6	100
Sources of information		E-media		Office
From where do you receive information about environments mostly?	6	4	67	2	33
Sustainable practices mostly participated in?		Greening campus		Saving energy
What environmentally friendly measures are practiced in your hotel mostly?	6	3	50	3	50
Community and staff involvement/means of benefits		Job		Training
How do you involve and benefit local community and staffs in environmental projects?	6	5	83	1	17
Hotels benefit being environmentally friendly		Yes		No
Do you get benefit being environmental-friendly hotel?	6	6	100	0	0
		Sustainable market		Lower cost
What type of benefits mostly you believe?	6	4	67	2	33
Support and continuous incentive system		Yes		No
Do you have continuous support and incentive system from public sector regarding environmental issue?	6	0	00	6	100
Corporate-level environmental rules, regulations, and targets		Yes		No
Your hotel has strategy, rules, regulations, and targets about environment protection at corporate level?	6	1	17	5	83

Table 4.

General managers’ interview.

5.2 Findings

This section presents the main findings of the study. The presentation of the results is divided by topics with the aim of determining the final conclusions in the area of a consequence of insignificant adoption of environmental sustainability practices in hotels and some of the problems identified as negatively affecting adoptions.

5.2.1 Managers attitudes toward environmental sustainability practices

Overall, more than 99% of managers showed a positive attitude toward hotels responsibility, government intervention, and support in regard to adoption of environmental sustainability practices. Because the majority of respondents (93%) had diploma and above in tourism and related fields that help them to have awareness about environmental issues. Chan et al. [50] supports this finding that environmental knowledge has a positive impact on environmental awareness and behavior. Even if they showed a positive attitude toward environmental issue, they did not show high commitment to apply all environmental sustainability practices in their hotel’s actions and day-to-day operation. Because of less concern from hotel owners, less monitoring of existing rules and regulations, and no incentive mechanism on the ground, motivation incentive system was not identified as influencing factor in previous research [18, 57, 59]. From interview analysis, 83% of general managers responded in their interview that they had no clear strategy and environmental protection targets at corporate level.

In addition, they expect attention from corporate level of hotels and government leadership via financial and training to adopt those practices in their resort hotels. Generally, environmental issue was not also a control system and an essential part of appraisal system of general managers from their hotels as a whole. So, they would not have high commitment or will to exert environmental practices. In line to this finding, the previous research conducted by Bohdanowicz [11] supports this finding, but those researches did not identify what was behind the low performance. This research identified that many hotel managers were aware about the negative tourism activities but showed less commitment to perform all sustainable practices because they expect support from both hotel owners and government.

5.2.2 Sociodemographic influence on managers’ environmental attitudes

Social factors could have affected hotel managers’ environmental attitude. Age and education were identified as significant influencing factors whether hotel managers become involved in adoption of sustainability practices in their hotels. Four age categories were analyzed in this study, and their ages were 20–25, 26–30, and 31–35 years, and managers over the age of 35 years. Nine attributes were observed as statistical significance. Respondents older than 35 years of age were more likely agreed to all nine points related to environmental sustainability issues than those younger than 35 years of age in this study. This was due to relation between long stay and the opportunity to have better experience regarding benefits of quality environment around resorts in which they were worked in.

Education was also another second significant factor in this study. Respondents with higher education level more likely to agree on seven points stated related to environmental sustainability practices than low education-level respondents. Relatively, this is due to better level of understanding and awareness in high level of education respondents than lower level of education about environmental sustainability practices. In contrary to previous research [1], income was identified as an insignificant factor in this study. This is due to difference in research location and target population that could bring knowledge and awareness difference among respondents. Managers and staff were target population in this research, whereas hotel guests and staffs that could not have direct decision role relatively to adopt environmental sustainable practices in resort hotels were target population in many previous researches.

5.2.3 Environmental sustainable practice performance level of resorts

Energy, water, and waste management were major problems among Bishoftu resort hotels. Many resort hotels participate in energy-efficient equipment, mostly energy-efficient bulbs which are compatible with sustainability practices. Resort hotel managers reported energy-efficient bulbs as the third most used energy-saving practice next to reusable items (e.g., cloth napkins) and reuse water for gardening programs. Even if such compatible measures started in all sample hotels, adoption of energy controlling and saving technology, energy-saving campaigns, using renewable energy sources, and adapting green building design were generally low.

Water conservation activities have gained consensus among all resort hotels. Implementing water-efficient gardening program was the second important and relatively the most implemented practice in resorts. Water conservation activities such as conducting water-saving campaigns in kitchens, installing water meter in guest rooms, and participating in community conservation projects were still low. This was due to low concern and low bill to access water to their resorts from available lake water around. Research by Bohdanowicz [34] showed that using water-saving equipment in hotels can help to reduce water consumption.

Similarly, green campus that could contribute to clean air was observed in all sample resorts, but most hotel managers viewed campus greening as decorations to attract and retain their guests. But tree planting, conservation of existing natural forest, and reforestation in resort campus contribute not only for attracting and staying visitors in resort but also crucial for the overall balance of ecosystem. Bishoftu hotel managers also pay little attention to distributing promotional materials to urge customers to act environmentally friendly. Only one resort hotel participated in this activity. This was due to a weak guidance from owner and government for the reason that less attention and commitment, no environmental policy target set up at corporate level and significantly due to less concern and lack of deep knowledge regarding sustainable resort management and development of quality environment.

All resort hotels were accepted to treat waste well and sort waste from basic sections of their resorts. Relatively, significant amount of waste in sample resort hotels was from food production section, guest rooms, and back-of-house areas. Even if waste sorting in basic sections has been done, the way of waste treatment and management was generally weak. Only Asham Africa resort used biofuel that uses solid and liquid waste as input to recycle waste and measures like plastic reuse. Previous studies support these issues as full implementation of sustainable practice in resort hotel to increase the market value and reduce costs.

5.2.4 Factors influencing adoptions of environmental sustainable practices

It is interestingly identified in contrary to most previous research [1, 2] that owners’ or general managers’ commitment, government incentive for good achievement, and government policy and regulation are relatively the most influencing factors and motivators for the adoption of environmental sustainable practices in resort hotels. If there is no commitment from owners of hotels and government toward environmental protection and green activities, it is impossible to use effectively financial and even knowledgeable human resources in hotels. Observation result showed that comparatively the best examples observed in Asham Africa resort hotel in all sustainability versions are due to high commitment of the owner that supports the whole result stated. Mangers team was target population in this research, whereas many previous research [2] targets were hotel staff and guests. So these could result different findings from earlier similar research.

Mangers of resort hotels also accept that customer demand, lack of financial resources, and lack of knowledge were the next factors influencing adoption of sustainable environmental practices. But in Bushoftu resorts, those problems are not the most influencing problems for the adoption of sustainability practices. In this regard, Mittal and Dhar [61] stated that sustainable practices and polices do not always demand capital-intensive projects and contribute not only to improve public awareness but can also help to minimize cost and simple projects that can be implemented by employee’s commitment. Sustainable practices are often promoted as opportunity to minimize cost, but many mangers do not believe this.

6. Conclusions and recommendations

6.1 Conclusions and policy implications

The purpose of this study was to understand environmentally friendly initiatives adopted by the hotels and managers attitude in Bihsoftu tourist destination, Ethiopia. The research revealed that the major focus areas of environmental sustainability for the hotel properties sampled were energy efficiency, waste management, water conservation, environmental education, sustainable sourcing, and factors affecting performance. Concluding the entire work, it can be said that this study has shown that there are some positive movements and attitudes that Bishoftu resort hotel managers showed toward environmental sustainability practices. It is further confirmed that even though managers showed some positive attitude toward the sustainability issues, the adopted practices are not in a very much satisfactory level, because they have incorporated only with four best practices: the installation of energy-efficient bulbs and key card/sensor for light; using energy-efficient appliances; the installation of dual toilet and other low-flow water technologies; reuse of items such as water for gardening and cloth napkins, buying local products significantly, while other 21 practices were not at the satisfactory level, which is in contrary to previous research [29], which indicates that positive attitude is not the only factor that secures better performance.

The study further confirmed that owners’ low level of awareness and commitment, low applicability of government rules and regulations, and the absence of incentive system for better achievement were the main problems that demotivate adoption of sustainability practices even if positive attitude was there. The majority of hotels around Bishoftu lakes were heavily incorporated with economic aspect than environmental and social concerns, which were in questionable level and can be identified in future research why hotel focus more on economic than environmental and social issues. This research identified the creditable reasons behind low performance of adopting environmental sustainability practices in sample hotels, and these factors could vary in geographic region and even from destination to destinations. Hotel owners’ motivation and commitment are the most influencing factors, which were proved from the observed situation at Asham Africa resort. This study was broadly informed by stakeholder theory, which concerns corporate social responsibility and sustainability as well and aimed to understand hotels’ environmental practice performance and managers’ awareness at local level. On the other hand, most previous studies have focused on chain- and star-rated hotels. But this research involved a greater range of hotels of different profiles to highlight the environmental sustainability practices across hotels and targeted the most valuable hotel staff. The literature to date also researched more on corporate level issue, and their targets were external stakeholders and limited departments. But this research examined environmental sustainability practices at the core hotel outlets and property level where policies and programs are into practice, and it is this research gap that the study addresses. Findings in this research also provide the idea that the hotels can be varied regarding sustainability practice adoption in a geographic location and internal and external factors they are in. The information reported in this study would be valuable and useful for the local government and hotel companies in the region. It can be a practical guidance for hotel managers who seek to implement sustainability practices.

6.2 Recommendations and policy implications

Bishoftu city hotels tried to adopt environmental sustainability practices without having any policy and plan which are in line with previous research findings [18, 57]. The majority of technical hotel managers showed positive attitude but insignificant adoption level because of less support and absence of respect for better achievement. So both local and national government bodies have to develop better mechanism and policy to motivate better achievement in tourism and hospitality regarding environmental and social sustainability performance. It is also important for Tourism Ministry to develop green certification policy and strategy to lead tourism and hospitality sector toward green action efficiently and effectively.

Hotel owners’ less awareness and concern were among problems affecting significant adoption of environmental sustainability practices, so it is better to apply government-led education and training projects. The training should focus on lakes conservation, waste management, promotion of best practices, and how to create environmental policy, guideline, and targets in hotels at corporate level. From the beginning, hotel owners should consider environmental issues as part of their business plan. This can be possible through early design, realizing environmental impact assessment and establishing responsible department and early environmental policies and targets.

Working closely with government bodies and other stakeholders is also expected from managers in order to activate and internalize environmental management in the hotel sector, and managers should share experiences from other greener national and international hotels. It is better to develop a system to scale up experiences and policy guidance at the ministry level.

National government guidance of stakeholders like the bank, hotel association, and higher institutions should encourage hotels to participate in environmental management practices by taking the issues of the environment as one requirement in their cooperation. For example, banks can request the hotels’ environmental policy with their business plan during hostel requests for loans for investment.

6.2.1 Limitations and future studies

Having carried out the study, there are some limitations that have been discovered. First, the number of the hotels and top managers who participated in this study can be considered as small because of case study, and this may limit the generalization of the results.

Second, it was further observed that respondents were from different types of hotels, i.e., non-, high-, and low-star-rated. So, respondents may have different awareness, experience, and knowledge; for that reason, they had different opportunities. This may cause a limitation in some statistical tests because of unequal hotel sizes and star rates. Finally, this study focused on four dimensions of sustainability measures: energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, and air quality through developing green hotel campus. Other sustainable practices like social sustainability practices are beyond the scope of this study.

Future research may need to cover other environmental practices, the main drivers of adoption, why hotels only focus on economic issues, analyze the relationship between sustainable practice and adoption influencing factors in hotels, and compare the operations of hotels those with star-rated and with those that do not in the region.

A. Appendix

Figure A.1.

Kuriftu resort hotel (one of the sample hotels).

Figure A.2.

Sustainable activity in Ashem Africa resort hotel (wall from plastic bottles).

Field photo from sample resorts (Figure A.3).

Figure A.3.

Lakeside of pyramid resort.

B. Appendix

Questionnaire Survey.

Part A. General Company information.

1. Gender: $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Male, $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Female.

2. Age: $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ 20–25, $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ 26–30, $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ 31–35, $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ over 35 years.

3. Level of Education:

   $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ High School Certificate or less $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Vocational Diploma (field of Hotel and Tourism).

   $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Advanced Vocational Diploma in General field.

   $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Advanced Vocational Diploma (field of Hotel and Tourism).

   $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Bachelor’s Degree in General Field.

   $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Bachelor’s Degree (Field of Hotel and Tourism).

   $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Graduate Degree_____________________.

4. Average monthly salary:

   $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ 2000–5000ETB, $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ 5001–10,000ETB, $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ 10,001–15,000ETB, $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Over 15,000 ETB.

5. How long have you worked for this hotel? $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ 1–5 $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ 6–10 $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ above 10.

6. What is your current position at your hotel? ________________________.

7. Please indicate departments or functions in which you have the longest experience in hotel industry.

   $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Sales and Marketing $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Food and beverage $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Front desk Housekeeping.

8. Please describe the type of ownership of hotel you work in.

   $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Independent Hotel $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Chain Hotel $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Franchised Hotel.

9. Please describe the type of resort hotel you work in.

   $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Basic $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ One Star $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ Two star $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ three star $\boxed{\hspace{0.5em}}$ above three.

10. When was your hotel built? _____________ Annual Occupancy rate in %/________.

11. How many rooms do you have in your hotels? ________star rate of your hotel_____.

Part B. Please circle the appropriate response on each of the following statements.

Attitude and knowledge 1 = strongly disagree 2 = disagree; questions 3 = neutral 4 = agree 5 = strongly agree
1. Hotel activities can affect the environment around	1	2	3	4	5
2. Hotel has a responsibility to respond to the environmental impacts of tourism	1	2	3	4	5
3. Hotel operation must consider environmental sustainability	1	2	3	4	5
4.Hotels cannot be environmental-friendly and profitable at the same time	1	2	3	4	5
5. Customers do not worry about environmental sustainability	1	2	3	4	5
6. There is a change exists in environment around the hotel	1	2	3	4	5
7. The management believes that our hotel may contribute to environmental degradation	1	2	3	4	5
8. My hotel has a responsibility to develop quality environment	1	2	3	4	5
9.The government should regulate the tourism sector regarding environment	1	2	3	4	5
10. My hotel supports the current environmental policy	1	2	3	4	5
11. Hotel have to consider social obligations and issues around	1	2	3	4	5
12. Hotels should support local conservation efforts	1	2	3	4	5
13.The government regulations contribute to reduce environmental pollution	1	2	3	4	5
14. Sustainable practice can increase the market value of the hotel	1	2	3	4	5
15. Environment should be considered when deciding company policy	1	2	3	4	5

Part C. Please provide an estimate of the extent of your hotel’s implementation.

1 = Extremely low 2 = Low 3 = Medium Performance level 4 = High 5 = Extremely high
Use reusable items (e.g., cloth napkins,).	1	2	3	4	5
Implements water-efficient gardening programs	1	2	3	4	5
Use energy-efficient appliances	1	2	3	4	5
Use high energy-efficient lighting (e.g., bulbs)	1	2	3	4	5
Conduct water-saving and reuse measures	1	2	3	4	5
Apply control system for heating and lighting facilities	1	2	3	4	5
Use environmentally friendly chemicals	1	2	3	4	5
Install water-efficient devices and equipment	1	2	3	4	5
Conduct a linen and towel reuse program	1	2	3	4	5
Reduce the use of air conditioning	1	2	3	4	5
Provide environmental education	1	2	3	4	5
Use energy control technology in guest room/sensors and key card/	1	2	3	4	5
Recycle waste and raise staff awareness of waste management	1	2	3	4	5
Adapt building design for energy-saving	1	2	3	4	5
Purchase fair-trade/green-label products where possible	1	2	3	4	5
Provide locally produced and seasonal food	1	2	3	4	5

1 = Extremely low 2 = Low 3 = Medium; Performance level 4 = High 5 = Extremely high
Compost organic kitchen waste	1	2	3	4	5
Recover used cooking oils and food waste	1	2	3	4	5
Encourage guest/staff to use green vehicles and public transports	1	2	3	4	5
Develop an environmental code of ethics for supplier chain	1	2	3	4	5
Offer incentives for sustainable practices used in hotel	1	2	3	4	5
Designate a manager with specific responsibility; Set up environmental management system and emission issues	1	2	3	4	5
Involve in and provide carbon offset projects for guests	1	2	3	4	5
Use alternative fuels and renewable energy	1	2	3	4	5
Set up environmental policy and targets	1	2	3	4	5
Achieve environmental certification	1	2	3	4	5

Part D. How important are the following factors in influencing your hotel’s adoption of environmental sustainable practices? Please circle numbers for each factor.

Factors 1 = Not very important 2 = Not important; 3 = Neutral 4 = Important 5 = very important
1.Level of knowledge	1	2	3	4	5
2.Customer demand	1	2	3	4	5
3.Financial difficulty	1	2	3	4	5
4.Public relation and reputation	1	2	3	4	5
5.Owner or general manager’s awareness/commitment	1	2	3	4	5
6. Stakeholder pressure, e.g., community and investor	1	2	3	4	5
7. Government policy and regulation	1	2	3	4	5
8. Employee loyalty	1	2	3	4	5
9. Environment protection concern	1	2	3	4	5
10. Support and control from government body	1	2	3	4	5
11.Current information	1	2	3	4	5
12. Parental company’s and social responsibility policy	1	2	3	4	5
13.Capital investment	1	2	3	4	5
14. Existing building structure	1	2	3	4	5
15. Existing facility rather than building	1	2	3	4	5
16. Time availability	1	2	3	4	5
17. Staff availability and expertise	1	2	3	4	5
18. Supplier availability	1	2	3	4	5
19. Level of technology	1	2	3	4	5
20. Government incentive	1	2	3	4	5

Questions for interview (Owners/those who act as General Manager too)

1.1. Do you believe environmental change exits around you?/No/yes.

1.2. Has your hotel been affected by any of the extreme weather events in last 5 years?

1.3. From where do you receive information about environmental change? --------------.

1.4. What environmentally friendly measures are practiced in your hotel?

1.5. How do you involve and benefit local community and staffs in environmental projects?

1.6. What is your contribution to make your hotel environmentally friendly?

1.7. Do you get benefit being environmental-friendly hotel? If “yes” what benefits?

1.8. Do have supports and incentives from public sector/government? If yes, what?

1.9. Does your hotel have rules and regulations about environment?

2. Checklists for observation.

2.1. What are the environmental sustainability practices they have currently in place?

2.2. Is there community participation and benefits sharing strategies in the hotel?

2.3. Has they adopted any of the government environmental regulations and policy?

2.4. Are there rules and regulations about the environment in the hotels? Yes/No.

2.5. What type of waste management strategies they have?

2.6. Is there any pollution sign observed in lakes in which resorts are based? Yes/No if yes 2.7. What type of conservation projects you have? In/out …

END OF QUESTIONARRIE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR HELP

C. Appendix

Characteristics	Category	No. of resp.	%
Gender	Male	25	64
	Female	19	36
Age	20–25 years	11	25
	26–30 years	13	30
	31–35 years	10	23
	>35 years	10	22
Level of education	High school certificate and less	3	7
	Advanced diploma in general field	2	5
	Advanced diploma in tourism field	9	20
	Bachelor’s degree in general field	14	32
	Bachelor’s degree in tourism field	10	23
	Graduate degree	6	13
Household income	2000–5000ETB	28	64
	5001–10,000ETB	11	25
	10,001–15,000ETB	4	9
	>15,000ETB	1	2
Work stay in hotel	1–5 years	37	84
	6–10 years	4	9
	>10 years	3	7
Star resort hotel	Basic hotel	4	90
	1–2 star	—	—
	3–4 star	1	5
	> 4 star	1	5
Type of hotels	Independent hotel	6	100
Annual occupancy rate	< 50%	3	50
	> 50%	3	50
No. of rooms		233	—

Table A.1.

General profile of managers and resorts.

Gender	Male		Female		F	Sig
	N	Mean(SD)	N	Mean(SD)
Hotel activities can affect the environment around	25	2.72(1.621)	19	2.21(1.548)	1.11	0.29
Hotel has a responsibility to respond to the environmental impacts of tourism	25	4.72(0.891)	19	4.37(0.895)	1.675	0.203
Hotel operation must consider environmental sustainability	25	4.68(0.690)	19	3.89(1.286)	6.781	0.113
Hotel cannot be environmental-friendly and profitable at the same time	25	1.84(1.491)	19	2.26(1.727)	0.758	0.389
Customers do not worry about hotels sustainability	25	2.4(1.732)	19	1.89(1.243)	1.160	0.288
There is a change exists in environment around the hotel	25	4.32(1.145)	19	4.16(1.119)	0.221	0.641
Hotel may contribute to environment pollution	25	4.32(1.069)	19	3.68(1.336)	3.078	0.183
Hotel has a responsibility to develop quality environment	25	4.56 (0.712)	19	4.10(1.049)	2.935	0.094
The government should regulate the tourism sector regarding environment	25	4.28(1.242)	19	3.68(1.336)	2.328	0.135
Hotel supports the current environmental policy of the government	25	4.56(0.768)	19	4.16(1.259)	1.717	0.197
Hotel business should have to consider social obligations	25	4.28(1.400)	19	3.84(1.425)	1.040	0.314
Hotels should support local conservation efforts	25	4.76(0.663)	19	4.37(1.065)	2.244	0.142
Hotel will implement strategies to respond to environment	25	4.00(1.443)	19	3.95(1.224)	0.016	0.899
Environmental management will increase the market value of the hotel	25	4.44(1.158)	19	4.53(0.772)	0.079	0.780
Environmental impact should be considered when deciding company policy	25	3.6 (1.663)	19	4.16(1.344)	1.462	0.233

Table A.2.

Gender influence on attitudes of managers.

Note: Individuals were asked to indicate their level of agreement on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree.

Age	20–25 years		26-30 years		31-35 years		Older than 35 years
	N	Mean(SD)	N	Mean(SD)	N	Mean(SD)	N	Mean(SD)	F	Sig
Hotel activities can affect the environment around	11	2.00(1.73)	13	2.38(0.87)	10	2.70(1.70)	10	3.2(1.48)	3.81	0.02
Hotel has a responsibility to respond to the environmental impacts of tourism	11	3.73(0.64)	13	4.61(0.87)	10	4.20(1.32)	10	4.7(0.67)	0.74	0.03
Hotel operation must consider environmental sustainability	11	4.27(1.27)	13	4.54(0.87)	10	4.30(0.95)	10	4.20(1.23)	0.23	0.01
Hotel cannot be environmental-friendly and profitable at the same time	11	1.27(1.79)	12	2.00(1.73)	10	2.30(0.69)	10	2.40(1.84)	0.78	0.51
Customers do not worry about environmental sustainability of hotels	11	2.27(1.68)	13	2.85(1.62)	10	2.90(0.94)	10	3.0(1.63)	1.53	0.22
Hotel believes that environment around change exists currently	11	3.82(0.40)	13	4.15(1.28)	10	4.30(1.05)	10	4.7(1.34)	1.87	0.02
Hotel contributes to environmental degradation	11	3.91(1.58)	13	4.23(1.17)	10	4.20(0.91)	10	3.8(1.23)	0.32	0.81
Hotel has a responsibility to develop quality environment	11	4.45(0.69)	13	4.54(0.69)	10	4.60(1.29)	10	4.6(0.48)	0.49	0.69
The government should regulate the tourism sector	11	3.18(1.25)	13	3.31(1.25)	10	3.70(1.42)	10	3.8(1.39)	0.55	0.01
Hotel supports the current environmental policy of the government in relation to environment	11	4.23(0.47)	13	4.31(1.14)	10	4.40(1.07)	10	4.5(0.99)	0.69	0.56
Hotel business should consider social obligations	11	4.13(1.21)	13	4.15(1.62)	10	3.40(1.71)	10	4.4(0.843)	0.11	0.03
Hotels should support local conservation efforts	11	4.41(0.30)	13	4.54(1.13)	10	4.60(1.06)	10	4.6(0.699)	0.87	0.01
Hotel should implement environmental strategies	11	3.91(1.22)	13	4.31(1.32)	10	3.80(1.55)	10	3.8(1.398)	0.37	0.77
Sustainability practices can increase the market value of the hotel	11	3.91(0.30)	13	4.06(1.33)	10	4.10(1.29)	10	4.4(0.516)	1.19	0.02
Environmental impact should be considered when deciding company policy	11	3.91(0.30)	13	3.92(1.60)	10	3.90(1.28)	10	4.2(1.317)	1.87	0.04

Table A.3.

Age influence on attitudes of managers.

Note: Individuals were asked to indicate their level of agreement on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree.

	High school or less		Vocational diploma tourism		Advanced diploma		Advanced diploma in tourism		Bachelor degree in general field		Bachelor degree in tourism		Graduates		Sig
	N	Mean(SD)	N	Mean(SD)	N	Mean(SD)	N	Mean(SD)	N	Mean(SD)	N	Mean(SD)	N	Mean(SD)
Hotel activities have a negative effect on the environment	3	2.00(0.00)	7	2.14(1.68)	2	2.60(2.83)	2	3.50(0.71)	14	3.67(1.33)	10	4.10(1.37)	6	4.33(0.52)	0.00
Hotel has a responsibility to respond to the environmental impacts of tourism	3	2.30(0.00)	7	2.71(0.76)	2	3.00(2.83)	2	3.50(0.71)	14	4.31(0.61)	10	4.40(1.07)	6	4.67(0.52)	0.02
Environmental management must be a part of the hotel operation	3	4.67(0.58)	7	4.43(1.13)	2	3.00(2.83)	2	4.00(0.00)	14	4.57(0.51)	10	4.20(1.32)	6	4.33(1.21)	0.62
It is not possible to be both profitable & environmentally friendly	3	2.67(2.31)	7	2.71(1.25)	2	3.00(2.83)	2	3.50(0.71)	14	3.83(1.54)	10	3.90(1.84)	6	4.00(0.00)	0.03
Customers are not interested in W/r a hotel is environmental friendly or not	3	3.67(2.31)	7	2.57(1.72)	2	1.00(0.00)	2	3.00(0.00)	14	1.79(1.19)	10	2.30(1.77)	6	1.83(1.60)	0.41
The management of my hotel believes that climate change exists	3	4.00(1.73)	7	4.57(1.13)	2	5.00(0.00)	2	3.50(2.12)	14	4.21(0.80)	10	4.40(0.84)	6	3.83(1.83)	0.77
The management believes that our hotel contribute to environmental degradation	3	4.00(1.73)	7	4.43(1.13)	2	3.00(2.83)	2	3.50(0.71)	14	3.79(1.12)	10	4.00(1.33)	6	4.83(0.41)	0.47
Hotel has a responsibility to develop quality environment	3	4.67(1.53)	7	4.29(0.49)	2	5.00(0.00)	2	3.50(0.71)	14	4.14(1.29)	10	4.40(0.70)	6	4.83(0.41)	0.46
The government should regulate the tourism regarding environment	3	4.00(1.73)	7	3.43(1.81)	2	3.00(2.83)	2	2.50(0.71)	14	4.14(1.10)	10	4.40(0.84)	6	4.67(0.82)	0.04
Hotel supports the current environmental policy of the government in relation to environment	3	3.67(1.53)	7	3.73(0.79)	2	4.00(0.00)	2	4.20(1.41)	14	4.29(1.27)	10	4.60(0.70)	6	4.83(0.41)	0.05
All businesses have to be involved in fulfilling social obligations	3	4.33(1.15)	7	4.29(1.11)	2	1.00(0.00)	2	3.50(2.12)	14	4.14(1.56)	10	4.30(1.25)	6	4.50(0.84)	0.01
Hotels should support local conservation efforts	3	4.33(1.15)	7	4.43(1.13)	2	5.00(0.00)	2	4.00(1.41)	14	4.50(1.09)	10	4.90(0.32)	6	4.67(0.52)	0.79
Hotel will implement strategies to respond to environment pollution even if they are not required by government regulation	3	2.67(2.08)	7	3.14(1.21)	2	3.40(0.00)	2	3.50(2.12)	14	4.27(0.65)	10	4.40(0.70)	6	4.50(1.64)	0.00
Environmental management will increase the market value of the hotel	3	3.67(0.58)	7	4.29(0.76)	2	5.00(0.00)	2	4.00(0.00)	14	4.36(1.28)	10	4.36(1.28)	6	4.83(0.41)	0.90
Environmental impact should be considered when deciding company policy	3	3.00(1.73)	7	3.14(1.07)	2	4.00(0.00)	2	4.00(1.41)	14	4.79(1.63)	10	4.79(1.63)	6	4.83(1.63)	0.01

Table A.4.

Education influence on managers’ attitudes.

Note: Individuals were asked to indicate their level of agreement on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree.