Are Chinese nationals’ attitudes to wildlife tourist attractions different from those of other nationalities?

Many wildlife tourist attractions (WTAs) have negative impacts on animal welfare and species conservation. In the absence of regulation, raising standards requires tourists to create market pressure by choosing to attend WTAs with benefits for wildlife. We surveyed respondents from five countries – China, Australia, Canada, UK, and USA – to quantify how attitudes to captive animals, and towards WTAs’ outputs and standards, may vary with nationality. Our aim was to provide a firm basis for behaviour change interventions to alter current patterns of tourist consumption of WTAs. All respondents agreed on the importance of conservation and animal welfare, but Chinese respondents were twice as likely to believe that WTAs would not be allowed to exist if they were bad for animals, and that WTAs’ promotional materials were reliable indicators of welfare and conservation standards. These findings indicate Chinese respondents had fundamentally similar attitudes to those from the other countries, but differed in how those attitudes were likely to be applied. Chinese tourists may experience more barriers to aligning their actions with their values with respect to WTAs. Removing these barriers may require information campaigns to highlight the lack of regulation, and the unreliability of some WTAs’ promotional materials and tourists’ reviews.     

Environment management in the hotel industry: does institutional environment matter?

Limited theoretical attention has been paid to understand the underlying drivers of hotels’ engagement in environment management (EM). By using institutional theory, this study provides an integrated model that captures various social drivers of hotels’ engagement in EM. The associations between the three dimensions of institutional environment and hotel environmental practices were empirically tested, as well as the moderating role of hotel characteristics. A total of 414 usable surveys representing 414 hotels were collected from hotel managers in China. The results demonstrate positive associations of hotel EM practices with supportive state regulations, shared industry standards, competitors’ EM practices and expectations from various stakeholders such as employees, local community, and investors. Particularity, the strength of positive relationships between specific institutional pressures vary across hotel sizes and scales. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed     

Student perceptions of ethics,CSR, and sustainability (ECSRS) in hospitality management education

This study examines how hospitality students perceive ethics, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and sustainability (ECSRS) with regard to their current academic program and future career. Previous literature has shown an evolution in higher education institutions to implement ECSRS topics into their curriculum. This quantitative study measured 202 first-year students’ levels of interest, perceived importance, and potential implementation of ECSRS in a hospitality management program. Based on student responses, there is a high expectation that courses on ECSRS will be taught during their academic program to better prepare them for their future ambitions and the future of the planet.     

Sustainability implementation in restaurants: A comprehensive model of drivers,barriers, and competitiveness-mediated effects on firm performance

This study examines sustainability implementation in restaurants by theorizing and testing a comprehensive model of antecedents and effects. It represents positive and negative pressures toward sustainability respectively by entrepreneurs’ attitude and barriers to sustainability, while hypothesizing that customer satisfaction and competitiveness mediate effects of these practices on firm performance. Covariance-based structural equation modeling is used to analyze survey data on 334 restaurants in North Italy. Results show that sustainability attitude exerts pressure toward sustainability, while barriers in terms of costs, fear of regulation or skepticism about benefits have negative, but lower, effects. Sustainability implementation positively contributes to firm performance, but only via two intermediate measures of business success: competitiveness and customer satisfaction. The study fills a gap in the literature by presenting a whole construct of sustainability, by testing two mediating effects not yet hypothesized and by highlighting in the same model the role of factors enabling and deterring sustainability.     

Unethical use of wildlife in tourism: what's the problem,who is responsible,and what can be done?

Wildlife tourism is a huge global market, the revenue from which can promote local livelihoods and tourist education, enact conservation, and improve animal welfare. Such benefits arise if wildlife tourist attractions (WTAs) prioritise ethical deliverables above financial profit, but recent work has shown that the majority of WTAs have substantial negative animal welfare and conservation impacts. In the absence of global regulatory authorities, tourist revenue has become the ultimate arbiter of what constitutes acceptable use of animals in WTAs. Tourists, however, are not adequate assessors of WTAs’ animal welfare and conservation impacts: they lack the specialist knowledge required and are subject to a number of psychological biases that obscure the ethical dimensions of decisions to attend particular WTAs. This inadequacy is evidenced, and compounded, by overwhelmingly positive reviews on TripAdvisor (the industry-leading review site), even for WTAs with objectively poor ethical standards. Our suggested solution is to empower tourists by presenting unequivocal assessments of WTAs' animal welfare and conservation impacts, hosted in the fora that tourists already use to make their travel decisions. We would thereby promote a subjective norm that tourists should consider and limit their individual negative impacts when choosing which WTAs to visit.     

Greenhushing: the deliberate under communicating of sustainability practices by tourism businesses

ABSTRACT

Greenhushing selectively communicates fewer pro-sustainability actions by businesses than are practiced; based on a perception of customers’ rights to consumerism. We first studied the gap between the communication of sustainability practices in the audits and websites of 31 small rural tourism businesses in the Peak District National Park (UK). The analysis showed that businesses only communicate 30% of all the sustainability actions practiced. Their websites emphasised customer benefits, using explicit, affective, experiential and active language that legitimises the customers’ hedonistic use of the landscape, while downplaying complex issues and normalising sustainability to reduce customer guilt. Just one website mentioned climate change. We found that greenhushing results from a low moral intensity, masking potentially negative consequences of perceived lower competence, whilst protecting business from more cynical consumers who may interpret their statements as hypocritical. Subsequent textual analysis and interviews were used to understand how communication constitutes these organisations. We propose that greenhushing reshapes and constitutes tourism businesses through their communications. Moreover, greenhushing is a form of public moralisation that adopts communication practices similar to greenwashing, reflecting the social norms expected from a business; however, in this case, located in a moral muteness, rather than moral hypocrisy, that businesses accept but resent.     

Proximity and animal welfare in the context of tourist interactions with habituated dolphins

The long-term sustainability of wildlife tourism depends on integrating visitor demands with resource management, requiring an understanding of tourist motivation. Managing the conflict between access to the animals and welfare, however, may diminish the experience for tourists. This paper identifies trade-offs tourists are willing to make between access and animal welfare, associated with feeding habituated bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in Monkey Mia, Western Australia. Using a choice modelling technique, we were able to determine monetary values of visitor experiences. Compared to the current guaranteed interaction with dolphins (and a daily resort entrance fee), respondents were willing to pay significantly higher hypothetical entrance fees to avoid a decrease in proximity to, or probability of, the dolphin interaction. However, negative impacts on dolphin welfare had a negative impact on visitor utility. Over 80% of visitors (n = 244) accepted management regulations resulting in decreased time with and proximity to dolphins, if those addressed welfare concerns and were communicated clearly. Thus, while visitors placed the greatest value on the proximity and predictability, they were willing to trade off these aspects if they improved dolphin welfare. We provide management suggestions based on these results.     

The thorny path to sustainable tourism development

A range of interacting issues has promoted calls for sustainable tourism development. This paper defines the subject and discusses in detail some suggestions from the well known Tourism with Insight’ group about how to achieve sustainability. It goes on to examine why sustainable tourism is, however, very difficult to achieve in practice, noting the plethora of theoretical statements, the shortage of implementation skills, demand pressures, hedonism, and the impact of extended discussions — ‘hectic continuity’. A number of ways forward are suggested, including new forms of taxation, open discussion of conflicts and environmental audits: it concludes that a search for a complex perfect formula may be counterproductive, and that simple solutions may be best.     

Conceptualising overtourism: A sustainability approach

This paper conceptualises a new tourism phenomenon: overtourism. Conceptualisation is based on relevant tourism knowledge on sustainability and related responsibility. The proposed model, presented in concise pictorial form, brings together the tourism capacities of the ‘sustainability pillars’ as well as the novel ‘socio-psychological’ and ‘socio-political’ capacities. Ultimately, the model may assist in monitoring, diagnosing and influencing the risks of any unsustainable tourism situation. The proposed novel capacities add to growing academic call to revisit the contemporary academic and practical approaches to tourism and sustainability, based on its low efficacy in practice. Paper suggests to extend and update the existing sustainable tourism paradigm to encourage more sustainable tourism strategies, policies and their more effective implementation.     

UK tour operators and retail travel agents: ABTA and the public interest

In the 1960s the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) introduced rules to safeguard the public against the failure of tour operators to fulfil holiday contracts. When the Restrictive Trade Practices (Services) Order 1976 took effect, certain ‘registrable restrictions’ were rescinded. Remaining restrictions were defended in the Restrictive Practices Court. The exclusive trading arrangement between ABTA tour operators and retail agents for the sale of foreign inclusive holidays (Stabilizer) was retained. But rules relating to the standard of premises, and to the control by the principals over prices charged, were found to be unjustifiable. Modified staffing rules were upheld. EEC approval for these decisions was obtained.     

Communicating sustainability through a destination’s website: a checklist to inform,motivate, and engage stakeholders

This study investigated sustainability communication through destination websites. In particular, it suggested an online sustainability communication checklist (OSC-Checklist) that informs, motivates, and engages stakeholders to contribute towards the development of environmental, sociocultural, and economic sustainability. The OSC-Checklist was applied to the official websites of the top 50 competitive destinations with the aim of evaluating the extent to which each destination communicates sustainability on its website. The results indicated that the sample destinations lack an appropriate online approach to communicate sustainability. The results also revealed that the less developed and competitive destinations scored higher in terms of communicating sustainability than other more competitive developed destinations. Theoretical and practical implications are also provided.     

Environmental certification schemes: Hotel managers’ views and perceptions

This paper contributes to research into environmental certification schemes in the hospitality industry, by discussing three objectives of such schemes: (1) promote the implementation of sustainability practices in the hospitality industry; (2) increase profitability; and (3) provide more accurate information to guests. This paper provides a first insight into the perception of managers towards certification schemes. Interviews with 21 London managers from a range of star-rated hotels, and an analysis of 196 websites of London hotels, indicates that these objectives are not all achieved. It is discussed how certification schemes provide knowledge to hoteliers and helps against claims of ‘greenwash’. The effect of certifications on profitability, however, is questioned, and due to limited communication of certifications by hotels, certifications are failing to provide guests with more accurate information. Implications, recommendations and limitations of the research are discussed.     

Crowding standards at Petra Archaeological Park: a comparative study of McKercher's five types of heritage tourists

To achieve sustainability in heritage tourism, tourists should be placed at the heart of the management and planning processes. Indicators and standards-based frameworks were developed in the field of outdoor recreation management to manage and measure crowding and other problematic issues in parks and related areas. Using normative theory and visual research methods, this article aims to examine crowding standards of tourists at Petra Archaeological Park, and compare these standards between the types of heritage tourists suggested by a model developed by Bob McKercher. Results showed that tourists’ acceptability levels go down with an increasing number of tourists, and tourists who are highly motivated to visit heritage sites (i.e. purposeful and sightseeing heritage tourists) had the most restrictive acceptable number of tourists at the park. The normative standards formulated in this article provided a guidance to manage crowding at Petra.     

A Social Cognitive Theory of sustainability empathy

Social-Cognitive Theory is used to test the argument that the motivations behind sustainable tourism, and the types of sustainable actions undertaken, depend on one’s empathy towards sustainability. Latin American businesses were surveyed about their motivations for acting sustainably and any sustainability actions undertaken. Based on their responses, TwoStep cluster analysis found four clusters (cost, legitimisation, biospheric, and lifestyle). Acceptance of responsibility to be more sustainable depends on one’s level of empathy with, and attachment to, sustainability, explained by a beneficiary focus (personal norms that drive one to act to help oneself or others) and a cultural focus (acting in response to individualistic or collectivistic social norms). Lifestyle businesses are argued to be culturally individualistic but self-transcendent in benefit focus.     

Sustainability practices of family firms: the interplay between family ownership and long-term orientation

Sustainability practices are critical for family firms, as they relate directly to the continuity of the business and relationships with important stakeholders, such as members of the local community. Nevertheless, not all family firms wish to adopt sustainability practices. To examine this, we draw upon the socioemotional wealth perspective in order to develop a theoretical model of the direct negative effects of family ownership on the adoption of sustainability practices. We also suggest moderating effects of long-term orientation (LTO) on this link. Our model is tested on a sample of 195 family firms in the tourism and hospitality sector. The results support our hypothesis that family ownership negatively influences the adoption of sustainability practices. Additionally, LTO moderates the relationship between family ownership and the adoption of sustainability practices, such that family owners with a high LTO are more likely to adopt this particular practice compared to those with a low LTO.     

Conference Report: The World Ecotourism Summit

This paper uses an actor-network perspective on innovation to examine the introduction of a mandatory product-oriented environmental management system (in Dutch: Product en MilieuZorg or PMZ) for Dutch outbound tour operators by the Netherlands Association of Tour Operators (VRO). In-depth interviews and a quantitative analysis of the actions taken by 126 outbound tour operators revealed that the introduction of the PMZ was extensively negotiated. The results show the various stages of implementation and three types of tour operators: ‘unconvinced minor participants’, ‘open-minded yet sceptical participants’, and ‘loyal actors’. The analysis also demonstrates that on average, tour operators made 13.6 actions, which is almost three times the minimum requirement (five) set by the VRO. Between them, the 126 tour operators have undertaken a total of 1710 actions, of which over 87% concern the environmental dimension of sustainability. Unquestionably, the introduction of PMZ helped tour operators to identify some of the environmental consequences of their operations, and to single out and implement environmental friendly initiatives. However, the rather general criteria and lax entry requirements at this stage led to an abundance of proposed actions by tour operators that were often ‘soft’ and indeterminate. New rounds of translations are necessary to maintain the momentum.     

The effect of trust on value on travel websites: enhancing well-being and word-of-mouth among the elderly

Despite older adults’ potential for engagement in e-commerce, there is limited understanding of what makes them achieve well-being while using a travel website. In addressing this research gap relating to older adults’ travel website experiences, this study highlights the important role of trust generating value in the context of travel websites. Specifically, this paper examines the relationships between trust, functional and hedonic values, well-being, and word-of-mouth (WOM). We analyzed 300 older adults in the United States (US) who used travel websites and purchased package tours, employing the structural equation modeling technique. The results show that trust significantly influences both functional and hedonic values, both of which result in well-being. Interestingly, hedonic value has a stronger effect on well-being than functional value, leading to WOM.     

From innovation to sustainability: Sustainability innovations of eco-friendly hotels in Taiwan

Sustainable innovation is a critical attribute in modern hotel management, as is widely recognized by experts and hotel managers alike. This paper develops and tests a new integrated theoretical model of associations among innovation diffusion, environmental marketing strategy, sustainability innovations, and the organizational environment. This research also considers the mediating effect of environmental marketing strategy and the moderating role of the organizational environment. The results of a study that included 367 managers of eco-friendly hotels in Taiwan provide support for this model across various dimensions of hotels’ sustainable innovation. The present study found relationships among innovation diffusion, environmental marketing strategy and sustainability innovations, and a mediating effect of environmental marketing strategy. The results also confirmed that the organizational environment moderates the relationship between innovation diffusion and environmental marketing strategy. That is, a supportive organizational environment will enhance the effect of innovation diffusion on environmental marketing strategy.     

Sustainability communication: The effect of message construals on consumers’ attitudes towards green restaurants

As consumer preferences for environmentally conscious products have intensified in recent years, scholars have begun to more deeply explore the complex relationship between green practices and consumer behavior in the hospitality industry. Recently, this stream of research has been extended to the restaurant industry where consumers have become increasingly concerned about corporate social responsibility in general, and sustainable operations in particular. However, while there is general agreement about the importance of promoting a company’s sustainability message from a consumer marketing standpoint, an essential underlying question remains unanswered: What is it about sustainability messaging that leads to positive consumer attitudes? The purpose of this research is to explore this question via the complementary theoretical perspectives of construal level theory and information processing theory. Data collected from a sample of restaurant consumers in the United States suggest that consumers process information differently according to variations in the construals of a company’s sustainability message. The results indicate that messages congruent with the consumer’s perception of sustainability result in a more positive attitude toward the company.     

Corporate social responsibility reporting in the cruise tourism industry: a performance evaluation using a new institutional theory based model

This paper creates a conceptual model that helps explain the corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting behaviour of cruise lines in the context of institutional theory. It presents findings from an analysis of 50 cruise lines' websites and sustainability reports and discusses the findings within this conceptual context. The study investigated cruise line reporting on commitments to specific CSR goals, the extent of reporting on initiatives contributing to those commitments and the extent of reporting on progress towards those goals. The analysis indicates limited use of formal international reporting guidelines, an almost complete absence of third-party assurance of reported information, and unclear presentation of information on websites, failing to specify time frames and the scope/source of information. Although most cruise lines reported on commitments, fewer reported on specific initiatives, and still fewer provided meaningful assessments of their impacts or performance. Environmental issues and social and community well-being issues received most attention, while issues of economic prosperity, employment quality, and diversity and accessibility were reported to a much lesser extent. Access to information, its credibility, ease of interpretation, and comparability between companies were found to be poor. Since 2009, industry reporting declined, but recently shows signs of resurgence.