Barriers to EMS in the hotel industry

While some hotels have adopted the formal environmental management system (EMS) or the internationally recognised ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard for the sake of the environment—or other claimed benefits—many hotels are still standing at the crossroads in adopting EMS. This exploratory study was conducted with the aim of investigating the barriers to EMS in the hotel industry in Hong Kong SAR. Of the 330 questionnaires mailed, 83 were returned. Using exploratory factor analysis to identify interpretable orthogonal factors, six factors that hinder hotels from adopting formal EMS were identified and interpreted. They are: (1) lack of knowledge and skills; (2) lack of professional advice; (3) uncertainty of outcome; (4) certifiers/verifiers; (5) lack of resources; and (6) implementation and maintenance costs. Independent samples t-test and ANOVA analysis were also conducted to gain a better understanding of the significant differences in the identified six factors on the barriers to adopting and implementing EMS in the hotel industry among different hotel demographic variables. Implications of the findings are discussed, while recommendations are made to reduce the barriers inhibiting the adoption of EMS in the hotel industry.