Environmental sustainability innovations in the accommodation sub-sector: Views from Lilongwe,Malawi

ABSTRACT

Rising calls on sustainable practices ignited the need for hotels to develop innovative and sustainable ideas and approached to conserve the environment. This paper examines and discusses the existence and application of innovative sustainable environmental practices within Malawi hotels. Qualitative approaches were adopted to collect the data from public and private actors in the accommodation sub-sector. The Rogers Diffusion of Innovation Theory was used to determine the most prevalent reason for adopting an innovation strategy within some of the hotels in Lilongwe. It is reviewed that to a lesser extent some hotels adopted innovative strategies in water and energy use, waste management and hotel design. The collaborative effort between the government and private sector and the strengthening of the implementation of sustainability policies is recommended to promote environmental sustainability innovation. These views have been discussed within the broader discourse on environmental sustainability and innovations within hotels, in the Sub – Saharan African context.