Next Article in Journal
Knowledge Production in a Territorial Network of Organizations: Identifying the Determinants in the Case of Moroccan Technopole
Next Article in Special Issue
Film-Induced Tourism as a Key Factor for Promoting Tourism Destination Image: The James Bond Saga Case
Previous Article in Journal
Decoding the Digital Landscape: An Empirically Validated Model for Assessing Digitalisation across Public Administration Levels
Previous Article in Special Issue
Community-Based Tourism and Best Practices with the Sustainable Development Goals
 
 
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Hospitality Environmental Indicators Enhancing Tourism Destination Sustainable Management

1
CiTUR—Centre for Tourism Research, Development and Innovation, Polytechnic University of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
2
CICF—Research Centre for Accounting and Taxation, Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave, 4750-810 Barcelos, Portugal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Adm. Sci. 2024, 14(3), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14030042
Submission received: 18 January 2024 / Revised: 19 February 2024 / Accepted: 23 February 2024 / Published: 27 February 2024

Abstract

:
Environmental aspects are considered a specific process that requires a multidisciplinary analysis, as the application of indicators in organizations stems from effective performance management; the tourism sector is no exception. In 2015, the United Nations formulated 17 sustainable development goals to contribute to a common vision for people and the planet. The main objective of this study is to propose a framework of science-based environmental sustainability indicators for the hospitality industry, which can be used by hotel managers to improve the efficiency of sustainable management of tourism destinations. This study used a mixed methodology of systematic review and content analysis, which is an innovative methodological approach; an in-depth analysis of various scientific articles, consultancy firms’ websites, and technical books was carried out. The results categorized the environmental indicators into four domains: water, energy, waste, and emissions. After a framework was established with 24 environmental indicators, the most relevant were water consumption per guest, water consumption per occupied room, and energy consumption per square meter/foot. However, there were disparities in the use of indicators between the scientific literature, consultancy firms, and the technical books. In this way, there is a need to create stronger relationships between these sources for effective adoption by hoteliers, allowing for adequate environmental indicators with positive impacts on the tourism destination management.

1. Introduction

Sustainability, an increasingly discussed concept in the literature, is grounded in three fundamental pillars: economic, sociocultural, and environmental (Lee et al. 2021). Sustainability, in general, embraces a variety of concepts, which include the three perspectives of the sustainability triple bottom line.
In this regard, in 2015, the United Nations established 17 Sustainable Development Goals aimed at the sustainable development of people and the planet at large. In the same way, according to the European Commission’s Standards and Guidelines (FI Group 2023), companies’ sustainability reports will soon become mandatory. In this way, companies will have to present concrete information on various topics such as environmental, social, and governance. Some companies have already adopted these practices in anticipation of the criteria and a roadmap for non-financial information (Pestana Hotel Group 2022).
Addressing environmental sustainability, the aim is to preserve natural resources and protect global ecosystems, even though decisions with environmental impacts may be delayed in producing perceived effects. In the particular case of the tourism sector, environmental sustainability is considered crucial (Baydeniz and Kart 2024; Sphera 2024), given that current institutional pressures impose a voluntary environmental strategy on companies to mitigate impacts (Mata et al. 2018), justifying the connection with the scope and objective of this study.
Furthermore, the attractiveness of tourism destinations is significantly related to the quality and quantity of natural resources, and some destinations suffer serious environmental impacts from tourism. There is, therefore, a growing need to assess environmental sustainability in this sector using indicators that consider the specific characteristics of the natural environment (Leka et al. 2023). In this way, sustainable tourism is a complex phenomenon that requires the development of a future vision and the establishment of objectives. Planning involves anticipating and regulating a system that promotes development and enhances social, economic, and environmental processes. These processes serve as the foundation for understanding tourism in a destination (Morpeth and Yan 2015).
Despite making a significant contribution to the economies of countries, tourism is a sector associated with increasing concerns about sustainability-related negative impacts (Lee et al. 2021; Aria et al. 2023). However, tourists have become more discerning, showing increased awareness of sustainable practices implemented at destinations. According to Pagliara et al. (2020) and Campa et al. (2019), countries with high tourist attractiveness rates consider the impacts of high-speed rail to be important. This awareness extends to their accommodation choices, making sustainability a critical factor for the hospitality industry (Lee et al. 2021). Sustainability is viewed as something volatile in the hospitality industry (Oriade et al. 2021). However, Oriade et al. (2021) suggest the establishment of a robust corporate culture to assist in sustainability management and advocate for the empowerment of employees in this regard.
In this way, hoteliers should seek measures to enhance sustainable performance. One way to conduct this analysis is using hospitality sustainability indicators. Sustainability indicators assist managers in assessing sustainability impacts and taking actions to mitigate these consequences (Lee et al. 2021). These indicators are essential tools for measuring and monitoring, for instance, the consumption of natural resources, emission of pollutants, and proper waste management. However, the effectiveness of these indicators is only achievable when aligned with various initiatives planned by managers (Duric and Topler 2021).
In the same context, even the most widely used accounting system in the hospitality industry, the USALI (Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry) has developed specific environmental sustainability indicators, recently modifying an operational statement on energy (HANYC 2022). Moreover, according to Lee et al. (2021), companies utilizing sustainability indicators enable better planning, management, and monitoring of their processes. Thus, these authors assert that the development of sustainable indicator frameworks is crucial for tourism. However, they argue that assessments of sustainability indicators are limited.
Therefore, considering the challenges presented earlier, the main objective of this study is to propose a science-based framework of environmental sustainability indicators for the hospitality industry, which can be used by hoteliers as a tool for assessing the quality of destinations’ environmental management. Scientific contributions are evident through the compilation of various environmental sustainability indicators applied to the hospitality industry in a single study, reflecting practical application by hoteliers. This enables a comprehensive assessment of environmental performance. Moreover, economic viability can also be evaluated by managers, as the application of these indicators enhances cost control effectiveness.
Several previously studies have analyzed various sustainable practices, showing that they are increasing (Golicic and Smith 2013; González-Rodríguez et al. 2019). However, it is necessary to monitor them. In addition, environmental indicators have already been developed for several tourism destinations, but this has not yet been conducted for hotels (Tournaki et al. 2018). In this way, the present study stands out for realizing environmental indicators that manifest in a useful framework for hotel managers to better control their costs and make more informed decisions based on important and monitored information and to have useful indicators for hotel management and the consequent responsible management of the tourism destination.
In other research, the excessive number of visitors in tourism destinations highlights the importance that should be given to environmental practices and indicators, which sometimes clash with the performance of other indicators (e.g., economic), and this can lead to problems (Berselli et al. 2022; Matarazzo 2022).
In the study by Silveira et al. (2021), various environmental practices and indicators were developed, among others, for the tourism sector. However, not all of them can be applied to the hospitality subsector, as the performance management of a hotel is reflected in various ways: social responsibility, continuous development, and satisfaction of guests and stakeholders. Over the years, several strategies have been developed to promote the environmental sustainability of businesses by applying indicators that enable effective environmental performance management. This involves the application of various techniques and tools to empower managers, enhance individual employee performance and ensure the proper utilization of resources in a hotel business (Duric and Topler 2021).
According to Jhunjhnuwala (2023), customers are interested in understanding the environmental strategy adopted by hotels in various aspects such as decarbonization, water management, waste management, electric vehicle charging facilities, and even the implementation of a circular economy. Garrido et al. (2023), in their study, introduced an index model on the circular economy for practical implementation to compare the performance of sustainability practices between hotels. This index makes it possible to benchmark the performance of hotels with a lower level of implementation of these practices, identifying viable paths for improvement. However, as Krivokapi and Jovanovi (2009) note, the only environmental management system commonly used is the ISO 14001 standard, which does not recognize environmental performance as a key factor for certification. Additionally, hotel managers must ascertain whether the environmental sustainability strategies they adopt align with guest preferences, understanding how this affects the guest−hotel relationship and behavior positively or negatively (Bashir et al. 2019).
To address these weaknesses, Rao et al. (2009) present several categories of environmental sustainability indicators in their study, such as environmental performance indicators and environmental management indicators. The category of environmental performance indicators suggests the following ones: consumption/output ratio; raw material efficiency; packaging-to-output ratio; reusable packaging ratio; hazardous material ratio; recyclable raw materials ratio; energy cost ratio; energy consumption ratio; renewable energy ratio; water consumption ratio; total waste-to-output ratio; recycling waste ratio; waste for disposal ratio; hazardous waste ratio; specific waste ratio; amount of air emissions; recycled wastewater ratio; wastewater ratio. The category of environmental management indicators suggests the following ones: environment investment per year; operating cost of environmental protection per year (specifying the kind of investment made); training on environment issues; environmental training/employees; environmentally trained employees (number); budget for environmental training (yes/no); importance of environment training to employee; environment assessment of suppliers conducted; ratio of purchased goods from environmentally assessed suppliers. More recently, Cheong and Lee (2021) further divided environmental indicators into different dimensions, including environmental policy; water resources; energy; solid waste; indoor environment; green purchasing; corporate management; staff education; public and community relationships; consumer education.
The study by Horng et al. (2016) also identified some indicators that can assist managers in maintaining environmentally sustainable innovation, as the knowledge of managers is limited (Lee et al. 2021). Petrevska and Cingoski (2017) corroborate and state that hoteliers are aware of the concept of environmental sustainability, such as renewable energy sources, but measures are not adopted to replace conventional energy with alternative sources.
The study by Alipour et al. (2019) contradicts previous authors and asserts that hotel operations comply with sustainability principles implicit in various organizations (UNWTO—World Tourism Organization, European Union), particularly at the environmental level, and hotel company employees consider these sustainability practices as genuine.
Environmental indicators enable the optimization of environmental management and enhance internal processes in decision-making (Stylos et al. 2018). Moreover, they allow for measuring future economic prosperity (Jurigová et al. 2016). Consequently, the relevance of the present study is evident through the importance that environmental sustainability indicators hold in the hospitality industry.

2. Materials and Methods

The present study chose a systematic review-mixed methodology with a bibliometric approach (Araújo 2006; Koseoglu et al. 2016; Cardoso et al. 2024; Almeida et al. 2023; Nguyen et al. 2020) by using content analysis to achieve the stated objective. The objective revolved around proposing a framework of environmental sustainability indicators for the hospitality industry based on the existing literature, like the approaches taken by Paterno et al. (2023) and Lee et al. (2021) in their studies.
To develop a rigorous and replicable methodological process for other researchers, the study commenced with the creation of a search chain that encompassed topics such as hospitality, environment, and indicators: (hotel* OR hospitality* OR lodging*) AND (ratio* OR indicator* OR metric* OR rate*) AND environment* AND NOT (build* OR construction). The Scopus database was employed for this purpose. This database was also used by other authors to achieve their results (Cardoso et al. 2022; Soliman et al. 2021; Campos et al. 2023). This database was chosen as the data source due to its status as one of the largest multidisciplinary repositories of high-quality abstracts and citations from the peer-reviewed literature (Scopus 2023).
In the initial phase, the search string yielded 1316 documents. Search criteria were established, namely specific areas such as environmental science; social science; business, management and accounting; economics, econometrics and finance; multidisciplinary, which resulted in 751 documents. Only scientific articles (616 documents) in English (594 documents) were selected. Additionally, considering that the Sustainable Development Goals were set by the United Nations in 2015, the authors decided to include only the period from 2015 until the date of the research—24 October 2023, imparting contemporary nature to the present study, resulting in the selection of 418 documents.
Following this phase, all scientific articles were extracted (downloaded) for reading their abstracts and performing comprehensive analysis to check for environmental sustainability indicators. After this analysis, 322 articles were excluded for not being related to the topic (such as plants, health, organization environment, or macro tourism) or not presenting environmental sustainability indicators, resulting in a total of 96 scientific articles. All the documents were read in detail, and the final sample resulted in 28 studies.
Given that the sample was considered small by the authors, additional sources of evidence, such as the websites of 19 international consulting firms and nine technical books, were accessed. This research resulted in relevant information from four consulting firms (HSR 2023; Verdant Consulting 2023; Spider Strategies 2021; CBRE 2023) and one technical book (HANYC 2014). This search for a larger number of relevant sources of evidence promoted a diversity of perspectives and an understanding of different contexts and cultural phenomena (Turato 2000). The same method was applied in the study by Paterno et al. (2023) by using triangulation.
Figure 1 summarizes the process described above. Considering the main objective of the study, which was the creation of a framework of environmental sustainability indicators useful for hoteliers, micro-indicators were analyzed, excluding macro-indicators, as the intention was to apply them to a hotel and not to an area or sector such as tourism. The Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews (SPAR-4-SLR) protocol was adopted, as in the study of Cardoso et al. (2024).

3. Results

3.1. Overall Results

After an in-depth analysis of the final sample, based on information from the scientific literature, the consulting firms, and the technical book, the environmental indicators were categorized into four different domains: energy, water, waste, and emissions. The domain with the highest number of environmental indicators was water, which is perceptible as water resources are becoming increasingly scarce in different tourism destinations of the world (Becken and McLennan 2017; Asseng et al. 2001). Energy had also a significant number of environmental indicators, some of which are related to companies’ commitment to renewable energies (Omune et al. 2021; Lee et al. 2021). Waste indicators are currently growing in prominence, with a focus on the waste generated by food production (Omune et al. 2021; Voukkali et al. 2021; Khan et al. 2023; Lee et al. 2021). In some regions of the world, tourism has led to an increase in waste production (Aria et al. 2023). Regarding the hospitality industry studied here, emissions were not the most important when compared to subsectors such as transport (i.e., aviation) (Tournaki et al. 2018); however, the technical book (HANYC 2014) included in the sample highlighted emissions indicators, distinguishing them by gas and steam. Various tables containing the environmental indicators obtained from the sample organized by domain are shown as follows.
Table 1 presents a total of 28 water indicators. The table includes simpler indicators such as water use, effective water use, and water recycling, as well as more complex indicators that rely on formulas for measurement, such as water consumption, water saving, chilled water, consumption per night, and percentage (all with different purposes). The indicators most explored in this domain by sources of evidence were water use with seven references in the scientific literature; water savings with eight references in the scientific literature; and water consumption per overnight guest with one reference in the scientific literature, two references in the consulting firms, and one reference in the technical book.
Table 2 presents a total of 16 energy indicators. Several indicators do not require formulas for measurement, such as energy use, supply and efficient use of energy, energy savings, energy consumption from renewable sources, and energy consumption cost. Indicators like energy consumption per overnight stay, per available room, per occupied room, per square meter/foot, and use intensity were assisted through specific formulas that can aid hotel managers; the same applied to energy percentage at various levels. Regarding the most relevant energy indicators in the sample, it was observed that energy savings and energy use appeared most frequently (11 times and eight times in the scientific literature, respectively). Energy consumption per square meter was also significant, referenced two times in the scientific literature, one time in the consulting firms, and one time in the technical book. Although the indicator energy consumption per occupied room was not referenced in the scientific literature, it was mentioned two times in the consulting firms and one time in the technical book.
Table 3 presents a total of 12 waste indicators. These indicators were mostly identified in the scientific literature, except for the percentage of waste recycled off-site and the percentage of waste reused on-site, both considered by a consulting firm. No waste indicators were found in the technical book. Food waste was the most relevant indicator in the scientific literature, appearing in four studies from the sample. It was followed by waste recycling and waste per overnight guest, both referenced in two studies in the scientific literature. The remaining waste indicators were referenced only once in the scientific literature of the studied sample.
Table 4 presents a total of 18 emissions indicators. Although the emissions indicators were more numerous than waste indicators and energy indicators, eight of these indicators appeared only in the technical book. The reason why HANYC (2014) gives so much importance to these indicators may be linked to emission issues in the country of origin of the technical book—the United States of America (Black 2009). The most relevant emission indicator in the sample was the carbon footprint, referenced four times in the scientific literature. CO2 emissions were mentioned only two times in the scientific literature, as was the hotel carbon per occupied room; however, the latter indicator was referenced in the consulting firms. The remaining indicators presented in the table appeared only once in the scientific literature.

3.2. The Framework of Environmental Indicators

To establish a scientifically based framework of environmental sustainability indicators for the hospitality industry to be used by hoteliers, Table 5 comprises a total of 24 indicators, including nine indicators related to water, nine indicators related to energy, three indicators related to waste, and three indicators related to emissions. This framework was developed based on information obtained from the scientific literature, the consulting firms, and the technical book, as well as the studies by Alves et al. (2019) and Paterno et al. (2023). An “×” in Table 5 shows that the indicator is present in the source of evidence listed at the top of the table. For the development of this framework, the authors considered indicators that simultaneously appear in three research sources (the scientific literature, the consulting firms, and the technical book) and two sources of evidence (the scientific literature and the consulting firms OR the scientific literature and the technical book OR the consulting firms and the technical book). Considering that some indicators appear multiple times in the scientific literature and consulting firms, the authors considered indicators that appear twice either in the scientific literature or in the consulting firms.
Three indicators appear simultaneously in the analyzed sources of evidence: water consumption per overnight guest, water consumption per occupied room, and energy consumption per square meter/foot. Consequently, there was greater attention to water and energy indicators by different sources of evidence compared to that to other indicators. The energy consumption per occupied room indicator was not mentioned in the scientific literature, but it was relevant in the consulting firms and the technical book, as well as the hotel carbon per occupied room, which was referenced only in the consulting firms. These indicators became interesting to analyze, because inconsistencies were observed between the scientific literature and what was developed in practices by the consulting firms in hotels. The remaining indicators in the framework were referenced only in the scientific literature.
In this way, despite the growth of studies on environmental indicators in tourism destinations, tourism, and hospitality, there is still much work to be performed in this area, so that both parties—the scientific literature and the consulting firms—are complying, and the work conducted by hotel managers is facilitated. Although it is not the aim of this study, it is also important to measure compliance rates in relation to reference values, which is part of the monitoring process and can be facilitated through the use of information technology. This dual need is not only due to the fact that environmental sustainability is an emerging topic at a global level, but also an urgent issue for the nations’ well-being and for the viability of the tourism sector, particularly the hospitality industry.

4. Conclusions

The main objective of this study was to establish a scientifically based framework of environmental sustainability indicators for the hospitality industry to be used by hoteliers. For this purpose, the methodology used was bibliometric and involved analyzing the content of various scientific articles (the scientific literature), as well as the websites of various consulting firms and technical books.
The results show that, out of the 74 environmental indicators across the four studied domains (water, energy, waste, and emissions), a framework with 24 environmental indicators has been developed and proposed. Initially, a significantly positive focus was observed on indicators related to water reduction and conservation, energy use, renewable energy, as well as concerns about food waste and the carbon footprint of hotels. However, upon presenting the framework that encompasses all four domains and comparing the various sources of evidence and the significance of indicators in each, it is evident that the indicators present across all sources of evidence were shown as follows: water consumption per overnight guest, water consumption per occupied room, and energy consumption per square meter/foot.
The results also reveal a disparity in the indicators used among the scientific literature, the consulting firms, and the technical book. It was observed that many indicators presented in the scientific literature are not being applied in practice, and vice versa. Therefore, it is advisable to strengthen the relationships between the different sources of evidence analyzed, as some hotel practices are beginning to be adopted but cannot yet be measured through indicators.
If these environmental indicators were effectively adopted by hoteliers, they would allow for proper environmental management, which would have a positive impact on the management of the tourism destinations in which they operate. Considering the initial objective of proposing a science-based framework of environmental indicators, the greatest contribution of the research is the provision of a tool for assessing the quality of environmental management in destinations.
In terms of theoretical implications, it is evident that this study has contributed to strengthening scientific knowledge in the realm of environmental management indicators focused on the hospitality industry. Despite the frequent discourse on environmental sustainability, there remains a considerable amount to be explored in this field, particularly within the tourism and hospitality sector where environmental impacts are significant. Guests are increasingly interested in topics such as that shown in this study, highlighting a substantial potential for further development.
Regarding practical implications, the synthesis presented in this study on environmental indicators enables managers to conduct a quick analysis, which can be effectively applied in their hotel businesses. By using these indicators, managers can implement more effective environmental sustainability measures that will translate into improved assessment and communication of their performance. Furthermore, by proposing a framework of indicators, this study anticipates the mandatory implementation of sustainability reports by companies in the environmental realm.
This study also provides evidence for future research, such as exploring the association between hotel environmental management and technology to make this process more dynamic. Studies that validate the utility of these indicators in specific cases of hotels or hotel chains through interviews, questionnaires, or case studies could also be conducted in the future. These studies will allow the hospitality industry to get closer not only to the sustainable development goals established by the United Nations, but also to the mandatory introduction of sustainability indicators in hotel reports shortly. Future studies could also be replicated in the context of sustainable management of tourism destinations by connecting sustainability to the way tourists travel to the destination, whether through more sustainable transportation or not, and consequently proposing new environmental indicators. Another avenue for future research is the study of the monitoring processes of the framework of environmental indicators in relation to the reference values.
A limitation of this study was found when reading the abstracts of the downloaded articles, as the term “hospitality” is associated with both the hospitality industry and the health context. This led to the collection (and subsequent removal) of various scientific articles related to health issues during the research process, which did not contribute to the study.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, F.C., C.G., C.M. and L.L.S.; methodology, F.C., C.G., C.M. and L.L.S.; validation, C.G., C.M. and L.L.S.; formal analysis, F.C. and L.L.S.; investigation, F.C., C.G., C.M. and L.L.S.; resources, F.C.; writing—original draft preparation, F.C.; writing—review and editing, F.C., C.G., C.M. and L.L.S.; visualization, F.C., C.G., C.M. and L.L.S.; supervision, L.L.S.; project administration, L.L.S.; funding acquisition, L.L.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research is financed by national funds through FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., within the scope of the project FCT/UIDB/04470/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/04470/2020).

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

Data are contained within the article.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

  1. Alipour, Habib, Farzad Safaeimanesh, and Arezoo Soosan. 2019. Investigating Sustainable Practices in Hotel Industry-from Employees’ Perspective: Evidence from a Mediterranean Island. Sustainability 11: 6556. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  2. Almeida, Giovana Goretti Feijó de, Paulo Almeida, Lucília Cardoso, and Luís Lima Santos. 2023. Uses and Functions of the Territorial Brand over Time: Interdisciplinary Cultural-Historical Mapping. Sustainability 15: 6448. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  3. Alves, Diana, Cátia Malheiros, and Conceição Gomes. 2019. Métricas de Spa Para a Avaliação de Desempenho. Tourism and Hospitality International Journal 13: 13–36. Available online: www.isce-turismo.com (accessed on 1 December 2023).
  4. Araújo, Carlos. 2006. Bibliometria: Evolução Histórica e Questões Atuais. Em Questão 12: 11–32. [Google Scholar]
  5. Aria, Massimo, Luca D’Aniello, Valentina Della Corte, and Francesca Pagliara. 2023. Balancing Tourism and Conservation: Analysing the Sustainability of Tourism in the City of Naples through Citizen Perspectives. Quality and Quantity, 1–21. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  6. Asseng, Senthold, Neil Turner, and Brian Keating. 2001. Analysis of Water- and Nitrogen-Use Efficiency of Wheat in a Mediterranean Climate. Plant & Soil 233: 127. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  7. Bagheri, Moslem, Payam Shojaei, Samaneh Asghari Jahromi, and Mehrdad Kiani. 2020. Proposing a Model for Assessing Green Hotels Based on Ecological Indicators. Tourism and Hospitality Research 20: 406–22. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  8. Bashir, Shahid, Muddasar Ghani Khwaja, Jamshid Ali Turi, and Hira Toheed. 2019. Extension of Planned Behavioral Theory to Consumer Behaviors in Green Hotel. Heliyon 5: e02974. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  9. Baydeniz, Erdem, and Nurullah Kart. 2024. Factors Affecting the Green Behaviour of Hotel Managers. European Journal of Tourism Research 36: 3611. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  10. Becken, Susanne, and Char lee McLennan. 2017. Evidence of the Water-Energy Nexus in Tourist Accommodation. Journal of Cleaner Production 144: 415–25. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  11. Berselli, Cristiane, Lucimari Acosta Pereira, Tércio Pereira, and Pablo Flôres Limberger. 2022. Overtourism: Residents’ Perceived Impacts of Tourism Saturation. Tourism Analysis 27: 161–72. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  12. Bianco, Simone, Shaniel Bernard, and Manisha Singal. 2023. The Impact of Sustainability Certifications on Performance and Competitive Action in Hotels. International Journal of Hospitality Management 108: 103379. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  13. Black, Richard. 2009. EUA Devem Passar a Regular Emissões de CO2. BBS News. April 17. Available online: https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/noticias/2009/04/090417_euaco2_ac (accessed on 20 December 2023).
  14. Campa, Juan Luis, Francesca Pagliara, María Eugenia López-Lambas, Rosa Arce, and Begoña Guirao. 2019. Impact of High-Speed Rail on Cultural Tourism Development: The Experience of the Spanish Museums and Monuments. Sustainability 11: 5845. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  15. Campos, Filipa, Veronika Neves, Bruno Lobo, and Graça Azevedo. 2023. Management Accounting Systems: A Bibliometric Analysis. Paper presented at 2023 18th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI), Aveiro, Portugal, June 20–23; pp. 1–6. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  16. Cardoso, Lucília, Arthur Araújo, Rui Silva, Giovana Goretti Feijó de Almeida, Filipa Campos, and Luís Lima Santos. 2024. Demystifying Neurotourism: An Interdisciplinary Approach and Research Agenda. European Journal of Tourism Research 36: 3618. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  17. Cardoso, Lucília, Meng Chen, Arthur Araújo, Giovana Almeida, Francisco Dias, and Luiz Moutinho. 2022. Accessing Neuromarketing Scientific Performance: Research Gaps and Emerging Topics. Behavioral Sciences 12: 55. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  18. CBRE. 2023. Sustainability. Available online: https://www.cbre.pt/insights-e-research/sustentabilidade (accessed on 15 December 2023).
  19. Chaabane, Wassim, Abdallah Nassour, and Michael Nelles. 2018. Solid Waste Management Key Indicator Development for Hotels: A Tunisian Case Study Analysis. Recycling 3: 56. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  20. Chan, Eric S. W., and Cathy H. C. Hsu. 2016. Environmental Management Research in Hospitality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 28: 886–923. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  21. Cheong, Fan, and Young Hee Lee. 2021. Developing an Environmental Management System for Evaluating Green Casino Hotels. Sustainability 13: 7825. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  22. Duric, Zorica, and Jasna Potočnik Topler. 2021. The Role of Performance and Environmental Sustainability Indicators in Hotel Competitiveness. Sustainability 13: 6574. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  23. Dziuba, Radosław. 2016. Sustainable Development of Tourism—EU Ecolabel Standards Illustrated Using the Example of Poland. Comparative Economic Research 19: 111–28. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  24. El Alaoui, Maryam H., Mustapha D. Ibrahim, Sahand Daneshvar, Uju Violet Alola, and Andrew Adewale Alola. 2023. A Two-Stage Data Envelopment Analysis Approach to Productivity, Efficiency and Their Sustainability in the Hotel Industry of Tunisia. Quality and Quantity 57: 955–72. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  25. FI Group. 2023. Sustainability Report as of Fiscal Year 2024. August 12. Available online: https://pt.fi-group.com/novas-normas-europeias-de-relatorios-de-sustentabilidade-a-partir-do-exercicio-fiscal-de-2024/ (accessed on 20 November 2023).
  26. Garrido, Susana, José Rodríguez-Antón, Carla A. F. Amado, Sérgio Santos, and Luís C. Dias. 2023. Development and Application of a Composite Circularity Index. Journal of Environmental Management 337: 117752. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  27. Golicic, Susan L., and Carlo D. Smith. 2013. A Meta-Analysis of Environmentally Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices and Firm Performance. Journal of Supply Chain Management 49: 78–95. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  28. González-Rodríguez, María Rosario, Rosario Carmen Martín-Samper, Mehmet Ali Köseoglu, and Fevzi Okumus. 2019. Hotels’ Corporate Social Responsibility Practices, Organizational Culture, Firm Reputation, and Performance. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 27: 398–419. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  29. Greenview. 2022. Green Lodging—Trends Report 2022. Available online: https://greenview.sg/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Green_Lodging_Trends_Report_2022.pdf (accessed on 10 December 2023).
  30. HANYC. 2014. Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry, 11th ed. New York: Hotel Association of New York City, Inc. [Google Scholar]
  31. HANYC. 2022. USALI—12th Revised Edition Exposure Draft: Energy, Waste, and Water. Available online: https://www.hftp.org/blog/usali-12th-revised-edition-exposure-draft-energy-waste-and-water (accessed on 10 December 2023).
  32. Horng, Jeou Shyan, Chung Jen Wang, Chih Hsing Liu, Sheng Fang Chou, and Chang Yen Tsai. 2016. The Role of Sustainable Service Innovation in Crafting the Vision of the Hospitality Industry. Sustainability 8: 223. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  33. Hsiao, Teng Yuan, and Chung Ming Chuang. 2016. Creating Shared Value Through Implementing Green Practices for Star Hotels. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research 21: 678–96. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  34. HSR. 2023. Hospitality Sustainability Revolution Approach. Hospitality Sustainability Revolution. Available online: https://hospitalitysr.com/approach/ (accessed on 3 December 2023).
  35. Jhunjhnuwala, Vedika. 2023. Sustainability in Hospitality: Best Practice. Horwath HTL. June 29. Available online: https://horwathhtl.com/publication/sustainability-in-hospitality-best-practice/ (accessed on 5 December 2023).
  36. Jurigová, Zuzana, Zuzana Tučková, and Martina Kuncová. 2016. Economic Sustainability as a Future Phenomenon: Moving towards a Sustainable Hotel Industry. Journal of Security and Sustainability Issues 6: 103–12. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  37. Khan, Asif, Sughra Bibi, Hanliang Li, Xue Fubing, Shaoping Jiang, and Saddam Hussain. 2023. Does the Tourism and Travel Industry Really Matter to Economic Growth and Environmental Degradation in the US: A Sustainable Policy Development Approach. Frontiers in Environmental Science 11: 1147504. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  38. Koseoglu, Mehmet Ali, Roya Rahimi, Fevzi Okumus, and Jingyan Liu. 2016. Bibliometric Studies in Tourism. Annals of Tourism Research 61: 180–98. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  39. Krivokapi, Zdravko, and Jelena Jovanovi. 2009. Using Balanced Scorecard to Improve Environmental Management System. Journal of Mechanical Engineering 55: 262–71. [Google Scholar]
  40. Lee, Tsung Hung, Fen Hauh Jan, and Jui Tu Liu. 2021. Developing an Indicator Framework for Assessing Sustainable Tourism: Evidence from a Taiwan Ecological Resort. Ecological Indicators 125: 107596. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  41. Leka, Akrivi, Natalia Tsigarda, and Anastasia Stratigea. 2023. Assessing Tourism Environmental Sustainability in Mediterranean Insular Destinations—Case Study Zakynthos Island. Paper presented at 23rd International Conference on Computational Science and Its Applications, ICCSA 2023, Athens, Greece, July 3–6; pp. 371–90. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  42. Li, Yunyun, Ling en Wang, and Shengkui Cheng. 2019. Spatiotemporal Variability in Urban HORECA Food Consumption and Its Ecological Footprint in China. Science of the Total Environment 687: 1232–44. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  43. Machete, Fannie, Charles Hongoro, Godwell Nhamo, and Kevin Mearns. 2016. The Use of Environmental Accounting to Determine Energy Saving in Mpumalanga Hotels, South Africa. Journal of Environmental Accounting and Management 4: 413–22. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  44. Mata, Carlos, Ana Fialho, and Teresa Eugénio. 2018. A Decade of Environmental Accounting Reporting: What We Know? Journal of Cleaner Production 198: 1198–209. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  45. Matarazzo, Agata. 2022. Environmental Indicators to Improve Sustainable Tools in Tourism Sector. Paper presented at Tmrees International Conference on Technologies and Materials for Renewable Energy, Environment and Sustainability, TMREES21Gr 2021, Athens, Greece, May 28–30; p. 020056. [Google Scholar]
  46. Mendoza, Esther, Giuliana Ferrero, Yness March Slokar, Xavier Amores, Arianna Azzellino, and Gianluigi Buttiglieri. 2023. Water Management Practices in Euro-Mediterranean Hotels and Resorts. International Journal of Water Resources Development 39: 485–506. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  47. Michailidou, Alexandra V., Christos Vlachokostas, and Nicolas Moussiopoulos. 2015. A Methodology to Assess the Overall Environmental Pressure Attributed to Tourism Areas: A Combined Approach for Typical All-Sized Hotels in Chalkidiki, Greece. Ecological Indicators 50: 108–19. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  48. Morpeth, Nigel, and Hongliang Yan. 2015. Planning for Tourism: Towards a Sustainable Future, 1st ed. Oxford: CABI Tourism Texts. [Google Scholar]
  49. Nguyen, Thi Hong Hanh, Collins G. Ntim, and John K. Malagila. 2020. Women on Corporate Boards and Corporate Financial and Non-Financial Performance: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda. International Review of Financial Analysis 71: 101554. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  50. Ohlan, Ramphul. 2022. Measuring Energy Efficiency in Hotel Industry The Case of India. Journal of Hospitality Financial Management 31: 32–38. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  51. Omune, Beryl, Oscar Kambona, Billy Wadongo, and Amon Wekesa. 2021. Environmental Management Practices Implemented by the Hotel Sector in Kenya. World Leisure Journal 63: 98–108. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  52. Oriade, Ade, Adesola Osinaike, Ken Aduhene, and Yong Wang. 2021. Sustainability Awareness, Management Practices and Organisational Culture in Hotels: Evidence from Developing Countries. International Journal of Hospitality Management 92: 102699. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  53. Pagliara, Francesca, Filomena Mauriello, and Lucia Russo. 2020. A Regression Tree Approach for Investigating the Impact of High Speed Rail on Tourists’ Choices. Sustainability 12: 910. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  54. Paterno, Ana Raquel, Cátia Malheiros, Conceição Gomes, and Luís Lima Santos. 2023. Kpi’s in the Restaurant Industry and Performance Evaluation. Paper presented at 4th International Workshop Tourism and Hospitality Management, Porto, Portugal, June 23; pp. 66–72. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  55. Pestana Hotel Group. 2022. Sustainability Report 2021. Available online: https://www.pestanagroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/relatorio_pestana_sustentabilidade_2021_v6.pdf (accessed on 23 November 2023).
  56. Petrevska, Biljana, and Vlatko Cingoski. 2017. Branding the Green Tourism in Macedonia. Sociologija i Prostor 55: 101–16. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  57. Piya, Sujan, Ahm Shamsuzzoha, Muhammad Azizuddin, Nasr Al-Hinai, and Babek Erdebilli. 2022. Integrated Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS Method to Analyze Green Management Practice in Hospitality Industry in the Sultanate of Oman. Sustainability 14: 1118. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  58. Rao, Purba, Alok Kumar Singh, Olivia La O’Castillo, Ponciano S. Intal, and Ather Sajid. 2009. A Metric for Corporate Environmental Indicators ... for Small and Medium Enterprises in the Philippines. Business Strategy and the Environment 18: 14–31. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  59. Rodríguez-García, Roberto, Idoya Ferrero-Ferrero, and María Ángeles Fernández-Izquierdo. 2023. Analysis of Integration of Sustainability in Sustainability Certifications in the Hotel Industry. Frontiers in Sustainability 4: 1116359. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  60. Sarmiento, Camilo Vargas, and Ali El Hanandeh. 2018. Customers’ Perceptions and Expectations of Environmentally Sustainable Restaurant and the Development of Green Index: The Case of the Gold Coast, Australia. Sustainable Production and Consumption 15: 16–24. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  61. Scopus. 2023. Scopus—Journal of Innovation and Knowledge. Elsevier. Available online: https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/21100932830?origin=resultslist (accessed on 28 November 2023).
  62. Silveira, Sara, José Ramos, Oscar Silva, and Fernando Almeida. 2021. Sustainability Indicators for Hospitality SMES: Application to Portuguese Context. Enlightening Tourism 11: 1–39. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  63. Singh, Aarti, Sushil, and Haresh Kumar Sharma. 2023. Total Interpretive Structural Modeling-Polarity (TISM-P) to Analyze the Impact of Energy on the Sustainability Performance of Hotels: A Case Study. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 1–23. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  64. Soliman, Mohammad, Lucília Cardoso, Giovana Goretti Feijó de Almeida, Arthur Filipe Araújo, and Noélia Araújo Vila. 2021. Mapping Smart Experiences in Tourism: A Bibliometric Approach. European Journal of Tourism Research 28: 2809. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  65. Sphera. 2024. What Is Environmental Sustainability? Available online: https://sphera.com/glossary/what-is-environmental-sustainability/ (accessed on 22 February 2024).
  66. Spider Strategies. 2021. Execute Your Strategy. Available online: https://www.spiderstrategies.com/ (accessed on 6 December 2023).
  67. Styles, David, Harald Schoenberger, and José Luis Galvez-Martos. 2015. Water Management in the European Hospitality Sector: Best Practice, Performance Benchmarks and Improvement Potential. Tourism Management 46: 187–202. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  68. Stylos, Nikolaos, Christopher Koroneos, Jaime Roset, Cynthia González-Sánchez, George Xydis, and Francisco Salinas Muñoz. 2018. Exergy as an Indicator for Enhancing Evaluation of Environmental Management Performance in the Hospitality Industry. Journal of Cleaner Production 198: 1503–14. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  69. Syariati, Alim, Namla Elfa Syariati, Rizka Jafar, and Bahrul Ulum Rusydi. 2023. Innovation Norms during COVID-19 and Indonesian Hotel Performance: Innovative Energy Use as a Mediating Variable. Cogent Business and Management 10: 2194119. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  70. Tournaki, Stavroula, Eleni Farmaki, and Theocharis Tsoutsos. 2018. Impact Assessment of Sustainable Mobility in Touristic Cities of Europe: The CIVITAS DESTINATIONS Approach on Energy, Environment and Economy. In Green Energy and Technology. Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 297–309. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  71. Turato, Egberto Ribeiro. 2000. Introdução à Metodologia Da Pesquisa Clínico-Qualitativa—Definição e Principais Características. Revista Portuguesa de Psicossomática 2: 93–108. [Google Scholar]
  72. Verdant Consulting. 2023. Verdant Consulting—Solutions to Help Your Hive Thrive. Available online: https://www.verdantconsulting.net/ (accessed on 22 February 2024).
  73. Voukkali, Irene, Pantelisa Loizia, Jose Navarro Pedreño, and Antonis A. Zorpas. 2021. Urban Strategies Evaluation for Waste Management in Coastal Areas in the Framework of Area Metabolism. Waste Management and Research 39: 448–65. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  74. Wong, Antony King Fung, Seongseop Kim, Suna Lee, and Statia Elliot. 2021. An Application of Delphi Method and Analytic Hierarchy Process in Understanding Hotel Corporate Social Responsibility Performance Scale. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 29: 1153–79. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  75. Xu, Xiumei, Chao Feng, Dan Zhen, Yilan Tan, and Qun Lai. 2021. Evaluation of the Environmental Costs of Tourism Based on an Emergy Analysis of Tourism Waste Disposal: A Case Study of Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Park in Motuo County, Tibet. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 28: 32708–20. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  76. Yu, Hsuan, and Chia Ning Chiu. 2021. Environmental Quality and Its Impact on Business Performance of the Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs) Industry: Evidence from Taiwan. Journal of Cleaner Production 295: 126234. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Figure 1. Selection process for studies.
Figure 1. Selection process for studies.
Admsci 14 00042 g001
Table 1. Water indicators.
Table 1. Water indicators.
IndicatorFormulaSource(s)
Water useN.A.Becken and McLennan (2017); Bianco et al. (2023); Duric and Topler (2021); Hsiao and Chuang (2016); Mendoza et al. (2023); Omune et al. (2021); Voukkali et al. (2021)
Effective use of waterN.A.Bagheri et al. (2020); Chan and Hsu (2016); Singh et al. (2023); HSR (2023)
Water recyclingN.A.Lee et al. (2021); Piya et al. (2022)
Water consumptionCostN.A.Omune et al. (2021); Dziuba (2016); Becken and McLennan (2017)
Per available room W a t e r   u s e R o o m s   a v a i l a b l e HANYC (2014); Michailidou et al. (2015)
Per occupied room W a t e r   u s e R o o m s   o c c u p i e d CBRE (2023); Greenview (2022); HANYC (2014); Michailidou et al. (2015)
Per overnight guest W a t e r   u s e N u m b e r   o f   o v e r n i g h t   g u e s t s Becken and McLennan (2017); Michailidou et al. (2015); Styles et al. (2015); HANYC (2014); Verdant Consulting (2023)
Per square meter/foot W a t e r   u s e m 2   o r   f e e t Becken and McLennan (2017); Greenview (2022); Michailidou et al. (2015)
Water use intensity A n u a l   w a t e r   u s e T o t a l   h o t e l   s p a c e   c o n s u m i n g   w a t e r Duric and Topler (2021)
Water savingWater savingsN.A.Bianco et al. (2023); Duric and Topler (2021); Mendoza et al. (2023); Omune et al. (2021); Rodríguez-García et al. (2023); Sarmiento and El Hanandeh (2018); Silveira et al. (2021); Styles et al. (2015)
Per available room W a t e r   s a v i n g R o o m s   a v a i l a b l e Styles et al. (2015)
Per overnight guest W a t e r   s a v i n g N u m b e r   o f   o v e r n i g h t   g u e s t s Wong et al. (2021)
Chilled waterPer available room W a t e r   u s e R o o m s   a v a i l a b l e HANYC (2014)
Per occupied room W a t e r   u s e R o o m s   o c c u p i e d HANYC (2014)
Per overnight guest W a t e r   u s e N u m b e r   o f   o v e r n i g h t   g u e s t s HANYC (2014)
Per nightConsumption of fitting flow rates W a t e r   c o n s u m p t i o n   o f   f i t t i n g   f l o w   r a t e s N u m b e r   o f   n i g h t s Styles et al. (2015)
Consumption of irrigation W a t e r   c o n s u m p t i o n   o f   i r r i g a t i o n N u m b e r   o f   n i g h t s Styles et al. (2015)
Consumption of the pool W a t e r   c o n s u m p t i o n   o f   p o o l N u m b e r   o f   n i g h t s Styles et al. (2015)
Consumption of the kitchen W a t e r   c o n s u m p t i o n   o f   k i t c h e n N u m b e r   o f   n i g h t s Styles et al. (2015)
Consumption of the dishwashing W a t e r   c o n s u m p t i o n   o f   d i s h w a s h i n g N u m b e r   o f   n i g h t s Styles et al. (2015)
Consumption of the flush volume W a t e r   c o n s u m p t i o n   o f   f l u s h   v o l u m e N u m b e r   o f   n i g h t s Styles et al. (2015)
Laundry efficiency W a t e r   u s e   ( L ) L a u n d r y   u s e   ( K g ) Styles et al. (2015)
Laundry generation L a u n d r y   u s e   ( K g ) N u m b e r   o f   n i g h t s Styles et al. (2015)
PercentageAverage annual cost
savings from investments in water conservation
A v e r a g e   w a t e r   c o s t s   s a v i n g s T o t a l   o f   w a t e r   c o s t s   ×   100 Duric and Topler (2021)
Change in total water use W a t e r   u s e d t W a t e r   u s e d t 1 W a t e r   u s e d t 1   ×   100 Becken and McLennan (2017)
Change in water use per guest-night W a t e r   u s e d   p e r   g u e s t / n i g h t t W a t e r   u s e d   p e r   g u e s t / n i g h t t 1 W a t e r   u s e d   p e r   g u e s t / n i g h t t 1   ×   100 Becken and McLennan (2017)
Change in water use per square meters W a t e r   u s e d   p e r   m 2 t W a t e r   u s e d   p e r   s q u a r e   m 2 t 1 W a t e r   u s e d   p e r   m 2 t 1   ×   100 Becken and McLennan (2017)
Water efficiency W a t e r   o u t p u t W a t e r   i n p u t   ×   100 Mendoza et al. (2023)
N.A.—Not applicable.
Table 2. Energy indicators.
Table 2. Energy indicators.
IndicatorFormulaSource(s)
Energy useN.A.Becken and McLennan (2017); Bianco et al. (2023); Khan et al. (2023); Ohlan (2022); Singh et al. (2023); Syariati et al. (2023); Xu et al. (2021); Voukkali et al. (2021)
Supply and efficient use of energyN.A.El Alaoui et al. (2023); Bagheri et al. (2020); Chan and Hsu (2016); Ohlan (2022)
Energy savingsN.A.Bianco et al. (2023); Chan and Hsu (2016); Duric and Topler (2021); Hsiao and Chuang (2016); Machete et al. (2016); Ohlan (2022); Omune et al. (2021); Rodríguez-García et al. (2023); Sarmiento and El Hanandeh (2018); Syariati et al. (2023); Lee et al. (2021)
Energy consumption (kWh)From renewable sourcesN.A.Omune et al. (2021); Lee et al. (2021)
CostN.A.Dziuba (2016)
Per overnight stay E n e r g y   u s e T o t a l   o v e r n i g h t   g u e s t s Becken and McLennan (2017); HANYC (2014)
Per available room E n e r g y   u s e R o o m s   a v a i l a b l e HANYC (2014); Michailidou et al. (2015); Wong et al. (2021)
Per occupied room E n e r g y   u s e R o o m s   o c c u p i e d Greenview (2022); HANYC (2014); CBRE (2023)
Per square meter/foot E n e r g y   u s e m 2   o r   f e e t Becken and McLennan (2017); Michailidou et al. (2015); Greenview (2022); HANYC (2014)
Use intensity A n n u a l   e n e r g y   u s e T o t a l   h o t e l   s p a c e   c o n s u m i n g   e n e r g y Duric and Topler (2021)
PercentageAverage cost savings from investments in energy conservation A v e r a g e   e n e r g y   c o s t s   s a v i n g s T o t a l   o f   e n e r g y   c o s t s   ×   100 Duric and Topler (2021)
Facilities with energy reduction targets   F a c i l i t i e s   w i t h   e n e r g y   r e d u c t i o n T o t a l   o f   f a c i l i t i e s Silveira et al. (2021)
Change in total energy use E n e r g y   u s e d t E n e r g y   u s e d t 1 E n e r g y   u s e d t 1   ×   100 Becken and McLennan (2017)
Change in energy use per guest/night E n e r g y   u s e d   p e r   g u e s t / n i g h t t E n e r g y   u s e d   p e r   g u e s t / n i g h t t 1 E n e r g y   u s e d   p e r   g u e s t / n i g h t t 1 × 100 Becken and McLennan (2017)
Change in energy use per square meters E n e r g y   u s e d   p e r   m 2 t E n e r g y   u s e d   p e r   m 2 t 1 E n e r g y   u s e d   p e r   m 2 t 1 × 100 Becken and McLennan (2017)
Energy efficiency E n e r g y   o u t p u t E n e r g y   i n p u t   ×   100 Ohlan (2022); Xu et al. (2021)
N.A.—Not applicable.
Table 3. Waste indicators.
Table 3. Waste indicators.
IndicatorFormulaSource(s)
WasteFoodN.A.Omune et al. (2021); Khan et al. (2023); Li et al. (2019); Voukkali et al. (2021)
UseN.A.Becken and McLennan (2017)
Disposal costsN.A.Dziuba (2016)
RecyclingN.A.Bianco et al. (2023); Hsiao and Chuang (2016)
Per overnight guest W a s t e T o t a l   o v e r n i g h t   g u e s t s Becken and McLennan (2017); Chaabane et al. (2018)
Per square meter W a s t e m 2 Becken and McLennan (2017)
Per capita W a s t e N u m b e r   o f   i n d i v i d u a l s Yu and Chiu (2021)
PercentageAverage cost
savings from waste recycling
W a s t e   c o s t   s a v i n g s W a s t e   r e c y c l i n g × 100 Duric and Topler (2021)
Waste recycled off-site W a s t e   c o s t   s a v i n g s W a s t e   r e c y c l i n g   ×   100 Spider Strategies (2021)
Waste reused on-site W a s t e   r e u s e d   o n     s i t e W a s t e   r e c y c l i n g × 100 Spider Strategies (2021)
Change in total waste use W a s t e t W a s t e t 1 W a s t e t 1 × 100 Becken and McLennan (2017)
Change in waste use per guest-night W a s t e   p e r   g u e s t / n i g h t t W a s t e   p e r   g u e s t / n i g h t t 1 W a s t e   p e r   g u e s t / n i g h t t 1   ×   100 Becken and McLennan (2017)
N.A.—Not applicable.
Table 4. Emissions indicators.
Table 4. Emissions indicators.
IndicatorFormulaSource(s)
EmissionsCO2 emissionsN.A.Bianco et al. (2023); Khan et al. (2023)
Steam consumptionPer available room T h o u s a n d   p o u n d s   ( k i l o g r a m s ) R o o m s   a v a i l a b l e HANYC (2014)
Per occupied room T h o u s a n d   p o u n d s   ( k i l o g r a m s ) R o o m s   o c c u p i e d HANYC (2014)
Per overnight guest T h o u s a n d   p o u n d s   ( k i l o g r a m s ) N u m b e r   o f   o v e r n i g h t   g u e s t r s HANYC (2014)
Per square meter/foot T h o u s a n d   p o u n d s   ( k i l o g r a m s ) m 2   o r   f e e t HANYC (2014)
Per available room N u m b e r   o f   t h e r m s R o o m s   a v a i l a b l e HANYC (2014)
Per occupied room N u m b e r   o f   t h e r m s R o o m s   o c c u p i e d HANYC (2014)
Per overnight guest N u m b e r   o f   t h e r m s N u m b e r   o f   o v e r n i g h t   g u e s t r s HANYC (2014)
Per square meter/foot N u m b e r   o f   t h e r m s m 2   o r   f e e t HANYC (2014)
Carbon footprintFootprintN.A.Machete et al. (2016); Chan and Hsu (2016); Silveira et al. (2021); Sarmiento and El Hanandeh (2018)
ReductionN.A.Chan and Hsu (2016)
Per occupied room C a r b o n   f o o t p r i n t R o o m s   o c c u p i e d Michailidou et al. (2015)
Per guest night C a r b o n   f o o t p r i n t N u m b e r   o f   o v e r n i g h t   g u e s t r s Michailidou et al. (2015)
Per square meter C a r b o n   f o o t p r i n t m 2 Michailidou et al. (2015)
HCMI
(hotel carbon measurement initiative)
Per room H C M I   r o o m s   c a r b o n   f o o t p r i n t T o t a l   o f   r o o m s Greenview (2022)
Hotel carbonPer room H o t e l   c a r b o n T o t a l   o f   r o o m s Greenview (2022)
Per occupied room H o t e l   c a r b o n R o o m s   o c c u p i e d Greenview (2022); CBRE (2023)
Per square meter/foot H o t e l   c a r b o n m 2   o r   f e e t Greenview (2022)
N.A.—Not applicable.
Table 5. Framework of environmental indicators for the hospitality industry.
Table 5. Framework of environmental indicators for the hospitality industry.
DomainIndicatorsThe Scientific LiteratureThe Consulting FirmsThe Technical Book
WaterWater consumption per overnight guest × × ×
Water consumption per occupied room × × ×
Water consumption per available room × ×
Water consumption per square meter/foot × ×
Effective use of water × ×
Water cost consumption ×
Water recycle ×
Water savings ×
Water use ×
EnergyEnergy consumption per square meter/foot × × ×
Energy consumption per available room × ×
Energy consumption per overnight stay × ×
Energy consumption per occupied room × ×
Energy consumption from renewable source ×
Energy efficiency ×
Energy use ×
Energy savings ×
Energy supply and efficient use of energy ×
EmissionsHotel carbon per occupied room ×
Carbon footprint ×
CO2 emissions ×
WasteWaste per overnight guest ×
Food waste ×
Waste recycling ×
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Campos, F.; Gomes, C.; Malheiros, C.; Lima Santos, L. Hospitality Environmental Indicators Enhancing Tourism Destination Sustainable Management. Adm. Sci. 2024, 14, 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14030042

AMA Style

Campos F, Gomes C, Malheiros C, Lima Santos L. Hospitality Environmental Indicators Enhancing Tourism Destination Sustainable Management. Administrative Sciences. 2024; 14(3):42. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14030042

Chicago/Turabian Style

Campos, Filipa, Conceição Gomes, Cátia Malheiros, and Luís Lima Santos. 2024. "Hospitality Environmental Indicators Enhancing Tourism Destination Sustainable Management" Administrative Sciences 14, no. 3: 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14030042

APA Style

Campos, F., Gomes, C., Malheiros, C., & Lima Santos, L. (2024). Hospitality Environmental Indicators Enhancing Tourism Destination Sustainable Management. Administrative Sciences, 14(3), 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14030042

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop