engleski

Identification of eco-labels and green practices in hotel groups settings - content analysis approach

Implementation of eco-labels and green practices sends the message to custom- ers and business partners that hotel groups try to minimize the negative impact of tourism products and services on the environment. Therefore, this study aims to identify eco-labels and green practices in hotel groups and analyze their posts. The eco-labels and green practices were identified by reviewing websites of 17 hotel groups from seven Croatian coastal regions. The study employed descriptive (ranks, frequencies) and content analysis. Content analysis was used to analyze posts and documents on green practices and eco-labels web- sites. Considering that, green practices were thematically categorized. Twelve hotel groups had one website intended for both customers and partners, while five hotel groups had two separate websites (corporate websites and websites for customers). The results suggest that most hotel groups provided information about eco-labels on their websites. However, most of the information they pro- vided was about green practices. The most commonly identified eco-labels are Travelife, Blue Flag, and Ecocamping, while the mostly promoted green prac- tices were related to energy and water resources management and waste man- agement. However, there are differences between the hotel groups’ information about green practices. Namely, the results suggest green practices promotion to both customers and business partners. On the other hand, the promotion of eco-labels only includes the program’s logos. The results suggest that more importance is placed on green practices than eco-labels. The scientific contribution is evident by identifying different eco-labels and green practices in hotel settings. This research will encourage other tourism stakeholders to promote environmental sustainability in tourism destination development, and such action will result in greater recognition of tourism destinations as sustainable tourism destinations.

eco-labels, green practices, hotel groups, content analysis

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