Abstract:
he inclusion and participation of hotel guests in green tourism has been under estimated. A number of
environmental awareness initiatives have been put in place to increase awareness of the need conserve water,
energy and other finite resources needed in the hotel sector. However, the extent to which these environmental
awareness initiatives influence guests’ environmental inclusion and participation has been understudied. This
study sought to evaluate the impact of environmental awareness initiatives on guests’ environmental inclusion
and participation in the hotel sector in Zimbabwe. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 384
respondents. Findings indicate that environmental awareness initiatives by hotels have a positive influences on
guests’ environmental consciousness and participation. The more guests are involved and encouraged to
conserve resources, the more they conserve resources. However, the study findings indicated that hotel guests
would prefer some form of rewards for conserving resources such as water and energy, instead of paying more.
The study recommends that, in order for hotel guests to participate more in green tourism and hospitality, hotels
should constantly remind guests about the need to conserve resources and make information about the
environment more available to guests all the time.Hotels should also reward and incentivise guests to participate
in eco-tourism.
