Environmental Awareness Initiatives and Eco-Inclusion of Hotel Guests In Green Tourism Practices In Zimbabwe

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.