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1044 Ä and Practice A^ÍCU""^
T" T" Journal iM. Bulletin of Stavropol Beglon
UDK 338.48
Milicevic S., Kostic M., Oordevic N.
GREEN HOTELS' FUNCTION IN SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
Abstract: Tourism is economic activity which highly depends on and at the same time greatly uses clean and healthy life environment. Sustainable development, respectively controlled usage of natural resources and saving environment, is set as the highest priority in tourism development. In order to achieve sustainable management of tourism development, it is necessary that hotels are built and function in the manner that is the least harmful for the environment. In the era of intensive competitiveness, hotel industry management must constantly seek for the new ideas in order to satisfy the needs of diverse segments of consumers, and to secure their loyalty in that
way. New concept in hotel business is green hotels with operating based on reducing the negative effects of tourism on life environment. Using energy and water more rationally, these hotels not only save the environment but also achieve considerable money savings. The basic goal of the paper is to put attention to the significance of green hotels and their role in the sustainable management of tourism development.
Key words: green hotels, sustainable development, tourism.
Milicevic S. -
Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Faculty of Hotel Management
and Tourism in Vrnjacka Banja,
University of Kragujevac,
Vojvodanska, 5 A, Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia
E-mail: snezana.milicevic@kg.ac.rs
Dordevic N. -
Master's student, Demonstrator, Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjacka Banja, University of Kragujevac Vojvodanska, 5 A, Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia E-mail: djnatasha11@gmail.com
Kostic M. -
Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Hotel Management and
Tourism in Vrnjacka Banja,
University of Kragujevac,
Vojvodanska, 5 A, Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia
E-mail: marija.kostic@kg.ac.rs
Introduction
Tourism is a complex socio-economic phenomenon, which causes multiple and positive, but also negative effects on economy, society, and life environment. In negative aspect, constant increase in number of tourists throughout the years puts greater pressures on ecological sustainability of tourist destinations. In 2015 alone, a number of 1,184 million international tourists was registered [20], while predictions are that world tourism will reach a number of 1,8 billion tourists by the year 2030 [18]. In a positive sense, tourism can contribute to region progressment and developing of ecological consciousness. Also, proper management of tourism development can contribute to maintenance of ecological, economic, and socio-cultural resources of a destination. Necessity of sustainable tourism development has influenced in appearance of innovations in hotel management. One of them is green hotels - ecologically conscientious subjects that promote and practice energy efficiency, conservation and recycling, while providing their guests healthy, sustainable and clean services [4]. These hotel objects, that operate using sustainable development principles, can be certified according to international standards.
Concept of sustainable tourism development:
Tourism development is conditioned on the quality of life environment, its natural and cultural values. Natural values, such as river banks, seas and lakes, mountains, caves, relic and endemic types of plants and animals, swamps, sunrise and vividness of landscapes, can only be valorized by tourism [15]. However, as a significant user of natural resources, tourism can also have negative effects on life environment which are reflected in: depletion and degradation of soil, making landscapes unsightly, water and air pollution, jeopardizing biodiversity, excessive energy consumption, waste generation, increased noise making, climate changes [7]. Tourism can also negatively affect the society and culture by putting a series of socio-cultural pressures on them [10]. For tourism to properly contribute to overall development, it is necessary to be planned and managed along with regarding the concept of sustainable development [14]. Very often sustainable tourism is defined as the seeking for a balance between environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects [17, 16, 13]. Ecological sustainability implies compatibility of development with preservation and maintenance of basic ecological processes, biological diversity and biological resources; economic sustainability implies economi-
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cally efficient development and resources management in the manner that they will be available for future generations to use, while socio-cultural sus-tainability implies compatibility of development with culture preservation and value system of the people that are affected by that development, as well as permanent preserving, and expressing the local community's identity [5].
With a goal to create a friendly relationship between tourism and life environment, innovative tourism products are made. Increased consciousness of the importance of life environment protection has enforced not only development of sustainable tourism, but also a new tourism form - ecotourism. Ecotourism can be defined as a responsible travel to nature which preserves life environment and increases the benefit of local residents [6]. I.e. ecotourism is an ecologically responsible travel and a visit to natural regions, in order to enjoy and respect the nature, with enabling of protection and reducing the negative effects of visitors along with useful active engagement of local residents [12]. Ecotourism is rapidly developing nowadays, and hoteliers use it as a chance to improve their business.
Concept of Green hotels:
A new ecological trend of hotel management -green hotels - has emerged in the recent years. Green hotels concept implies the hotels which spend resources more rationally and are oriented towards the life environment preservation. By applying modern methods of hotel management, and keeping pace with ecological standards, green hotels reduce energy and water consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions; they take care of solid waste degradation and increase recycling of all waste materials [9]. Their main goals are oriented towards [4]:
- finances - to reduce expenses;
- users - to attract new visitors (ecotourists) and to develop loyalty;
- employees - to achieve synergy and to make educational programs in order to engage them in realization of green policy of hotel management;
- processes - to reduce negative effects on life environment;
- brand - to make brand more valuable and to make image more prominent, to create green brand.
Green policy principles are put to work beginning from architecture of green hotels alone to hotel management. While making hotel design, it is necessary to carefully choose its location in order to minimize negative wind effects on the object and to gain optimal solar benefits. Green materials, that are recyclable or are mostly made from recycled content, should be used, and materials that use natural resources and pollute environment (toxic materials) should be avoided [8]. Having management like this, hotels not only preserve life environment but also lessen the expenditure. Some of popular cost cut-
ting measures include: Use of compact fluorescent lights (saves energy); Reuse of linens (saves water, detergent, energy and greenhouse gases); Low-flow shower systems (saves water and energy); Local products (save transportation costs); Installation of green roofs (saves energy); Installation of solar heaters or other renewable energy source (saves energy) [3].
Hotel can become a green hotel by meeting the conditions of some of numerous certifications such as: Green Key, LEED, Green Globe 21, Malta ECO certification, TripAdvisor GreenLeaders, VDR Certified Green Hotel, etc. Certification and labelling schemes offered internationally, nationally, or locally by industrial organisations, governmental and non-governmental institutions are increasingly popular [1]. The purpose of international programs for certification of accommodation units mainly relates to developing consciousness of owner, staff, and clients in the matter of the necessity for life environment preservation, application of certain technologies, knowledge, and procedures in order to make development and business sustainable. By owning a certificate, green hotels get an advantage in tourism market over hotels which don't put green policy into practice. For example, hotels, that are LEED certified, achieve 26 % less energy consumption, 33 % less carbon dioxide emissions, 30 % less water consumption, and make 50-75 % less waste than classic hotels [11]. Also, they significantly contribute to creation of a green brand, and making of trust. Special emphasis in ecological certifications is put on communication and education. Green hotels, by offering advices for ecological practice, can help their guests to apply them even at home [22].
Examples of green hotels' management
The first ever green hotel was launched by the Intercontinental Hotels Group in the year 2008. This was the world's first 100 % ecologically -friendly hotel. Their green features to name a few included: giving away non-perishable food to charities, use of solar panels on rooftops, a rainwater harvesting system to supply water to toilets, wind power to generate electricity for the hotel, recycled glass windows, furniture and fixtures made entirely from recycled materials, household waste to provide heat and water just to name a few [2]. IHG provides «IHG Green Engage» program - an innovative online system, with all examples and ideas for making a hotel green, is available for all hotels within the group. The program involves the following activities: Measures energy, waste and water use; Recommends over 200 Green solutions to reduce the impacts our energy, waste and water use have on the environment; Supports hotels to create environmental action plans and targets; helps hotels achieve energy savings of up to 25 %; Make hotels more cost-effective and ultimately allows us to improve the value of service we offer our guests [24]. Special
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attention of Intercontinental San Francisco hotel is put on sustainable transport. Public transportation is used by more than 95 % of the hotel's staff, reducing the carbon dioxide emitted by commuting. Its concierge team is pleased to show guests through the green transportation recommendations for travel about town as well [23].
Hilton group also developed a successful green management policy. Hilton is the first global hospitality company to be certified ISO 50001 for Energy Management, ISO 14001 for Environmental Management. Since 2009, Hilton has reduced energy use by 14.5 %, carbon output by 20.9, waste output by 27.6 % and water use by 14.1 %. DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Phuket - Surin Beach designed a hydroponics farm to be an educational center. They use the farm to teach students how to build and manage a hydroponic farmstead. Additionally, the hydro-ponic vegetables and herbs are used in the hotel's restaurants [21].
In 2015, Serbia got its first green hotel. Radisson Blu Old Mill Hotel Belgrade is the first hotel to get Green Key which guarantees that hotel promotes sustainable tourism development and actively participates in life environment preservation. The hotel features a system for water saving and a system for economical use of electrical energy. Also, guests are given the possibility to recycle, and for cleaning, hotel uses chemical means that are environment friendly [25].
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Conclusions
Applying the concept of sustainable tourism implicates minimizing the negative and maximizing the positive tourism effects on environment and available resources. Aiming to successfully develop and manage tourism, it is necessary to keep the high quality level of life environment. Therefore, building a friendly attitude towards the natural and cultural resources has a crucial significance for the future of tourism industry. Contemporary tourism market is characterized by the increase of ecological consciousness, sustainable development, and innovations that keep up with the trends like ecotourism as the new form of tourism. Concept of green hotels represents one of the innovative trends which includes tourism development while respecting the principles of sustainable development. This concept allows hotel companies to gain advantage in competitiveness. Reasons for hotels becoming green are increase in number of socially responsible tourists and positive economic effects of sustainable management. They significantly contribute to the realization of sustainable tourism development by implementing reduce, reuse, and recycle principles, which lessen the pressure on natural resources. With their management, they give a good example of a socially responsible company and affect development of ecological consciousness.
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