The Environment and the Hospitality Industry - Essay Example

The Environment and the Hospitality Industry Critical Issue in Hospitality Introduction The hospitality industry is one of the most lucrative industries for any investor or businessman to be involved in. It involves a wide-range of clientele, from those seeking leisure and recreation to those seeking temporary accommodations while on business. It is a business which is widely inclusive of a variety of services including lodging, restaurants, event planning, theme parks, cruise lines, and transportation; it also includes services which relate to accommodations, food and beverage, meeting and events, entertainment, and other tourism services. In the current global economic crisis, there are however various issues which are threats and which have threatened the hospitality industry. These issues mostly impact on the profitability of the industry and its related businesses. This paper shall consider environmental issues, including global warming and pollution – issues which are impacting on the hospitality industry. It shall also present a critique of appropriate literature which relate to this issue. This paper is being carried out in order to establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of the subject matter, as well as the pertinent issues which relate to its application. Discussion There are various issues which are impacting on the hospitality industry. One such issue relates to the environment and the call for sustainable development and environmentally viable hospitality design. Going green is one of the clamours in the current hospitality industry, and such clamour has become more than an isolated demand, it has now become part of the mainstream demand (Wang and Wang, 2009, p. 53). Environmentalists are pressuring the hospitality industry to implement more sustainable and environmentally friendly processes in their business processes. In a report by hotelier Hasek (2007), he mentions about 10 issues which the hospitality industry is currently faced with in relation to the environment. One issue is based on the fact that it is difficult to avoid rising energy costs with such costs increasing to a significant degree each year. Another issue pointed out by Hasek (2007) is the need to design and build new hotels which meet environmental standards. This would again cost the industry a significant amount of money. Still another environmental issue threatening the hospitality industry is global warming itself. Some of the effects of global warming include extreme weather conditions – drought and floods – and other weather disturbances which have brought on more devastating effects on different regions (Scott and McBoyle, 2001, p. 69). Typhoons, snowstorms, dry weather have all impacted of various tourist destinations, driving away tourists and impacting on the livelihood of those whose incomes depend on the hospitality and tourism industry. The hospitality industry has also had to contend with the compliance certificates in relation to green lodging certification programs, the bulk of which review the hospitality industry’s compliance with the environmental requirements, including carbon gas emissions, energy use, and similar environmental concerns (Hasek, 2007). Many states and territories have now included these environmental standards and these standards have been imposed on the hospitality industry as an essential requisite prior to the issuance of licenses and permits. Once again, complying with these programs require adjustments in the processes of the hospitality industry, adjustments which are often too costly to implement. Butler and Jones (2001, p. 300) also point out that climate change can have a significant impact on the tourism and hospitality industry. They also point out that the hospitality industry seems to be bent on ignoring the global climate issue. The North American countries have a significant stake in the global tourism industry, with about these countries among tourist global destinations (Scott, 2003, p. 1). Some of these climate change implications will be discussed below. For one, the natural environment is one of the major points of attractiveness of tourist destinations. Many of these tourist destinations are nature-based. Climate change impacts on these areas with the loss of glaciers, special animals and plants, and with fires and diseases impacting on forest landscapes (Scott, 2003, p. 1). Nature-based tourism is an important part of North American tourism. Estimates reveal that visits to parks and protected areas in Canada and the US alone represent about 2.6 billion visitor days in the mid-1990s. The peak of these visitations is seen during the summer months (Eagles, et.al., 2000). Many of these tourism attractions are found in the mountainous regions of North America and they attract hundreds of visitors with each year. These visits are important for mountain park revenues which can in turn be used for conservation and preservation efforts within these retreats. However, with increasing number of tourists, the need to increase lodging houses to accommodate these tourists has also emerged. This means more infrastructures in these areas, infrastructure which may eventually encroach on protected areas (Scott, et.al., 2003, p. 171). With encroachments in the natural habitat of protected flora and fauna, loss of species will eventually be seen. Other experts also claim how the elevational changes can cause species reorganization with alpine habitats being diminished and becoming fragmented (Scott, 2003, p. 2). The rise in temperatures will also have harsh implications for wildlife as they would likely be exposed to the higher incidents of avalanches (Scott, 2003, p. 2). The loss of glaciers will also likely impact on the tourism industry with the glacier tours catering to about 600,000 tourists a year. Climate change will also impact on vegetation and hydrology, causing deaths in these vegetations, as well as the loss of attractiveness in these tourist spots. For example, tourism associated with foliage would likely lose its very essence and its visitors. Vegetation modelling, as well as forest landscapes would also likely lose their attractiveness (Scott, 2003, p. 3). Due to the loss of the attractiveness in these areas, revenues for the hospitality industry would likely plunge. Such economic losses would likely impact on the major organizations and companies involved in the industry, as well as the small businesses which base their businesses on the hospitality industry. The drought which was experienced by Colorado in the spring and summer of 2002 provided a picture of the impact of climate change on the region and other mountainous areas in Northern America. The drought caused dangerous wildfire conditions which caused park closures and tourism declines (Scott, 2003, p. 4). The drought also affected fishing and river rafting in the state with many rivers and bodies of water being restricted due to low water levels. Due to low tourist turnout caused by decreased attractiveness of tourist sites, economic losses of about 50 million dollars were seen (Scott, 2003, p. 4). Tourism activities like skiing are also affected by global warming. The hospitality industry is likely to suffer significantly if the effects of global warming continue to be felt. Kyriakidis and Felton (2008, p. 79) discuss how global warming impacts negatively on tourism and the hospitality industry. They discuss how climate drives the seasonal demand and therefore affects operational costs, as well as the heating and cooling, snowmaking, food and water supplies. The weather impacts also on the attractiveness of various locations, also adding to the competition between the tourist attractions and ultimately reducing profitability of the industry (Kyriakidis and Felton, 2008, p. 79). The hospitality industry is also set to impact on water availability, causing the loss of biodiversity and decreasing beauty of landscapes, as well as increasing natural hazards and coastal erosions. Burki, Elsasser, and Abegg (2003, p. 3) discuss various effects of climate change and snow-deficient winters on the Swiss tourism industry. The Swiss economy is very much dependent on tourism. This is unfortunate to note because based on environmental predictions, the snow cover in the Alps will likely decrease in the next few years (Burki, Elsasser, and Abegg, 2003, p. 3). Ideal ski resort conditions specify that these resorts are snow-reliable if in 7 out of 10 winters, atleast 30 to 50 cm of snow is available for ski sport. The ski resorts are reliable, however, if the current environmental conditions were to continue, the snow-reliable ski resorts would decrease by 63% (Burki, Elsasser, and Abegg, 2003, p. 3). Climate change is set to create a pattern of favoured and those disfavoured in the ski tourism industry. Ski resorts in the higher altitude regions would likely retain their snow-reliability, however those in the lower regions would likely withdraw from the market sooner or later due to lack of snow (Burki, Elsasser, and Abegg, 2003, p. 3). The authors further estimated that about 1.5 to 2.1 billion US dollars would likely be lost in potential profit of these tourist resorts due to climate change. The impact of climate change on winter tourism would likely be even graver for countries like Germany and Austria because of the low altitudes of their ski resorts. Problems with too much snow may also become apparent as avalanches become another issue with damages incurred in mountain cable-ways, as well as on ski-lifts, chair-lifts, cable railways, and associated structures (Burki, Elsasser, and Abegg, 2003, p. 4). Climate change is set to impact on the environmental components of tourist destinations and subsequently impact on the tourism-dependent economies (Uyarra, et.al., 2004, p. 11). The authors considered the importance of environmental elements in establishing the holiday destinations of tourists in Bonaire and Barbados. The authors also considered about 338 participants from Bonaire and Barbados, with outcomes for warm temperatures, clear waters, low health risks considered as factors impacting on holiday destination choice. The study revealed that tourists prioritized on marine wildlife attributes including coral and fish diversity. In Barbados, tourists prioritized terrestrial attributes, mostly beach qualities (Uyarra, et.al., 2004, p. 11). Tourists were more likely to revisit the island because of these environmental attributes and more than 80% of the tourists were not willing to return in the area if there is a rise in sea level and rise in sea temperatures. In effect, “climate change might have a significant impact on Caribbean tourism economy through alteration of environmental features important to destination selection” (Uyarra, et.al., 2004, p. 11). The authors therefore suggested island-management strategies which protect the main marine and terrestrial attractions and reducing environmental and economic impact of climate change. In yet another study, authors Berrittella, et.al. (2004, p. 1), the authors set out to evaluate the economic implications of climate-change-induced variations in tourism demand, utilizing the CGE model of computable general equilibrium model. The authors considered the impact of climate change on tourism based on two sets of shocks, seen simultaneously. The first shocks are those which represented changes in tourism flows, then into changes of preferences in consumption for domestically produced products (Berrittella, et.al., 2004, p. 1). The second shocks consider the reallocation of income in world regions, representing the impact of higher or lower tourist expenditures. Their analysis revealed that changes in tourism flows would likely impact on regional economies in ways by which it directly relates to the impact of flow variations. In effect, in the worldwide scale, climate change will eventually cause welfare loss, and this shall spread across various regions (Berrittella, et.al., 2004, p. 1). This study emphasizes how climate change would impact not just on one population or part of the world, but how it would likely impact on the hospitality and other industries as well. Vahatiitto, (2010, p. 10) sought to evaluate environmental quality management in the hospitality industry. The author first acknowledged that the hospitality industry consumes a significant amount of energy, water, food, wood, plastics, and other products which require disposal (Vahatiitto, 2010, p. 10). Hospitality services also include about 4% of total greenhouse gas emissions with transport representing about 94% of emissions (Gossling, 2002, p. 298). The hotel industry has considered various measures in order to implement environmental responsibility. These measures have included the reduction of energy use, reduction of waste materials, promotion of recycling activities, and awareness of supply chains and their environmental impact (Manne, et.al., 1995, p. 53). These measures are however insufficient to address most of the issues which relate to the environment. Huybers and Bennett (2003, p. 214), also discuss the hospitality industry and the impact of environmental issues on this industry. The authors acknowledged the fact that tourism has grown much since the Second World War due to advancements in technology and improvements in the standards of living of the greater population. Nature-based tourism has also become a much more profitable form of tourism. However, the increase in the number of tourists in these environmental attractions has put pressure on the environment (Font, 2002). Issues have been seen from this increased pressure. For managers in the hospitality industry, regulations imposed for environmental protection represent significant costs. “Yet, since the environment provides the attractions for tourists and hence the livelihood for much of the tourism industry, the industry recognises the importance of protecting the environment from tourism induced damage” (Huybers and Bennett, 2003, p. 214). In relation to competition with other destinations, environmental quality can give a destination the much needed competitive advantage, and provide the motivation for tourism operators to participate in the protection of the environment. There is a dual impact of environmental management on a destination’s economic competitiveness. For one thing, the cost implications for tourism businesses impact negatively on a destination’s competitiveness; however improvements on the quality of the destination can also improve the destination’s competitiveness (Erdogan and Barris, 2007, p. 604). For many financial analysts in the hospitality industry, they opine that managers need to reconcile these two considerations and successfully make arrangements which can help the hospitality industry reach a favourable economic and environmental status. There is a reciprocal and dependent relationship between the hospitality industry and the environment. The studies above discuss how the hospitality industry has negatively impacted on the environment. In a study by the Canadian University Consortium (1998, p. 3) on the environmental management of the Thai Hotel Industry, the authors acknowledged also that the industry has adversely impacted on the environmental quality of tourist destinations in neighbouring communities (Canadian University Consortium, 1998, p. 3). In some regions where mass tourism is popular, tourism facilities and structures are often over-developed and polluted, often overwhelming the natural scenery and local culture. As a result, garbage and other wastes have caused air and water pollution and eventually has made the visual landscape not worthy of their tourist attraction. In some instances, many tourist attractions have also encroached on natural forests, causing disturbances in the flora and fauna of these areas (Lise and Tol, 2002, p. 429). These tourist destinations have also lost their natural balance, causing a disturbed ecosystem, including polluted waters, discoloured beaches, rapid destruction of flora and fauna, and similar environmental issues. Dust and noise are also common issues seen in these tourist destinations and these issues have manifested a significant impact on the environment. The encroachment of public land has also been seen with the trespassing or occupation of mountains and forest reserves; the occupation of islands, beaches, and mangrove forests are just some of these issues related to the environment and to the hospitality industry (Canadian University Consortium 1998, p. 4). The building and structures built in these tourist destinations also present significant problems because they cause soil avalanches which then lead to accumulation of riverbed or sea sediment basins; and these cause the destruction of the natural balance of the ecosystem. Conclusion The above discussion sets forth the impact of the environment or of environmental issues on the hospitality industry. The discussion above sets forth that the current environmental issues which we are experiencing have a negative impact on the hospitality industry. These issues cause the deterioration of the natural attractiveness of these tourist destinations, reducing tourist visits, and thereby reducing profits from these attractions. This reduced attractiveness seems to be apparent with the pollution seen in these resorts, the melting of the glaciers, and the snow levels in ski resorts. The hospitality industry itself is also negatively impacting on the environment, with its increase in energy and water use, as well as the encroachments made on forest and other natural reserves. The environment and the hospitality industry seem to have a reciprocal relationship and it is up to the hospitality industry to make adjustments in order to make its management and business a sustainable one. Works Cited Berrittella, M., Bigano, A., Rosona, R., & Tolg, R. (2004), A general equilibrium analysis of climate change impacts on tourism, Center for Integrated Study of the Human Dimensions of Global Change, viewed 02 August 2011 from http://users.ictp.it/~eee/files/wp17.pdf Butler R. and Jones P. (2001), Conclusions – problems, challenges and solutions, Chapter 28. In: Tourism and Hospitality in the 21st Century, A Lockwood and S. Medlik (eds.), Butterworth- Heinemann, Oxford, UK. 296-309 Butler, J. (2007), Green Hospitality Development Gaining In Popularity, Hospitality online, viewed 02 August 2011 from http://www.hospitality-online.com/News/PR2007_4th/Oct07l Burki, R., Elsasser, H., & Abegg, B. 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