Vlatko Cingoski

Making hotels more energy efficient: the managerial perception

Abstract The boom of the tourism industry has led to a huge interest in investing largely in hotel lodgings. Tourists have become aware and started considering new and far from ordinary tourist issues, like environmental protection, waste treatment measures, energy efficiency, renewable energy, green-house gas emissions, etc. The aims of the study are three-fold: (i) to assess the application of energy efficiency practices in the hotel industry; (ii) to explore the determinants of energy consumption; and (iii) to pose valuable recommendations for boosting development of eco-friendly hotels. The research was conducted in Macedonia for the purpose of identifying the impacts of several factors of managing environmental protection practices, in the first line by measuring their current level of influence. The data were obtained by an online survey conducted among managers of three-, four- and five-star hotels and processed by descriptive statistics. The results showed that managers have high positive perceptions on environmental protection issues and pose high awareness of the benefits produced by this concept, thus supporting the European environmental impact assessment regulation. The study recommends new approaches in challenging the hotel industry to decrease the operating costs and suggests that managers are in need for better understanding of the importance of energy efficiency.

Brendiranje zelenog turizma u Makedoniji

Tourism is a fast growing business and therefore developing a national brand can be part of an effective strategy for managing the national growth of tourism. A positive national image is an essential ingredient in the promotion of tourism which raises the issue of investing into the national branding as part of the image-building strategy. The article draws on primary and secondary data to provide insights into the processes and conflicts of branding Macedonia as an eco-friendly destination. The authors examine the hotel management perception of environmental protection and renewable energy sources. The study used (1) quantitative methods by calculating medians in terms of exploring the standard indicators for measuring eco policy and environmental protection practices and (2) qualitative methods, by consulting the secondary data sources. More precisely, an assessment is made on how hospitality industry stakeholders manage the environmental issues as it can directly increase the destination competitiveness. The main objective is to determine the level of environmental quality in Macedonia as a basis for creating a national green tourism brand. The study shows that a large number of hotel industry stakeholders lack measures to reduce the conventional energy use and replace it with renewable energy sources. Although fully aware of the importance of the energy efficiency concept, it is not managerial priority of Macedonian hotels. These findings may help when further steps are taken towards creating marketing strategies to enhance the country’s distinctiveness. This article initiates the making of a framework for the introduction of competitive environmental strategies in hotel establishments in order to contribute to Macedonia’s green identity.