ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 explains the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development, and why these represent our biggest and most urgent societal challenge. It then discusses the current situation in the hospitality industry with respect to tackling this challenge. On the one hand, sustainability plays an increasingly important role in this industry, especially in formal communication by companies and marketing their products. On the other, actual sustainability performance of most companies, and the industry as whole, is still rather disappointing. Based on this discussion, this chapter points to the need to improve sustainability efforts of this industry. It concludes with highlighting why the hospitality industry’s contribution to achieving sustainable development of our societies need not be limited to reducing its own (direct) negative impacts. In fact, three reasons are distinguished that explain why this particular industry is actually perfectly positioned to move well beyond this limited perspective on sustainability.
