ABSTRACT
This chapter reflects on the importance of complementarity: A greener economy will only be achievable if both public and private sectors work together, pursuing similar objectives and implementing compatible approaches. In China, the national eco-certification and eco-labelling programmes are significantly more important than the international ones. The national campaigns to make the hotel and tourism industries in China more environmentally conscious and greener have been met with considerable enthusiasm and success, however, a variety of additional policies and practical measures could still be considered to further enhance the sustainability of the hotel and tourism sector. Even though eco-certification and eco-labelling of hotels is still a rather new concept for China, the related programmes, and in particular the recently launched national China Green Hotel and China Green Tourist Hotel programmes, have rapidly gained popularity. In total, nearly 30 per cent of all star rated hotels in China hold one or other type of eco-certification.
