Socially responsible and sustainable practices

This chapter shows that sustainable development of tourism and hospitality requires an in-depth understanding of the behavioural responses of tourists and guests. Global climate change is caused by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – CO₂ being the best-known GHG. Tourism and hospitality represent sectors that have a crucial role to play in adjusting the course of our society to a more sustainable one. Tourism and hospitality are currently responsible for a significant portion of global resource use – including substantial fossil fuel consumption linked to (air) travel and accommodation, global GHG emissions and pollution, but also (fresh) water, land and food use – and this (negative) impact is predicted to increase quite ominously over the next few decades. The foregoing presents some of the complexities and uncertainties involved with predicting and influencing sustainable (consumer) behaviour.