Determinants of hotels’ environmental performance: Evidence from the hotel industry in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

This study explores the factors that account for the environmental performance of hotels in the special context of a developing country, Ghana. It also examined the socio-demographic characteristics of managers and organizational characteristics that determine the environmental performance of Ghanaian hotels. A stratified random sampling method was employed to survey 200 hotel managers from different categories of hotels in Accra. Ninety-four per cent were independent, and Ghanaian-owned. Sixty-seven per cent had fewer than 20 rooms; only 45 had more than 100 rooms. Only 11.6% were affiliated to foreign multinational companies in any way. Six key factors that accounted for the environmental performance were extracted from a factor analysis. They included, in order of most practised, the environmental education and training for staff, measures to support for the host community, conservation project support, compliance with environmental regulations, waste management, and voluntary programmes. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that larger size and better class of hotels, as well as those with membership of the national hotel trade association, had better environmental performance as did hotels with better paid managers. Affiliation to foreign multinational chains did not predict better performance. A series of suggestions are made to improve the environmental performance of Ghana's hotels.

酒店环境方面表现的决定因素：从加纳阿克拉地区酒店业来的证据

该研究探讨了在加纳这样一个发展中国家的特殊环境中酒店的环境方面表现的影响因素。文章也解释了那些决定加纳酒店的环境表现的经理的社会人文特性和组织的特性。一个分层的随机采样方法被用来在阿克拉的不同类型的酒店里调查200个酒店经理。94%是加纳人自营的独立酒店。67%有少于20个房间；只有45间酒店有多过100间房间。只有11.6%是附属于国外跨国公司。环境表现的六大主要因素从因素分析中提取出来。他们包括，按照最实用的排序，员工的环境教育和培训，对当地社区的支持的衡量，保护项目的支持，对环境政策的符合，废弃物管理，和义务项目。一个分层多元回归分析法显示酒店规模越大星级越高，和那些加入国家酒店协会会员的酒店，往往有更好的环境表现，因为酒店给经理的收入更高。那些附属跨国连锁酒店的并没有显示出更好的表现。文章提出了改善加纳酒店环境表现的一系列的建议。

Keywords:

• hotel
• Accra
• environment
• environmental performance
• organizational characteristics
• socio-demographic characteristics

关键词:

• 酒店
• 阿克拉
• 环境
• 环境表现
• 组织的
• 社会人文的

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ishmael Mensah

Ishmael Mensah holds an MPhil tourism degree from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) by the American Hotel and Lodging Association and a Member of the Institute of Hospitality (MIH). He teaches tourism and hospitality management at the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Cape Coast.

Emmanuel J. Blankson

Emmanuel J. Blankson is an associate professor of landscaping and horticulture. He has taught at the University of Science and Technology and the University of Cape Coast, both in Ghana. His research interests include environmental management and urban land use for tourism.