Accommodation Consumers and Providers ’ Attitudes , Behaviours and Practices for Sustainability : A Systematic Review

Accommodation and lodging are an integral component of the tourism and hospitality industry. Given the sectors’ growing contribution to resource consumption and waste, there is a growing body of literature on the attitudes, behaviours and practices of consumers, managers, staff and owners of lodging with respect to sustainability. This paper presents the results of a systematic analysis of articles on attitudes, behaviours and practices of consumers and the provision of accommodation with respect to sustainability. The results indicate that there is a dearth of longitudinal studies on the sustainability of practices and behaviours. There are limitations in geographical coverage as well as methods, with research dominated by convenience sampling approaches. It is concluded that while there appear to be improvements in the potential sustainability of lodging with respect to technological approaches, the lack of systematic long-term studies on behavioural interventions represents a significant challenge to reducing the absolute emissions of the sector as well as reductions in energy and water use and waste production. Given the lack of longitudinal studies, it is not known whether observed behavioural changes are sustained over time.


Introduction
The impacts of tourism on the natural and social environment have been a long-standing focus of tourism and hospitality research [1].As a subsector, accommodation and lodging have been recognised as having a range of significant effects.After aviation and car transport, the accommodation sector is estimated to contribute 21% of tourism's global greenhouse gas emissions [2].In addition, the sector is a major user of energy, land and water resources as well as a contributor to water, food and other waste [3][4][5][6][7].
Much of the focus in improving the sustainability of the accommodation and lodging sector, as with tourism overall, has been on encouraging the adoption of technologies and management systems that produce greater efficiencies in per room or customer inputs and outputs [7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. For example, the World Economic Forum [14] (p.7) suggests, 'For the accommodation cluster, reductions in carbon emissions will primarily be driven by the use of existing mature technologies in lighting, heating and cooling that can significantly improve hotel energy efficiency'.Undoubtedly, greater efficiencies are an important component of improvements in sustainable consumption of tourism resources.However, concerns also exist about the extent they may contribute to undesirable rebound effects unless there is also simultaneous attention paid to changes in actual consumption behaviour as well as the adoption of technological, behavioural and policy innovations that also contribute to greater sustainability [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24].Therefore, there is a growing body of literature on the attitudinal and behavioural dimensions of sustainable tourism and hospitality, including with respect to accommodation and lodging, as well as the persistent gap between consumers' typically positive explicit attitudes towards sustainability and their actual consumption behaviours [22,[24][25][26][27].
Research on sustainable accommodation attitudes and practices is centred around investigating the perspectives of producers and consumers.Producer or supply side research focuses on the attitudes of accommodation managers, owners and employees toward sustainability and their environmental policies and practices.Consumer focussed research examines the perceptions and behaviours of tourists towards the sustainable practices of accommodation providers, consumer practices, support for green accommodation product, and the impacts of government or producers actions on consumer behaviour.In addition, there is growing interest in stakeholder based approaches to understanding the sustainability policies and practices of accommodation providers [28,29].However, despite significant interest in improving the sustainability of accommodation and lodging properties, there is little knowledge of the extent to which changes in consumption behaviours and sustainability practices have been maintained over time nor of the means by which behaviours and practices have been studied.Therefore, this study provides a systematic review of journal articles covering issues of consumer and producer behaviours and attitudes with respect to the greening and sustainability of accommodation and lodging.By using the systematic review methodology, a broad overview of the literature is created, allowing trends and themes to become clear.From this, conclusions can be drawn on the key findings and on future research directions.

Materials and Methods
The power of systematic literature reviews in providing statistically reliable conclusions has long been acknowledged in the field of health, where the use of systematic reviews is integral to evidence-based healthcare [30].However, in tourism the use of systematic reviews is limited [31].
The PRISMA framework and 27-item checklist were used to guide the data selection and collection for this paper [32,33].As with all research, the value of a systematic review depends on what was done, what was found, and the clarity of reporting, which in turn is based upon the clarity of the original research and its interpretation.The aim of the PRISMA Statement is therefore to help authors improve the reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses [33].
The search aimed to account for several dimensions that make up the focus of this review.To do this, the search looked at four keyword groups: tourists, behaviour, environment and accommodation type.Within each keyword group, synonyms were identified within relevant research through searches undertaken during the preliminary narrative literature review.This ensures that no relevant research is excluded through the use of applicable terminology that is not identical to the keywords.Keywords were identified via reading through literature and communication with researchers in the sustainable tourism and hospitality field who acted as an expert reference group.Search terms were also refined via trial exercises and the capacity of any search to identify relevant benchmark papers.
The formal systematic review was undertaken by an examination of the Web of Science and Scopus databases along with library searching and surveys of Google Scholar.The Scopus database was find to be more advantageous for the tourism and hospitality field because of its wider journal coverage.For the purpose of this study, only records from peer-reviewed periodicals were included in the systematic review.Therefore, books and book chapters, conference papers, and industry and government reports were excluded from the systematic review but were used for the thematic review that helped identify key terms.The full search term below shows the exact terms used to generate potential records for examination.Other refining elements used in searches of the Scopus databases were to select only document types classified as "articles" or "reviews", and only documents published before 2015: TITLE-ABS-KEY ("consumer" OR "target audience" OR "tourism" OR "tourist" OR "travel*" OR "holiday*" OR "VFR" OR "vacation*") AND TITLE-ABS-KEY ("response" OR "perception" OR "attitude" OR "behaviour" OR "motivation*") AND TITLE-ABS-KEY ("sustain*" OR "green*" OR "environment*" OR "ecolog*" OR "CSR" OR "carbon" OR "emission*" OR "energy" OR "waste") AND TITLE-ABS-KEY ("accommodation" OR "backpacker*" OR "hostel*" OR "motel*" OR "hotel*" OR "lodging" OR "caravan park*" OR "holiday park*" OR "cabin*" OR "campground*" OR "resort*") AND DOCTYPE (ar OR re) AND PUBYEAR < 2015.
The initial database search retrieved 572 documents.After screening for papers clearly not relevant to the subject, the number of appropriate articles was reduced to 105.From there, a small number of non-duplicate papers were added raising the total to 109 papers.Out of the 109 papers, only 93 were reviewed, due to the fact that nine could not be accessed, and seven were found to be not relevant to the study.Data was then recorded for each individual article including research method, sample method, sample size, sample demographics, target sample audience, geographical location of study, accommodation type (if applicable), variables, longitudinal study or not, and the key findings.

Results
Of the 93 papers, 44 were primarily consumer related with a main focus on tourists and visitors (Table 1).The remaining studies were producer related and studied specific hotels, their managers and employees (Table 2).Only two papers [34,35] included substantive research on both consumer and producer perspectives with respect to environmental practices and perceptions.The various elements of these papers has been included in both tables for ease of convenience.Over two-thirds of studies were undertaken in the period 2010-2014, reflecting the growing interest in the field.Many of the studies were exploratory in nature either reporting on profiles or not specifically aiming to test theory or scales, although many were theoretically informed.Of the 93 studies, only one was longitudinal with respect to charting changes in behaviours over time.This was a producer related study on attitudes and behaviours towards climate change by small-scale rural accommodation providers in New Zealand [36].The absence of such studies arguably has significant implications for understanding the sustainability of behavioural change.The most important factor among tourists was the behaviour of hotel staff, including recycling and waste minimisation.The least important was the availability of organically sourced vegetarian food though all factors were found to be somewhat important.Level of education has no significant effect on expectations.There was a significant relationship between expectations and monthly income with higher income resulting in higher expectations.Convenience survey Perceptions of hotels' green practices' impact, perceptions of hotels' green practices The two statements that gained the highest level of agreement amongst both hotel managers and customers were: "The internet is an effective channel for marketing a hotel's green initiatives directly to customers"; and "Green hotels can elevate industry members' image and reputation to attract green tourists who demand green accommodation when travelling".

2013
Target Sample Hotel customers and hotel managers Hong Kong Sample Demographic 55 hotel managers, 1035 customers Ham & Han [57] Sample Size (n = ) 263

Intercept survey
Consumers' perceptions of hotels' green practices, customer loyalty to green hotels, perceived fit between a hotel's core business and its green practices Environmental concerns moderate the link between perceptions of a hotel's green practices and visit intention.Perceptions of fit between a hotel's core business and its green practices significantly affect behavioral intentions.Familiarity with green schemes, their participation in environmental programmes, adoption of green practices perceived benefits of green schemes, property characteristics; type of ownership, location & size.The presence of written environmental policy Low familiarity of green programmes although higher among chain-affiliated and urban property owners.Urban and chain affiliated property owners had a more positive perception of benefits of green business practices.Large properties were more likely to use green messages in their promotions.Written policy not a strong predictor of adoption of many basic green practices.

2012
Target   The most common study location by region was Asia, with 36.1% of all of the papers being carried out there.Europe follows with 19.6% of the studies, and the least popular study locations were Africa (5.2%), the Middle East (3.1%), and South America (2.1%).Table 3 provides a more detailed breakdown by country and shows that the USA, Taiwan, and Spain have been the most studied locations.The relative lack of research in Africa and South America is reflective of the overall amount of climate change related tourism research noted in IPCC reports [18,127].However, this is the case with Asia in which there is very limited reporting in IPCC reports [18,128], although there is a growing interest from researchers and institutions, such as the UNWTO [127].With respect to accommodation types, hotels were specifically focused upon in over 70% of the studies, and were also studied in conjunction with other accommodation types (Table 4).Research was therefore focussed on formal accommodation businesses.All research that looked at the perceptions, attitudes and knowledge of employees was conducted in the formal hotel sector.There was therefore only limited research on other forms of lodging, such as self-catering accommodation and B&Bs, even though these may be significant in many destination contexts.No studies of second homes were included in the papers that were reviewed even though their contribution to tourist bed-nights and resource use as self-catering or rental accommodation is extremely significant for many destinations [129,130].
In terms of methods, the most common data collection method of all of the studies were questionnaires or surveys (Table 5).Over two-thirds of the studies were based primarily on questionnaires/surveys, one study combined surveys with focus groups and another with interviews.One paper also utilised panel data.The next most common research method was interviews (eight papers) sometimes in conjunction with by case studies and content analysis.One of the clear limits in the data set is the lack of quantitative analysis of actual reductions in energy or water use, or waste in conjunction with research on attitudes and behaviours.Sampling methods were more dispersed across the studies (Table 6).The most common sampling method was based on convenience (36 studies).Twelve consumer related studies used the intercept method.Purposive sampling was used with the second most widely used method with producer related studies.However, many studies did not state their sample method.The sample size of the studies with respect to the number of respondents ranged from one to 2308 (Table 7).Those studies with a very small sample size were usually hotel case studies.Studies with larger sample sizes consisted of questionnaires or surveys.

Discussion and Conclusion
Several studies found that individuals who already participated in general pro-environmental behaviour or consumption practices were more likely to choose to stay at a green hotel, over those who did not [67,76].A consumer's "green" attitude is therefore a key mediator of their intention to stay at a green hotel [77].However, context is also important.Although normative motives are the dominant determinant of pro-environmental behaviour in a household setting, hedonic motives appear a stronger predictor of such behaviour in a hotel setting [62].Some studies observed that because green hotel rooms are often more expensive than non-green hotels, higher income bracket consumers are more likely to stay at green hotels, while consumers have reported being willing to pay a 1.5%-6% premium for green hotels [39,41,53], although the long-term maintenance of such premiums is unknown given the widespread adoption of at least some sustainability measures, e.g., reuse of towels, by lodging properties.Those consumers with a higher knowledge of green hotels and their practices were more likely to stay in them [52], although experiences of sustainable practices may have a positive effect on environmental attitudes and behaviours [37,60].Nevertheless, there were some papers that observed a gap between consumers' intentions to stay at green hotel and their actions to do so [43].The most common sustainable hotel practices that customers appeared to value and think of were the use of recycle bins and recycled products, as well as reusable towel and linen schemes [39,47,63].Inconvenience remains a powerful barrier to consumers in adopting sustainable practices in hotels [67].
Firm size appears to have a significant impact on the sustainable practices of accommodation operations [56,92,112,118,120].Larger hotels implement more effective and longer-term green initiatives [98,125].This was mainly due to a high level of capital, and a strong business culture, and with some evidence of the importance of being part of an international chain for which sustainability is being incorporated in brand values as well as CSR initiatives [118].Although other studies found that foreign-owned and multinational subsidiary firms were not significantly correlated with higher participation in sustainable certification schemes and superior environmental performance [88].Regulatory and cultural context is therefore clearly significant [3,7].Barriers to implementing sustainable practices were noted as being inadequate resources, level of investment, lack of awareness amongst stakeholder, and the pressure to make maximum financial returns [99].Perhaps not surprisingly, the Internet and social media are noted as an important channel to communicate hotels' green initiatives [81], while hotel employees' and managers' knowledge and attitudes were regarded as essential to the implementation and success of green initiatives [102].Although, it should be noted that the amount of studies that looked at employees' attitudes and behaviours as compared to that of managers and owners was extremely limited.Furthermore, there is little research that actually looked at implementation practices and measured changes in indicators of sustainability, rather than relying on self-reporting and perceptions of change.In the New Zealand context, a substantial gap was reported between the positive perceptions held by operators of their energy saving initiatives and actual levels of implementation [116].
Hotels' most common green practices appeared to be water conservation, energy efficiency and waste reduction [100,120], and they were known to adopt these practices due to cost savings, response to environmental concerns and when there was simplicity in implementing and operating sustainable practices [97,102,117].Although not a central research focus, there is also limited evidence that accommodation and lodging businesses were more likely to be positive towards green practices if their area had been affected by a natural disaster or extreme weather conditions [35].
This systematic review on the behaviour and attitudes of consumers and producers towards sustainable accommodation has indicated a number of significant issues in the conduct of research.The English language literature is geographically and culturally uneven with few papers from Africa and South America and with most from the United States, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.The majority of studies used surveys or questionnaires as their main form of data collection, and the most common sampling method used was convenience sampling.There is relatively little duplication in the survey questions used in different studies which makes accurate comparisons between the results of papers difficult.Even more concerning, only one longitudinal study had been conducted which raises a number of issues regarding the tracking of consumer and lodging provider behaviour change.There is clearly substantial need for monitoring material flows over time while simultaneously tracking the attitudes of managers, staff and customers as well as the impacts of new technologies and interventions so as to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the interplay between the various activities that can lead to positive change.Similarly, there are few studies that clearly indicate the results of any intervention into influencing consumptive behaviour and none of these are tracked over time-the assumption clearly being made that changes in messaging, for example, will be maintained as the resultant behaviours have become new norms, even if those messages may then be removed from hotel rooms.Such long-term tracking is essential, for example, to compare the value of norm and non-norm approaches to encouraging customer behaviours [42,70], while the potential value of norm-based approaches for staff and managers is also a potentially significant area of study [82].However, it must be emphasised that norm-based approaches, while having significant potential, also need to be examined in a far wider cultural context than what has so far been the case.In addition, there is insufficient reporting of the actual changes to quantities of energy, food and water consumed, or the production of waste which any intervention has influenced.We do not know, for example, whether any rebound effects have occurred so that reductions in consumption and/or waste in one area of an organisation have been accompanied by increases elsewhere [131].
A clear outcome of the study therefore is that there is a greater need for integrated long-term studies of accommodation and lodging firms and their consumers.Although environmental management systems approaches [7], for example, highlight the need for inclusion of all stakeholders in improving system sustainability, this is not reflected in the literature.Only five studies included lower level employees in assessments of sustainable behaviour and practices [80][81][82][83][84], even though they are the staff who actually implement any intervention.There is therefore a clear need for studies that seek to compare not only the attitude and behaviour gaps within stakeholder groups, such as consumers and managers, but also between such groups, and then seek to chart how practices change and are maintained over time in light of any differences in physical infrastructure and/or behavioural interventions.

Table 1 .
Overview of consumer oriented papers.
Visitors interpreted CSR as consisting of: community, policy, mission and vision, workforce, and environment.Environment and mission and vision are the most important factors affecting service quality, preference to stay, willingness to pay, and brand image.

Table 1 .
Cont.At accommodation visitors perceived most aspects of the certification scheme to be important.Consumers do not see certification as an important part of a tourism operator's environmental policy.Visible environmental initiatives such as the upkeep of clean beaches are more important to consumers than programs that operate "behind the scenes".Certified operators were perceived to perform better than non-certified operators on all attributes.

Table 2 .
Overview of producer oriented papers.

Table 2 .
Cont.Several companies expressed concerns about community welfare and the state of the environment and efforts made to promote recovery.Some interest in wider issues of sustainable development, evident in social and environmental relief projects with longer term goals.
Validates use of a 13 point EP construct that can be used to measure and compare the relative EP of hotels.The construct is split into prevention, control and communication.Hotels performed best in the environmental control category and worst in environmental communication and training.

Table 3 .
Study locations in papers.

Table 4 .
Accommodation type studied in paper.

Table 5 .
Primary research method.
* Two studies examined both consumer and producer dimensions.
* Two studies examined both consumer and producer dimensions.

Table 7 .
Sample size of studies (number of respondents).
* Two studies examined both consumer and producer dimensions.