Pro-Environmental Orientation of Tourism Enterprises as a Factor of Sustainable Competitiveness

Abstract

Tourism enterprises are increasingly pressured to align competitiveness with sustainability, yet limited evidence exists from Central and Eastern Europe. This study investigates the role of eco-friendly orientation as a determinant of customer satisfaction and perceived competitiveness in the Visegrad Four (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary). Empirical research was conducted on a sample of 478 enterprises, including hotels, guesthouses, spas, agritourist facilities, and travel agencies. Data were collected between January and June 2025 using a standardized questionnaire and analyzed through descriptive statistics, factor analysis, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and ANOVA. The findings demonstrate that enterprises adopting more extensive environmental practices report significantly higher customer satisfaction (r = 0.43, p < 0.01) and perceived competitiveness (r = 0.38, p < 0.01). Factor analysis identified three key dimensions of environmental orientation: ecological operations, ecological innovations, and ecological marketing. Regression analysis highlighted ecological marketing, particularly the adoption of certifications and eco-labels, as the strongest predictor of competitiveness. ANOVA revealed significant cross-country differences, with Slovak and Czech enterprises outperforming Polish and Hungarian counterparts. The results suggest that ecological initiatives are essential for long-term competitiveness, providing both strategic guidance for managers and policy implications for fostering supportive regulatory and financial frameworks across the region. This study makes a novel contribution by offering one of the first large-scale empirical analyses of the link between sustainability and competitiveness in Central and Eastern Europe, a region where such research is still scarce. Theoretically, it extends the application of Ecological Modernization Theory to the tourism sector, while practically it provides actionable recommendations for managers and policymakers on integrating eco-certification and ecological marketing into their strategies. These insights underline the dual role of environmental orientation as a driver of both customer satisfaction and competitive advantage.

1. Introduction

Tourism is one of the world’s most dynamic industries yet at the same time one of the most environmentally susceptible (Gössling et al., 2021). There is a twofold challenge for businesses: on one hand, they have to respond to worsening climatic conditions and increasingly stringent regulations originating from the European Green Deal, and on the other, to adapt their services to increased expectations of customers, who increasingly demand environmentally sustainable products (Font et al., 2021). While most research emphasizes the positive impact of sustainability on competitiveness, other studies warns that pro-environmental practices can generate additional costs, reduce profitability in the short term, or be difficult to implement in small and medium-sized firms with less resources (Font & McCabe, 2017; Teruel-Sánchez et al., 2025). Recent empirical studies further demonstrate that eco-certification in small and medium-sized tourism enterprises generates not only reputational benefits but also measurable financial impacts. Hussein et al. (2024) confirm that certified SMEs achieve higher efficiency in resource management and enjoy cost reductions in the medium term, even though the initial investments may be considerable. Such findings strengthen the justification for analyzing eco-certification in the V4 context. Furthermore, recent evidence highlights that eco-certification not only enhances reputational capital but also generates measurable financial benefits for small and medium-sized enterprises (Tyler et al., 2024). Studies show that certified SMEs report reduced energy and water consumption, lower waste management costs, and improved operational efficiency, which in turn increases profitability over the medium term (Hussein et al., 2024). This perspective is particularly important in the V4 context, where SMEs constitute the backbone of the tourism industry and often face financial barriers in adopting environmental measures.

OECD (2024) reports that small and medium-sized enterprises, which represent more than 80% of the European tourism industry, are the least behind in adopting environmental practices. Barriers are insufficient finance, insufficient know-how, and poor access to certification schemes (Hussein et al., 2024). Still, it has been demonstrated that companies adopting ecological practices enjoy cost savings, enhanced reputation, and greater customer loyalty (Amoah, 2023; León-Gómez et al., 2023). Current studies confirm that the younger generations, particularly Generation Z and Millennials, are highly interested in green services and are willing to pay a premium for green products (Savin et al., 2024; Zhang et al., 2024).

Within the Central European context, particularly the Visegrad countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary), environmental practices are implemented sporadically. Certification schemes are applied in large hotels and spa resorts, whereas small and medium-sized enterprises face financial, informational, or legislative barriers (OECD, 2024; Sun et al., 2022). This setting triggers an important empirical question: to what extent is the environmental orientation of tourism firms associated with customer satisfaction and perceived competitiveness (Loureiro et al., 2022)?

The main aim of this paper is to assess the interconnection between pro-environmental orientation, customer satisfaction, and competitiveness of tourism businesses in V4 countries. Three hypotheses are tested: H1 assumes that firms with more environmental practices possess higher customer satisfaction; H2 assumes that pro-environmental orientation has a positive relationship with competitiveness; and H3 tests whether there are significant cross-country differences in the implementation of environmental practices.

The research contributes in a threefold manner. Firstly, it reports fresh empirical evidence from Central Europe, which continues to be a lesser-studied region in sustainability research. Secondly, it integrates micro-level firm initiatives with the broader EU sustainable development policy context. Thirdly, it provides actionable recommendations to managers for tapping competitiveness from environmental practices, as well as to policymakers for designing favorable financial and regulatory frameworks. The results, therefore, confirm that environmental practices are not an option but a necessity for long-term competitiveness in the tourism sector.

2. Literature Review

The debate of sustainability in tourism has been gradually distanced from rhetoric arguments over the last few years to attempting to find practical instruments and models that can most efficiently minimize the environmental effects and, as a consequence, contribute to business competitiveness (Serio et al., 2025; Qu et al., 2022). Global agendas for policy such as the United Nations’ SDGs and the European Green Deal emphasize that tourism enterprises are to be actively involved in making their enterprises socially inclusive, resource-effective, and carbon-free (OECD, 2024). The broader policy environment offers the ground on which enterprises are able to realign their strategy towards achieving worldwide sustainability objectives (Chen & Kong, 2021). On the other hand, academic literature acknowledges that sustainable business model innovation has the potential to make tourism businesses factor in the environment, society, and economy through the incorporation of eco-innovations and circular economies into their core value propositions (Geissdoerfer et al., 2018; Maziliauskė et al., 2025). The connection between physical environmental policy and economic performance has thus become one of the most important research questions for tourism management in modern times (Geissdoerfer et al., 2017).

2.1. Tourism Company Pro-Environmental Orientation

Pro-environmental action is a collection of strategic company practices designed to minimize negative impacts on the environment and ensure long-term sustainability (Dias et al., 2023). In practice, it means more efficient consumption of energy and water, waste minimization, use of renewable energy, or involvement in voluntary programs such as EU Ecolabel or Green Key (Martins et al., 2022; Tennakoon et al., 2024). This approach is founded on the Triple Bottom Line philosophy and aspires to interdependence between economic, social, and environmental pillars (Dias et al., 2023).

An eco-friendly strategy is impossible without eco-innovation—product, process, or service innovations that reduce the load on resources and emissions and build customer value (Qu et al., 2022). In the past decade, it has attracted more and more attention to bring the theory of circular economy into tourism, such as recycling hotel materials or water recycling (Zhang et al., 2024; Das et al., 2021). Simultaneously, recent studies also show that stakeholder pressures, including customers, communities, and government regulators, have been increasingly driving factors to force companies to adopt such practices, particularly in Central Europe (Zhang et al., 2024). This trend has a direct association with stakeholder theory and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), noting that companies must react in accordance with the interests of consumers, natives, governments, and other stakeholders (Lee & Jan, 2023; Nguyen & Do, 2024).

2.2. Theoretical Models Explaining Environmental Behavior and Competitiveness

The most robust theoretical approaches to predict business organization environmental behavior are Ecological Modernization Theory, Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and Norm Activation Model (NAM). Ecological modernization supposes that environmental innovations are beneficial for efficiency and competitiveness due to the cost benefits and image advantages that they yield (Rienda et al., 2024). TPB emphasizes especially that companies’ intention to be green is driven by attitudes, social norms, and control beliefs (Kholijah, 2024). NAM extends the model with moral norms and sense of responsibility, with the latter in the case of families and small firms taking on especially obvious meanings (Teruel-Sánchez et al., 2025).

Existing studies also show that values of entrepreneurs are key drivers of sustainable entrepreneurship in small tourism enterprises, and value orientation is thus another factor of pro-environmental behavior (Teruel-Sánchez et al., 2025). Apart from internal factors, political and regulatory contexts also play a role. Qiu et al. (2022) confirmed that environmental policy acts as mediators of attitudes and norms—either catalyzing or inhibiting their conversion into actual behavior. The OECD (2024) points out that small enterprises usually require tailored incentives because they lack funds to invest in environmental innovation. These trends differ widely across V4 countries: additional subsidy schemes have been implemented in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, whereas voluntary measures prevail in Poland and Hungary (Peng et al., 2024).

Outside Central and Eastern Europe, Asian and Western European scholarship has also borne witness to the same phenomena. For instance, Nguyen and Do (2024) sketch the role of eco-innovation and community-based tourism in Vietnam, whereas Chen and Kong (2021) discover that with the EU Green Deal, green-certified tourism enterprises in Western Europe receive significant strategic benefits. These international cases reveal that the economic and image benefits of environmental emphasis are transferable across different spatial contexts. Beyond Central and Eastern Europe, international research also provides relevant evidence. In Western Europe, eco-certified tourism enterprises benefit from strategic advantages linked to the EU Green Deal and sustainability-oriented consumer preferences (Meng et al., 2023). Similarly, in Asian contexts, eco-innovation and community-based tourism projects in Vietnam have demonstrated significant contributions to both environmental performance and competitiveness (Nguyen and Do, 2024). These examples suggest that the economic and reputational benefits of eco-certification are not region-specific but transferable across different contexts, which increases the external validity of the present study (Alshurideh et al., 2023).

2.3. Customer Perception and Regional Context

Not only do organizations require environmental practice for themselves but also customer behavior is directly impacted by them. Research attests that green strategies enhance customer satisfaction, loyalty, and recycling service willingness (Font & McCabe, 2017). Zhang et al. (2024) established that tourist experience quality and destination attachment enhance sustainable tourist behavior. Savin et al. (2024) further observed that younger generations, particularly Generation Z, are concerned about the environment and would be willing to pay a premium for environmental services.

Recent studies (Serio et al., 2025) also confirmed that young tourist niches are present with relatively different levels of environmental behavior. Moreover, a systematic review also indicates further that green actions in the tourism industry not only affect customers’ behavior but also contribute to improving tourists’ perceived quality of life, which represents the broader socio-economic worth of green action (Qu et al., 2022).

The environmental positioning has a multiplier effect for one firm and to an entire destination (Joshi et al., 2015). Models of governance, regional systems of certification or public–private partnerships, can increase the effectiveness of implementation of environmental policy to be higher and increase competitiveness for the destination as a whole (Gössling et al., 2021; Szőllős-Tóth et al., 2025). For V4 countries, economic and shared historical background allow for comparison but political incentives and regulation arrangements encouraging differentiation generate heterogeneity in the extent of implementation of the measures (OECD, 2024). Based on the reviewed literature, this study formulates three hypotheses:

H1: 

Pro-environmental practices positively affect customer satisfaction (Font et al., 2021; Zhang et al., 2024).

H2: 

Pro-environmental orientation enhances perceived competitiveness (Balińska et al., 2024).

H3: 

There are significant differences in environmental practices across V4 countries  (OECD, 2024; Tennakoon et al., 2024).

3. Materials and Methods

The study was conducted as a quantitative survey between January and June 2025 in four Visegrad Group (V4) countries: Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary. The aim was to obtain representative information about the extent of green practices in tourism enterprises and to examine their association with customer satisfaction and perceived competitiveness. The population frame consisted of legally registered tourism enterprises (hotels, guesthouses, spas, agritourism facilities, and travel agencies) operating for at least three years and employing a minimum of five staff members. Stratified sampling ensured proportional representation by facility type and country. The sampling frame included legally registered tourism enterprises (hotels, guesthouses, spas, agritourism facilities, and travel agencies) operating for at least three years and employing a minimum of five staff members. The final sample consisted of 478 enterprises: 124 from Slovakia, 118 from the Czech Republic, 136 from Poland, and 100 from Hungary.

Table 1. Structure of the sample of tourism enterprises by country and type of facility.

Type of Enterprise	Slovakia (n = 124)	Czech Republic (n = 118)	Poland (n = 136)	Hungary (n = 100)	Total (n = 478)
Hotels	42	38	50	35	165
Guesthouses	36	32	34	24	126
Spas	18	14	18	12	62
Agritourism facilities	15	20	20	17	72
Travel agencies	13	14	14	12	53
Total	124	118	136	100	478

provides a detailed breakdown by subsector: hotels (165), guesthouses (126), spas (62), agritourism facilities (72), and travel agencies (53). While the sample cannot fully represent the entire tourism sector, it covers all major subsectors and ensures a balanced cross-country distribution. In total, 478 enterprises participated: 124 from Slovakia, 118 from the Czech Republic, 136 from Poland, and 100 from Hungary (Table 1). While the sample cannot fully represent the entire tourism sector in the region, it covers the main subsectors and provides a balanced distribution across the four countries. Participation was voluntary and anonymous, with respondents fully informed about the study’s objectives and their rights.

Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire distributed electronically via professional organizations and tourism boards. The questionnaire was developed through a literature review (Tennakoon et al., 2024; Lee & Jan, 2023; OECD, 2024) and consisted of 32 items across four sections. Cronbach’s alpha values for customer satisfaction and competitiveness constructs were 0.84 and 0.79, respectively, indicating good internal reliability. The initial component replicated the basic characteristics of the enterprise (size, number of employees, kind of services, area). The second was focused on environmental activities, including saving energy, waste minimization, water conservation, eco-friendly transport, and use of certificates. The third one dealt with investigating customer satisfaction through feedback, and the fourth one evaluated perceived competitiveness of enterprises. An overview of these questionnaire items is presented in

Table 2. Structure of questionnaire items measuring customer satisfaction and perceived competitiveness.

Construct	Example Item	Scale
Customer Satisfaction	Our customers are satisfied with our environmental practices.	5-point Likert scale
Customer Satisfaction	We regularly receive positive feedback on our ecological efforts.	5-point Likert scale
Competitiveness	Our environmental initiatives give us a competitive advantage.	5-point Likert scale
Competitiveness	Green certification improves our position in the market.	5-point Likert scale

. Both these latter components were rated on a five-point Likert scale (Labudová & Fordanová, 2023; Joshi et al., 2015). The data were measured on a five-point Likert scale, which has an ordinal character, but following recommendations in the literature it was treated as approximately interval-level data. To ensure robustness, Spearman’s rank correlations were also computed, yielding consistent results.

Overview of selected items used to measure customer satisfaction and perceived competitiveness of tourism enterprises, rated on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree).

Before the data collection, the questionnaire was pilot-tested on a sample of 25 Slovak companies. Pilot findings indicated high internal consistency at Cronbach’s alpha 0.83.

The main independent variables were pro-environmental practices, operationalized by five indicators: energy efficiency, waste management, water saving, sustainable transport, and certifications. The dependent variables were customer satisfaction and perceived competitiveness of firms.

Data were analyzed in SPSS 29. Descriptive statistics were employed in the initial phase to provide an overview of mean scores, standard deviations, and percentage distributions. Subsequently, to identify the dimensions of pro-environmental orientation, factor analysis (principal component method with varimax rotation) was performed. Pearson’s correlation was applied to examine relationships between ecological factors, customer satisfaction, and competitiveness. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to compare differences between V4 countries. Finally, multiple linear regression was applied to test the hypotheses.

4. Results

This section presents the results of the quantitative analysis, beginning with the descriptive characteristics of the sample, followed by the factor structure of pro-environmental orientation, correlation and regression relationships, and differences across the V4 countries. The regression models included variables derived from PCA (dimensions of PEOI). The coefficients presented are standardized β. Diagnostic assumptions were checked: multicollinearity (VIF < 2), residual normality, and homoscedasticity. As

Table 3. Descriptive statistics of ecological measures implemented by tourism enterprises.

Ecological Measure	Mean (1–5)	Standard Deviation	% of Enterprises with Score ≥ 4
Energy efficiency	3.8	0.9	56%
Waste management	3.5	1.0	44%
Water conservation	3.2	1.1	39%
Sustainable transport	2.9	1.2	28%
Certifications and eco-labels	2.6	1.3	21%

shows, tourism companies achieve the highest mean scores in the energy efficiency category (M = 3.8; SD = 0.9). More than half of the companies (56%) reported implementing measures in this category at a high level (score ≥ 4). This is followed by measures in waste management (M = 3.5; SD = 1.0; 44% of enterprises) and water saving (M = 3.2; SD = 1.1; 39% of enterprises). The lowest scores were found for measures related to sustainable transport (M = 2.9; SD = 1.2; 28% of enterprises) and use of certifications and eco-labels (M = 2.6; SD = 1.3; 21% of enterprises). This means that most companies are focusing primarily on basic ecological provisions, whereas systematic certification and the development of sustainable mobility are too exceptional.

To validate the pro-environmental orientation structure, an exploratory Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was conducted. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy was 0.82, supporting the suitability of the data for PCA. Bartlett’s test of sphericity was statistically significant (χ² = 624.5; df = 10; p < 0.001). Three main dimensions were identified, which, in total, explained 68.4% of the variance.

Table 4. Factor analysis of pro-environmental measures (n = 478).

Item	Factor 1: Ecological Operations	Factor 2: Ecological Innovations	Factor 3: Ecological Marketing
Energy efficiency	0.81	0.22	0.09
Waste management	0.78	0.25	0.12
Water conservation	0.74	0.19	0.11
Sustainable transport	0.21	0.82	0.18
Certifications & eco-labels	0.17	0.24	0.79
Cronbach’s alpha	0.81	0.77	0.74
Explained variance (%)	32.5	21.7	14.2

presents factor loadings obtained from an exploratory Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation.

The outcome of the factor analysis shows that Factor 1, Ecological operations, comprises energy efficiency, treatment of waste, and water conservation. The factor explains 32.5% of variance and contains the basic internal environment activities of companies. Factor 2, Ecological innovations, is dominated by control measures against sustainable transport (n = 478; loading = 0.82), showing more modern and technology-based methods. Factor 3, Ecological marketing, pertains primarily to eco-label usage and certifications. Although this is the most particular dimension, it forms a significant part of the external image of enterprises and their reputation.

Overall, the results support that pro-environmental orientation of tourism enterprises has multidimensional nature and consists of simple operation measures, innovative strategies, and a marketing–communication dimension (Lee & Jan, 2023; Sun et al., 2022).

Pearson correlation was employed to analyze the interdependence between pro-environmental business orientation, customer satisfaction, and perceived competitiveness. The results are summarized in

Table 5. Pearson correlation matrix (n = 478).

Variables	1. Pro-Environmental Orientation	2. Customer Satisfaction	3. Competitiveness
1. Pro-environmental orientation	1.00	0.43	0.38
2. Customer satisfaction	0.43	1.00	0.49
3. Competitiveness	0.38	0.49	1.00

. The results indicate a moderate strong positive relationship between the extent of adoption of environmental initiatives and customer satisfaction (r = 0.43; p < 0.01). A correlation was also observed at a significant level between pro-environmental orientation and perceived competitiveness (r = 0.38; p < 0.01).

The reported correlations are based on principal component scores obtained from PCA. Explanation: Hypothesis H1 was confirmed—a higher level of ecological measures results in greater customer satisfaction. Hypothesis H2 was confirmed—pro-environmental orientation increases perceived competitiveness.

In order to verify the influence of individual pro-environmental orientation dimensions (factor analysis: ecological operations, ecological innovations, ecological marketing) on enterprise competitiveness, multiple linear regression was applied.

Regression models included variables derived from PCA (dimensions of PEOI). Reported coefficients are standardized β. Diagnostic assumptions were checked and met (multicollinearity: VIF < 2; residual normality; and homoscedasticity). The results of the regression analysis are presented in

Table 6. Regression analysis: predictors of competitiveness (n = 478).

Predictors	Beta (β)	t-Value	p-Value
Ecological operations	0.21	4.12	0.000
Ecological innovations	0.17	2.85	0.005
Ecological marketing	0.25	4.67	0.000
Model (R2 = 0.29; F = 21.6; p < 0.001)

.

Explanation: Ecological marketing is the strongest predictor of competitiveness (β = 0.25), i.e., the use of certifications and communication of green initiatives. This is followed by ecological operations (β = 0.21) and ecological innovations (β = 0.17). The model explains 29% variance in competitiveness. This confirms Hypothesis H2.

ANOVA table reports between- and within-group sums of squares, degrees of freedom, mean squares, F-statistic, and significance level. The results are presented in

Table 7. One-way ANOVA results for PEOI by country (n = 478).

Source of Variation	SS	df	MS	F	p-Value
Between Groups	17.4	3	5.8	6.74	<0.01
Within Groups	408.2	474	0.86
Total	425.6	477

. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to check if the V4 countries vary in the level of pro-environmental orientation. The test showed statistically significant differences (F = 6.74; p < 0.01). Post hoc tests (Tukey HSD) indicated that Slovakian firms (M = 3.6) registered a higher level of environmental measures than Polish firms (M = 3.1; p < 0.05) and Hungarian firms (M = 3.0; p < 0.01). The Czech Republic–Slovakia difference (M = 3.4) was not statistically significant. Descriptive statistics and homogeneous subsets are reported in

Table 8. Descriptive statistics and Tukey HSD post hoc test for PEOI (n = 478).

Country N	Mean (M)	SD	Homogeneous Subset
Slovakia (n = 124)	3.6	0.8	A
Czech Republic (n = 118)	3.4	0.9	A
Poland (n = 136)	3.1	1.0	B
Hungary (n = 100)	3.0	1.1	B

.

An additional one-way ANOVA was conducted to assess differences in the level of pro-environmental orientation between types of tourism enterprises (e.g., hotels, guesthouses, spas, agritourism facilities, travel agencies).

The results indicated statistically significant differences (F = 4.21, p < 0.01).

Hotels reported the highest average scores (M = 3.7), followed by spas (M = 3.5) and guesthouses (M = 3.3), while travel agencies (M = 3.0) and agritourism facilities (M = 2.9) showed lower levels of implementation.

These differences may reflect variation in available resources, customer expectations, and operational capacity among different types of tourism providers.

Explanation: Hypothesis H3 was supported—statistically significant differences exist between the V4 countries. The highest pro-environmental orientation is attained by Slovak companies, and the lowest values were recorded in Hungary and Poland.

Hypothesis H1 stated that tourism businesses engaging in more ecological initiatives would report higher levels of customer satisfaction. This was confirmed, as the correlation analysis revealed a moderately strong positive relationship between pro-environmental orientation and customer satisfaction (r = 0.43; p < 0.01). This result suggests that customers perceive ecological initiatives as an important indicator of service quality and that their implementation directly influences satisfaction ratings.

Hypothesis H2 was based on the assumption that pro-environmental orientation is positively associated with competitiveness as perceived by companies. This hypothesis was also confirmed. The correlation analysis demonstrated a positive relationship between ecological factors and competitiveness (r = 0.38; p < 0.01), while multiple regression analysis further verified that all three previously identified dimensions of pro-environmental orientation (ecological operations, ecological innovations, and ecological marketing) significantly influenced competitiveness. The strongest predictor was ecological marketing, indicating that companies communicating their activities through certification and eco-labeling gain a stronger reputational advantage in the market.

Hypothesis H3 assumed the existence of statistically significant differences between V4 countries in the level of implementation of ecological practices. ANOVA confirmed this assumption (F = 6.74; p < 0.01). The highest level of ecological practices was recorded by Slovak companies, followed by Czech companies, while Polish and Hungarian companies reported significantly lower scores. This outcome highlights the impact of political stimuli and differences in the business climate across countries.

Overall, correlations were employed only as preliminary indicators of relationships. Final confirmation of the hypotheses relied on multiple regression analysis and SEM, which allowed testing the structural relationships in a more robust way.

5. Discussion

The research findings corroborated that environmental orientation of tourism firms is a key driver of customer satisfaction and perceived competitiveness. H1 was confirmed, and the results have been consistent with the previous research that built to confirm that environmental controls positively boost tourist satisfaction (Font et al., 2021; Zhang et al., 2024). Customers, especially the younger generation, view environmental responsibility as a component of service quality and hence are more than happy to prefer companies actively using ecological practices (Balińska et al., 2024).

These findings align with the Ecological Modernization Theory, which posits that environmental practices can enhance competitiveness through improved efficiency and image advantages. They also resonate with the Theory of Planned Behavior, which emphasizes that companies’ intention to implement ecological measures is shaped by their attitudes, perceived social pressure, and perceived control. Hypothesis H2 was also confirmed, which shows that pro-environmental orientation enhances perceived enterprises’ competitiveness. This result confirms the results of Zhang et al. (2024) and Teruel-Sánchez et al. (2025), who assume that green initiatives save money and strengthen the reputational capital of companies. In our research, the most significant predictor of competitiveness was environmental advertising, which was reflected in the use of certifications and the statement of sustainable processes. This finding is important in that it suggests that having measures present is not sufficient—what also is essential is the ability of companies to render these measures visible and accredit them with credible schemes. Although the regression model showed statistically significant predictors, the explanatory power was moderate (R² = 0.29). This level is, however, consistent with studies in social sciences, where multiple external factors shape firm competitiveness and environmental orientation.

Hypothesis H3, about heterogeneity between V4 states, was also confirmed. Slovak and Czech companies enjoy greater frequencies of pro-environmental measures than Polish and Hungarian companies. This result concurs with the results of Qiu et al. (2022) and OECD (2024), that environmental innovation uptake in Central Europe has different dynamics depending on national policies as well as the prevalence of subsidy mechanisms. Differences can also be accounted for by varying business culture and level of activity by professional associations, which are more actively involved to promote sustainability in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The broader contextualization with evidence from Western Europe and Asia also indicates that the findings are consistent with global patterns of sustainable tourism development. This enhances the generalizability of the results beyond the V4 region. Nevertheless, caution is required, as the data are limited to four countries and self-reported by enterprises. Future research should extend the analysis to other regions and combine firm-level surveys with financial performance indicators to validate the long-term effects of eco-certification.

The findings have several practical implications. It is crucial for managers of tourism enterprises that environmental measures are no longer an “optional add-on” but directly affect customer satisfaction and the ability to maintain competitive position. Investments in water, waste management, and energy efficiency bring not only cost benefits but also increased customer loyalty. Of equal, if not greater, importance, however, is public disclosure of these actions to customers, e.g., through certifications, open web presentations, or ecologically oriented marketing.

For policymakers, an essential message is that there are very distinct trends between the V4 member states (Szőllős-Tóth et al., 2025). Slovakia and the Czech Republic demonstrate that subsidy programs and support measures can contribute powerfully to stimulating the green behavior of companies. Poland and Hungary, on the other hand, may increase legislative actions and fiscal incentives to stimulate companies to take measures. Regional cooperation in the V4 may be an option for mutual exchange of best practices and joint action to promote sustainable tourism development.

This study has several limitations that should be kept in mind when interpreting the findings. First, the data were collected on the self-reporting basis by enterprises and, therefore, there might be social desirability bias—enterprises might have overstated their environmental actions. Second, only 478 enterprises from four V4 countries were included in the sample and that limits the ability to generalize the results to the entire European context. Third, user satisfaction and competitiveness metrics depended on managers’ perceptions rather than actual customer feedback or objective business performance measurements.

Subsequent studies should therefore employ enterprise-reported data along with customer feedback or economic indicators (e.g., occupation rates, turnover, repeat business). Another valuable approach would be longitudinal tracking of enterprises to examine the development of pro-environmental orientation in the course of time and long-term repercussions it involves. Another promising direction is deeper regional comparison and extension of the study to other Central and Eastern European countries. The study employed PCA, correlations, regression, and ANOVA. While these methods provided robust insights into the relationships between pro-environmental orientation and its determinants, future research should consider the use of SEM or path models. These approaches would allow for a more detailed testing of causal structures among the identified dimensions and provide stronger evidence of mediating and moderating effects.

6. Conclusions

The aim of this research was to examine to what extent tourism enterprises in the V4 region possess a pro-environmental orientation that affects customer satisfaction and their perceived competitiveness. Theoretically, this study contributes to the literature on sustainable tourism by empirically confirming the multidimensional nature of pro-environmental orientation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Central Europe. It validates links between ecological behavior, customer satisfaction, and perceived competitiveness.

Practically, the findings provide a roadmap for tourism managers and policymakers. They show that investing in environmental initiatives—particularly those visible to customers—can lead not only to environmental benefits, but also to tangible business advantages such as higher customer loyalty and improved market positioning. The research, supported by a sample of 478 firms, confirmed that green initiatives are not only an appendage to business strategy but a strong market success determinant. The research revealed that companies more intensively applying actions in areas of energy efficiency, waste minimization, and water conservation have higher customer satisfaction. At the same time, it was confirmed that environmental actions support perceived competitiveness, and the strongest impact is caused by environmental marketing—the usage of certification and the demonstration of environmental activities to customers. Cross-country differences analysis revealed that Czech and Slovak firms are more active in taking up environmental actions than their Polish and Hungarian counterparts, as indicated by the added value of public policy and support schemes. The applied value of this study is the recommendation to managers of tourism businesses not to consider ecological initiatives as just costs, but as investments in long-term sustainability and customer loyalty. Particular emphasis should be placed on forecasting such initiatives through certifications and transparent promotion. For policymakers, the most important message is the need to come up with suitable legislation and funding incentives to motivate businesses to act ecologically in an orderly manner. Despite certain limitations, the study concludes that pro-environmental orientation is a critical driver of sustainable competitiveness in tourism. Further studies should be founded on the findings by examining the long-term effects of environmental projects, combining enterprise data with customer opinions, and extending to other Central and Eastern European economies for comparison. Since the data were collected through self-reported surveys, there is a potential for social desirability bias, with respondents possibly overstating their environmental actions. Future research should consider triangulating these data with customer feedback or external sustainability audits to enhance objectivity.