Abstract:
The steady growth in number of hotels 10 Accra is a source of
environmental concern. This study sought to assess the environmental
performance of hotels in Accra from the perspective of hotel managers,
international tourists and other stakeholders. A stratified random sampling method
was employed in surveying 200 hotel managers from the different categories of
hotels in Accra. Additionally, 343 international tourists at various attraction sites
in Accra and an in-depth interview of six key informants from stakeholder
organizations and host communities were covered.
Collectively, the hotels performed creditably in terms of environmental
health and pollution prevention, support for local communities and in green
purchasing. However, they performed poorly in the area of voluntary
environmental programmes. There were also significant differences in the
environmental performance of different categories of hotels with 3-4 star hotels
being the best performers in all 10 areas of environmental management practices.
International tourists had a positive attitude towards environmental management
by hotels and were even willing to pay more to stay in hotels that are
environmentally conscious.
To improve the environmental performance of hotels in Accra, there
should be greater education and training of managers, government policy to
encourage voluntary environmental programmes and a shift towards green hotel
development.
