Environmental education and environmentally responsible behavior: the case of international tourists in Accra Hotels

Abstract

The success of environmental programs in hotels hinges on the environmentally responsible behavior of guests. In spite of this, the hotel guest has remained peripheral to environmental management programs and initiatives in hotels. This paper therefore examines the environmentally responsible behavior of international tourists in hotels in Accra and whether environmental education by the hotels and gender of tourists has any relationship with environmentally responsible behavior. A sample of 343 international tourists was surveyed at major tourist attraction sites in Accra. The results of the study indicates that about three-quarters of respondents were neither informed about the environmental programs being undertaken by their hotels nor educated on environmentally responsible behavior. Also, women reported greater environmentally responsible behavior than men. Hotels in Accra should therefore step up environmental education especially through travel intermediaries and use women as change agents for inculcating environmentally responsible behavior