ЕКОЛОГІЧНА СТІЙКІСТЬ ІНДУСТРІЇ ГОСТИННОСТІ ХАРКІВСЬКОГО РЕГІОНУ: СПРИЙНЯТТЯ ТУРИСТАМИ ЕКО-ВІДПОВІДАЛЬНИХ ПРАКТИК ЗАСОБІВ РОЗМІЩЕННЯ

Abstract

UDC 332.8; JEL Classification: L 85 Purpose is investigating the tourists’ attitudes towards eco-responsible practices for accommodation facilities of the Kharkiv region, clarifying the aspects needed to be improved, and identifying if accommodation facilities’ focus on environmental protection can provide them competitive advantages. Methodology of research. In the study, in addition to general scientific methods such as systematization, comparative analysis, and synthesis, empirical study methods were used. The survey was conducted, which results were processed through statistical methods. Findings. The essence of sustainable development in the travel and tourism industry was revealed. Ecological sustainability’s importance from a position of providing high-quality customer service and tourists’ overall satisfaction was considered. International organizations’ approaches to the evaluation of ecological sustainability for the hospitality sector’s enterprises were systematized. After reviewing characteristics of the tourist accommodation market of the Kharkiv region, the absence of official eco hotels with the active implementation of eco-responsible practices, and eco-certificates’ obtaining were found. In order to identify the importance level of components of ecological sustainability and environmental protection for hotel clients, the survey was conducted. The 408 questionnaires were completed, and the collected data were subjected to statistical analysis. The main socio-demographic features of respondents were outlined, most of whom were men aged 31-40 years, married, and with higher education. The answers were evaluated with the use of the Likert interval scale. Among the indicators characterizing the environmental friendliness in using accommodation facilities’ resources, the comfort of room temperature and rational use of water are considered as the most important. Among the environmental responsibility indicators, informing about local public transport and typical restaurants’ food are particularly important. In line with tourists’ attitudes towards eco-responsible practices for accommodation facilities, their classification was made, and four typical kinds of tourists were identified. It was found that the two largest groups are really interested in the environmental friendliness of tourist accommodation. In general, the answers of respondents displayed a significant ecological orientation and dissatisfaction with the actions of accommodation facilities towards environmental protection in the Kharkiv region. Originality. There was the author’s approach introduced to dividing the ecological sustainability estimates for accommodation facilities into the two сlusters: the indicators of rational use of resources and the indicators of an enterprise’s eco-responsibility. Practical value. The obtained results are the tool, which management of tourist accommodations can use in developing their own marketing policy aiming to attract a segment of environmentally friendly customers. A better understanding of tourists’ environmental culture and their attitudes towards ecological innovations is necessary for strategic planning of regional tourist complex development and forecasting consumer demand for environmentally friendly services of the hospitality industry.