Sustainability Drivers and Challenges in the Hospitality Sector in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The hospitality industry is one component of tourism that has adopted sustainable tourism principles. However, limited knowledge exists about what motivates hospitality establishments to adopt sustainable practices and the barriers they face, especially in the Global South. The purpose of this study is to analyze the drivers and challenges of the implementation of sustainability in the hospitality sector. The research investigated 125 hospitality establishments from different tourist locations in Zimbabwe using proportional stratified random sampling. In addition, a structured questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents from each hospitality establishment. The findings revealed that the main drivers of sustainability practices include regulatory compliance, improving the organization’s reputation, new market opportunities and professional ethics. On the other hand, the hospitality sector's significant challenges in adopting sustainability principles include employees, managers, and customers' lack of knowledge and negative attitude. This study adds to the growing body of literature on sustainability in the hospitality sector in the resource-constrained environments of the Global South.