Sustainability practices of Turkish hotels: A research in the city of Antalya, Turkey

Abstract

The main purpose of this research was investigating the current sustainability practices as well as training given to personnel and the use of discipline systems of 5-star hotels operating in the Antalya Region of Turkey. Questionnaires used to survey responsible personnel recruited in the sampled 5-star hotels were evaluated seperately. SPSS 20.0 was used for the statistical evaluations. Regarding sustainability, 11 out of the 34 hotels sampled recruited environmental managers to provide training, implementation and control processes. Most of the sampled hotels gave information on waste management & recycling, energy savings and natural resource management topics to their personnel. Additionally, sampled hotels believed that trainings given on sustainability increase conscious awareness and sensitivity to the environment, quality of lifeand resourcesavings. From a practical perspective, the results of the research would be of help for tourism professionals, researchers and decision makers. This research is among the few to address current sustainability practices of 5-Star Hotels in Antalya, Turkey in terms of current systems, training and best-practice policies. .