Sustainability Report

Background]
The tourism and hospitality industry has a known significant impact in all three spheres of sustainability: economically, socially and environmentally. Economically, tourism is recognised as a growth industry, with steadily increasing numbers of tourists and a contribution of 10.4% to global GDP. Nearly 10% of the global workforce works in travel and tourism supporting its social sustainability importance. From an environmental impact perspective, tourism produces 8% of global emissions. If compared to a country, tourism would be considered the third largest producer after China (26.83% of global emissions) and the United States (14.36% of global emissions). The contribution of accommodation’s footprint to the overall tourism footprint is 21%, its tendency projected to rise to 25% by 2035. Additional pressure is provided by increased quantitative (number of hotel guests) and qualitative (quality and infrastructure expectations of guests) demands.
Sustainability issues and initiatives are thus very important to hotel operations. For example, accommodation providers can reduce the burden of their operations on the environment in several ways. Hotels can take supply-sided measures, such as equipping the hotel building with features that minimize the use of resources; or working with employees. They can also take demand-side measures, such as trying to convince hotel guests upon arrival to behave in an environmentally friendly manner. It is also important for each hotel to consider what impacts climate change or other events created by unsustainable behaviours have on the industry and individual operations.

[Task]
You are required to write a report applying sustainability knowledge to hotel operations in a Queensland hotel. The research tasks of this assessment include:
1. Study the academic literature regarding sustainability and hospitality. In the introduction of your report, you will need to briefly discuss the main points raised and outline what the sustainability challenges are for hotel operations.
2. Select a QLD or NT Accor hotel of your choice and prepare a sustainability risk assessment for your chosen hotel. Consider the impact hotel operations have on its environment (economic, ecologic and social) and vice versa. Be holistic in your understanding of hospitality operations, covering all departments that you have learnt about. Also do not forget that sustainability has three spheres or areas: economic, environmental and social.
3. In your report reflect on the importance of sustainability for hotel operations. It is recommended you provide a focused example. Describe your sustainability risk analysis for your chosen hotel and address the existing or potential sustainability challenges for this hotel. Finally, please provide some feasible recommendations* that this hotel can adopt to make its operations more sustainable.
(* Please consider the size and limited resources of the accommodation provider. Your recommendations need to be supported by sustainability theories and/or hotel best practice).

Word limit

Maximum 2000 words excluding references.

Due Date

25th January, 2022 via Blackboard

Marking Criteria

Please read this task sheet in conjunction with the detailed marking criteria sheet for this assessment item. The marking criteria sheet will be uploaded to your course Blackboard site. Further details will also be discussed in class.

Submission

Online submission via Blackboard link

Referencing

Please ensure quality references are used (i.e. academic journal articles, industry reports etc.). Referencing style for this assessment item is APA6 or APA7  (but be consistent).