Economic sustainability as a future phenomenon: Moving towards a sustainable hotel industry

Abstract

The issue of sustainability is frequently discussed in relation to the tourism industry. This is as a consequence of the rapidly increasing demands of tourists and the fact that tourism is perceived as one of the driving forces behind economic growth in some destinations. This can lead to both positive and negative future impacts. The emergence and growing economic impact of tourism means that it is essential to devote research into the implementation of sustainability issues and measurement indicators with regards to future economic prosperity. Historically, one of the first needs of a tourist was the need for shelter against the elements. Nowadays, the understanding of what accommodation is has been extended to include comfort and relaxation. The pressure on the accommodation sector to apply sustainability measures in practice in order to adapt to changing demands and to protect its economic prosperity, is enormous. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the main economic sustainability indicators, gross domestic product, and the internal consumption of tourists in accommodation facilities. The hypothesis that a mutual relationship exists in the Czech Republic between gross domestic and the contribution of domestic and inbound tourism expenditure on accommodation, is tested through a correlation analysis. The results of this analysis were used to determine how urgent the need is to implement sustainability measures within the Czech accommodation sector and within the hotel industry. © 2016