Environmental Management System Implementation In the Egyptian Hotel Industry A case study of Sharm-Elsheikh

Elbana, Sarah; Tag-Eldeen, Ashraf; Kattara, Hanan; Hamza, Mahmoud

doi:10.21608/thalexu.2011.160158

Environmental Management System Implementation In the Egyptian Hotel Industry A case study of Sharm-Elsheikh

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Assistant Lecturer, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Alexandria University

² Assistant Professor, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Alexandria University

³ Professor of Hotel Management, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Alexandria University

10.21608/thalexu.2011.160158

Abstract

In last decades, a great concern has been turned to protect the environment in many industries including the tourism industry. Despite the fact that hotels are the major tourism actors, they are also a great consumer of natural resources and drive out a considerable quantity of solid waste and wastewater. The purpose of this study is to focus on the concept of Environmental Management System (EMS) in five-star hotels in an emerging touristic region in Egypt, Sharm-Elsheikh, and to investigate the implementation of Environmental Management System (EMS) from both operational and marketing perspectives.

The population of the study is represented by a sample of five-star hotels in Sharm-Elsheikh. Data were collected using questionnaires, from a sample of 22 managers and 100 customers. Findings indicated that managers have a high level of environmental awareness. Results also proved that EMS is well-recognized in the hotel industry in Sharm-Elsheikh. However, these environmental practices are not implemented on an equal pace to their importance. The study provides practitioners in the hotel industry with recommendations and guidelines that help to reinforce environmental efforts and to formulate better EMS implementation.

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