1 Empirical Studies on Environmental Management of Hotels and Resorts in Japan:

ISO14001 certification is one of the major international standards for environmental management systems. This study examines how acquisition of ISO14001 certification influences the hotel and resort sector. Based on a questionnaire survey, we analyze the differences in environmental management issues between hotels and resorts that have and have not acquired ISO14001 certification, and observe the environmental and economical impacts that its acquisition has on hotel and resort management. We specifically investigate: 1) the degree to which hotels and resorts recognize the importance of environmental activities as a management issue; 2) how they regard the balance between environmental protection and improvement of high-quality services to guests; 3) what environmental management issues will be given priority over the next several years; 4) the intensity of disclosure and PR on environmental activities; 5) how they evaluate the impact that acquisition of ISO14001 certification has on the promotion of environmental consciousness of employees, increase in the number of guests, reduction of energy and other resource consumption, improvement of brand image, and total cost-benefit performance; and 6) factors that encourage acquisition o