BEST EN Think Tank VII Innovations for Sustainable Tourism Environmentally Sustainable Practices of Victorian Tourism Enterprises

Environmental sustainability has been a growing concern in our society for the past twenty years, and is a primary issue of many leaders of the tourism industry. In spite of the many efforts to encourage and/or enforce environmentally sound practices, they have expressed concern as to the actual level of adoption of such practices by the industry at large. This study considers current attitudes towards and adoption of environmentally sustainable practices of Victorian tourism enterprises. Using a purposive sample of businesses in the Geelong Otway region, in-depth interviews were conducted. These interviews provided a wealth of information relating to perceived benefits and barriers to adopting environmentally sustainable practices. The findings demonstrate that, while many operators are aware of environmentally sustainable practice and have a positive personal philosophy towards implementing them, they remain constrained by business needs such as customer demands and limited acceptance of certification and accreditation programs. The study concludes with a number of recommendations to assist the industry bodies supporting operators in the take up of environmentally focused practices. The final recommendation is to continue to develop knowledge in this field and extend the research to a broader base via a questionnaire based on the findings. Objectives of Study Due to the wide field of environmental practices, this exploratory study aims to gain insight into: • The environmental attitudes and behaviour/practices (both positive and negative) of Victorian tourism enterprises, as well as to • Identify barriers to environmental compliance and • Identify best practice using real life examples and case studies to highlight how to operate a business taking into practices that take into account environmental sustainability