Environmental Performance Measurement of Tourism Accommodations in the Pilgrimage Urban Areas: The Case of the Holy City of Mashhad, Iran

AbstractOne of the main pillars of tourism industry is the accommodation sector with its obvious environmental impact. This is the justification for the present study in quest for a sustainable tourism destination, whichis the city of Mashhad.Being a magnet for pilgrimage tourism and non-pilgrimage holidaymaking, the political economy of this urban landscape is intertwined with tourism in one hand, and its future sustainability, onthe other. To achieve both sustainability and business success in this sector, hotels are responsible to invest on means andmeasures of internalizing environmental costs in short-term and to reduce environmental impact in the long-term