Limitations to Sustainable Resource Management in the Global South: Evidence from the Accommodation Industry

Abstract

Purpose – This paper explores the factors responsible for the low level of sustainability uptake in tourism accommodation establishments in the Global South using the Greater Cape Town Region of South Africa as a case study. Methodology – In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers of 30 accommodation establishments in the Greater Cape Town Region to obtain information on the barriers and/or challenges they encountered in implementing sustainable resource management (SRM). A content analysis methodology was used to analyse the data. Approach – Given that resource consumption and management are at the core of sustainability in the accommodation industry, SRM was the primary focus of analysis in the study. Findings – This study identified six key challenges undermining SRM implementation in this geographical location: financial and non-financial resource constraints; the service nature of the industry; the limiting policy and infrastructure environment; poor employee commitment/buy-in; and skill and knowledge inadequacies. These provide a holistic foundation for addressing the challenge of low sustainability uptake in the Global South context, and the recommendations are made in line with achieving this objective. Originality of the research – This paper contributes to the limited literature on challenges to sustainability uptake in the tourism accommodation industry in the Global South. Limitations: While a Global South perspective is adopted, the data used in this study were from a small, albeit popular, tourism destination in South Africa. Caution, therefore, has to be exercised when generalising the findings of the study.

Keywords

• resource management
• accommodation industry
• tourism
• challenges to sustainability
• global south
• south africa