WEBSITE DISCLOSURES OF SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES IN THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR: AN ANALYSIS OF HOTEL CHAINS IN ZIMBABWE

Abstract

Purpose - The aim of this study was to analyse website disclosures of sustainability practices by major hotel chains in Zimbabwe. Design - Five major hotel chains in Zimbabwe were purposively selected for this study. The corporate websites of the selected hospitality chains were visited to determine their disclosure of sustainability practices. Methods - Based on the literature and other global best practices in hospitality sustainability, a coding framework was developed to help identify what to look for on the corporate websites. The codes were categorised into four broad areas, namely sustainability leadership, environmental sustainability, social sustainability and economic sustainability. Data were collected from texts, annual reports, and other relevant website materials documenting sustainable practices of each hotel chain. Results - The analysis of website disclosures of sustainable practices adopted by Zimbabwe's five major hotel chains revealed that sustainability practices are not widely publicised. The available information on websites visited indicated more reporting of social sustainability issues and a fair amount of reporting on environmental sustainability. Economic sustainability is the least reported. Also notable is the low level of reporting on the SDGs and the lack of separate sustainability reports on the corporate websites surveyed. Originality - The results of this study provide a critical indication of how voluntary website disclosure can be improved in the absence of a strong legal framework.

Keywords

• sustainability
• website disclosures
• sustainability reporting
• hospitality sector
• zimbabwe