Sustainable Tourism and the 2030 Agenda: An Empirical Analysis of Certified Hotel Practices

Purpose: Sustainable tourism and the 2030 Agenda are debated topics in the literature. The aim of this work is to analyze how inclined the tourism sector is to adopting sustainable practices. In this field, the Certificate Hotel represents a growing trend that attracts the interest of academics for its potential positive impact on sustainability. The intent is to ascertain to what extent the pillars of the 2030 Agenda are implemented in the operations of the hotel sector certified as proactive in safeguarding the planet. Design/methodology/approach: Based on the theoretical assumptions present in the literature, the authors have developed a theoretical framework that aims to understand the main previous studies relating to Certificate-HOTELS. The study presents a quali-quantitative investigation, conducted involving certified hoteliers by BioHotel and Ecolabel present in Italy. Findings: The results demonstrate how organic certified hotels are inclined to sustainable development issues but not in line with all the pillars of the 2030 Agenda. The main issues that require high margins for improvement, such as prepared architectural structures, Doggy bag law policy, activities socially beneficial. Originality/value: This study reveals the main antecedents of the intention to create Hotel Bio, underlining the adoption of CSR practices. This study provides fruitful insights to policies and decision makers in the sustainable hotel sector in improving their performance in line with the standards of the action plan for people, planet and prosperity issued by the UN.