Sustainability of tourism in the Alps: the role of hotels

Sustainable tourism development in the Alps is crucial in several respects. For many local communities, tourism is the first, and sometimes the only, source of income. However, tourism activities are perceived as responsible not only for increases in GHG emissions and energy consumption, but also for the overconsumption of natural resources and a steady degradation of the environment. These factors, in conjunction with increasing tourist flows, determine the need for a sustainable approach to Alpine tourism development. The Alps have historically been characterized by tourism activities which involve the consumption of both natural resources – the alpine landscape: its pastures, forests, and mountains – and built resources such as ski infrastructures and hotels. Hotels are important in alpine destinations; in some areas they are one of the main historical enterprises. Hotel services account for a large part of tourist expenditure, however they are also heavy consumers of energy, water, and natural resources and generate considerable quantities of waste. Given their key role in tourism activities, their relevance to Alpine destinations and their economic and environmental impact, hotels have been selected as the unit of analysis. This research is in its initial stages. It aims to analyze two Alpine hotels, using an emergy analysis to measure their environmental performance. The selection of the hotels, based on a principal component analysis, will be made in order to allow the study of two alternative strategies and approaches to energy consumption and energy management. The evaluation of hotel sustainability aims to both sensitize hotel management and inform local policies in defining sustainable destination strategies.