Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry A Study of Nagarkot, Nepal

Sustainability is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Brundtland Report, 1987). Hotels today, being one of the important components of the Hospitality Industry, have been practicing sustainability by incorporating economic, environmental and social factors as outlined by Elkington (1994), universally known as the ‘triple bottom line’. To make it more realistic, hoteliers are intensifying the scope of sustainability by integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach. However, a major challenge today is the people component to materialize all these practices and efforts. Attitude, resistance to change, irregular work hours, high physical and emotional work load and the perception of employees are the key factors to overcome in order to attain real green team and sustainable innovations in the Hospitality Industry. This paper offers an overview of the condition of sustainability efforts made by Hotels in Nagarkot, Nepal. Nagarkot is one of the important niche tourism destinations, having more than 50 hotels, lodges and eco- resorts, and it is about 32km north east of the capital city of Kathmandu. It is an eco-friendly tourism destination, famous among nature loving vacationers.

Keywords: Green team, Eco-resorts, Green buildings, Greenhouse gases