Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sustainable Luxury in Hotels and Resorts: Is It Possible?

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Sustainable Management of Luxury

Abstract

The increasing affluence of countries such as India, China and Brazil supports a growing global middle class interested in travel, consumption and luxury purchases. This trend presents some serious challenges for addressing a range of sustainability issues in tourism. Rising awareness of these sustainability issues has resulted in a number of luxury brands and businesses adopting sustainability practices. This paper begins by describing this response in tourism using an approach adapted from general sustainability analysis, the Drivers, Pressures, State, Impacts, and Responses (DPSIR) framework to understand the context for the development of the concept of sustainable luxury tourism. It then examines three cases of sustainable luxury tourism experiences exploring the extent and nature of the sustainability strategies adopted. This analysis particularly examines the trade-offs required between luxury and sustainability. Overall the results suggest that while it is possible to improve the overall environmental and social performance of luxury tourism there are a number of ongoing tensions between sustainability and luxury that create difficulties for the management of this form of tourism. This conclusion has important consequences for the sustainability of international tourism overall given its growing dependence on outbound travel from these emerging economies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Achabou MA, Dekhili S (2013) Luxury and sustainable development: is there a match? J Bus Res 66(10):1896–1903

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahn YH, Pearce AR (2013) Green luxury: a case study of two green hotels. Coll Publishing 8(1):90–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Atwal G, Williams A (2009) Luxury brand marketing—the experience is everything! Brand Manage 16(5/6):338–346

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beckham D, Voyer BG (2014) Can sustainability be luxurious? a mixed-method investigation of implicit and explicit attitudes towards sustainable luxury consumption. Adv Consum Res 42:245–250

    Google Scholar 

  • Bendell J, Kelanthous A (2007) Deeper luxury. World Wildlife Fund, UK, Godalming

    Google Scholar 

  • Berthon P, Pitt L, Parent M, Berthon J-P (2009) Aesthetics and ephemerality: observing and preserving the luxury brand. Calif Manage Rev 52(1):45–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beverland M (2004) Uncovering “Theories-in-Use”: building luxury wine brands. Eur J Mark 38(3/4):446–466

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bian Q, Forsythe S (2012) Purchase intention for luxury brands: a cross-cultural comparison. J Bus Res 65:1443–1451

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brenner L, Aguilar AG (2002) Luxury tourism and regional economic development in Mexico. Prof Geogr 54(4):500–520

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buckley R (2012) Sustainable tourism: research and reality. Ann Tourism Res 39(2):528–546

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler RW (1999) Problems and issues of integrating tourism development. In: Pearce DG, Butler RW (eds) Contemporary issues in tourism development. Routledge, London, pp 65–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Butler J (2008) The compelling “Hard Case” for “Green” hotel development. Cornell Hospitality Q 49:234–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cherapanukorn V, Focken K (2014) Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability in Asian luxury hotels: policies, practices and standards. Asian Soc Sci 10(8):198–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Court D, Narasimhan L (2010) Capturing the world’s emerging middle class. http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Capturing_the_worlds_emerging_middle_class_2639. Accessed 25 Aug 2012

  • Davies IA, Lee Z, Ahonkhai I (2012) Do consumers care about ethical-luxury? J Bus Ethics 106(1):37–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davison A (2001) Technology and the contested meaning of sustainability. Suny Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • de-Miguel-Molina B, de-Miguel-Molina M, Rumiche-Sosa ME (2014) Luxury sustainable tourism in small island developing states surrounded by coral reefs. Ocean Coast Manage 98:86–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Dietz S, Neumayer E (2007) Weak and strong sustainability in the SEEA: concepts and measurement. Ecol Econ 61:617–626

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dolnicar S, Leisch F (2008) Selective marketing for environmentally sustainable tourism. Tour Manage 29:672–680

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt KM, Graebner ME (2007) Theory building from cases: opportunities and challenges. Acad Manage J 50(1):25–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EMRGNC (2003) Defining sustainability: a hundred perspectives. http://www.emrgnc.com.au/SustainabilityDefinitions.pdf. Accessed 15 Nov 2010

  • Esty DC, Winston AS (2009) Green to gold, 2nd edn. Wiley, Hoboken

    Google Scholar 

  • Grigsby W (2004) Buying time and getting by: the voluntary simplicity movement. State University of New York, Albany

    Google Scholar 

  • Gulette GS (2007) Migration and tourism development in Huatulco, Oaxaca. Curr Anthropol 48(4):603–611

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hadjikakou M, Miller G, Chenoweth J, Druckman A, Zoumides C (2015) A comprehensive framework for comparing water use intensity across different tourist types. J Sustain Tourism 23(10):1445–1467

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall CM (2010) Changing paradigms and global change: from sustainable to steady-state tourism. Tourism Recreation Res 35(2):131–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hennigs N, Wiedmann KP, Klarmann C, Behrens S (2013) Sustainability as part of the luxury essence: delivering value through social and environmental excellence. J Corp Citizensh. (52):25–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Husic M, Cicic M (2009) Luxury consumption factors. J Fashion Mark Manage 13(2):231–245

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ip-Soo-Ching JM, Veerapa NK (2013) Permaculture: insights into kitchen gardens of environmental and eco-tourism operator in Thailand. Acta Hortic 1088:633–636

    Google Scholar 

  • Joy A, Sherry JF, Venkatesh A, Wang J, Chan R (2012) Fast fashion, sustainability, and the ethical appeal of luxury brands. Fashion Theory 16(3):273–295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer JN, Bastien V (2009) The specificity of luxury management: turning marketing upside down. J Brand Manage 16:311–322

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer JN, Michaut-Denizeau A (2014) Is luxury compatible with sustainability? luxury consumers’ viewpoint. J Brand Manage 21(1):1–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller KL (2009) Managing the growth tradeoff: challenges and opportunities in luxury branding. J Brand Manage 16(5/6):290–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kharas H (2010) The emerging middle class in developing countries. Working paper no. 285. OECD Development Centre, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Lansing P, de Vries P (2007) Sustainable tourism: ethical alternative or marketing ploy? J Bus Ethics 72:77–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawn P (2012) The economics of sustainable development. In: Moscardo G, Lamberton G, Wells G, Fallon W, Lawn P, Rowe A, Humphrey J, Wiesner R, Pettitt B, Clifton D, Renouf M, Kershaw W (eds) Sustainability in Australian business. Wiley, Milton, pp 99–132

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehtonen M (2004) The environmental-social interface of sustainable development: capabilities, social capital, institutions. Ecol Econ 49:200–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mastrelli T (2007) Luxury with a conscience. Hospitality Des 29(6):87

    Google Scholar 

  • Melissen F, van Ginneken R, Wood RC (2016) Sustainability challenges and opportunities arising from the owner-operator split in hotels. Int J Hospitality Manage 54:35–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mo T, Roux E (2009) Exploring Chinese consumer values and attitudes towards luxury brand consumption. Centre de Recherche en Marketing de Bourgogne (CERMAB), University of Bourgogne. http://leg2.u-bourgogne.fr/CERMAB/z-outils/documents/actesJRMB/JRMB14-2009/Mo%20Roux.pdf. Accessed 31 Mar 2016

  • Mohsin A, Lockyer T (2010) Customer perceptions of service quality in luxury hotels in New Delhi, India: an exploratory study. Int J Contemp Hospitality Manage 22(2):160–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moscardo G (2008) Sustainable tourism innovation: challenging basic assumptions. Tourism Rev Int 8(1):4–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Moscardo G (2009) Challenges for tourism development and management on Australia’s great barrier reef coast. In: Dowling R, Pforr C (eds) Coastal tourism development—planning and management issues. Cognizant Communications, New York, pp 252–264

    Google Scholar 

  • Moscardo G (2012) Sustainability, economy and society. In: Moscardo G, Lamberton G, Wells G, Fallon W, Lawn P, Rowe A, Humphrey J, Wiesner R, Pettitt B, Clifton D, Renouf M, Kershaw W (eds) Sustainability in Australian business. Wiley, Milton, pp 1–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Moscardo G, Benckendorff P (2010) Sustainable luxury: oxymoron or comfortable bedfellows. In: Proceedings of the 2010 international tourism conference on global sustainable tourism, Mbombela, Nelspruit, South Africa, 15–19 Nov 2010

    Google Scholar 

  • Nations Encyclopedia (2012) Maldives. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Maldives.html. Accessed 26 Aug 2012

  • Niemeijer D, de Groot RS (2008) A conceptual framework for selecting environmental indicator sets. Ecol Ind 8:14–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Omann I, Stocker A, Jager J (2009) Climate change as a threat to biodiversity: an application of the DPSIR approach. Ecol Econ 69(1):24–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park K-S, Reisinger Y (2009) Cultural differences in shopping for luxury goods: Western, Asian, and Hispanic tourists. J Travel Tourism Mark 26:762–777

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rempel JM (2012) Exploring the causal nexus of tourism impacts on quality-of-life. In: Uysal M, Perdue R, Sirgy MJ (eds) Handbook of tourism and quality-of-life research. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 583–606

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins D, Gaczorek J (2015) Luxury and sustainability in tourism accommodation—an exploration of how to reconcile apparently incompatible objectives using a case study approach. In: Hay R (ed) Conference proceedings of BEST EN Think Tank XV: the environment-people nexus in sustainable tourism: finding the balance, James Cook University, Townsville, pp 166–186. http://www.besteducationnetwork.org/13790. Accessed 3 Mar 2016

  • Ronchi E, Federico A, Musmeci F (2002) A system-oriented integrated indicator for sustainable development in Italy. Ecol Ind 2(1–2):197–210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan C, Stewart M (2009) Eco-tourism and luxury—the case of Al Maha, Dubai. J Sustain Tourism 17(3):287–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saarinen J (2006) Traditions of sustainability in tourism studies. Ann Tourism Res 33:1121–1140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandbrook CG (2010) Local economic impact of different forms of nature-based tourism. Conserv Lett 3:21–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sasidharan V, Hall ME (2012) Dominican resort tourism, sustainability, and millennium development goals. J Tourism Insights 3(1):5–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheyvens R (2007) Poor cousins no more: valuing the development potential of domestic and diaspora tourism. Prog Dev Stud 7(4):307–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheyvens R (2011) The challenge of sustainable tourism development in the Maldives: understanding the social and political dimensions of sustainability. Asia Pac Viewpoint 52(2):148–164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharpley R (2000) In defense of (mass) tourism. In: Robinson MR, Long P, Evans N, Sharpley S, Swarbrooke J (eds) Reflections on international tourism; environmental management and pathways to sustainability. Business Education Publishers, Sunderland, pp 269–284

    Google Scholar 

  • Stabler MJ (1997) An overview of the sustainable tourism debate and the scope and content of the book. In: Stabler MJ (ed) Tourism and sustainability: principles to practice. CAB International, Wallingford, pp 1–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Svarstad H, Petersen LK, Rothman D, Seipel H, Watzold F (2008) Discursive biases of the environmental research framework DPSIR. Land Use Policy 25(1):116–125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tynan C, McKechnie S, Chhuon C (2010) Co-creating value for luxury brands. J Bus Res 63(11):1156–1163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNWTO (2015) UNWTO tourism highlights 2015 edition. http://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284416899. Accessed 11 June 2016

  • Wall G (1997) Sustainable tourism—unsustainable development. In: Wahab S, Pigram JJ (eds) Tourism development and growth. Routledge, London, pp 33–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Wall G (2007) Administrative arrangements and displacement compensation in top-down tourism planning—a case from Hainan Province, China. Tour Manage 28:70–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weaver DB (2014) Asymmetrical dialectics of sustainable tourism: toward enlightened mass tourism. J Travel Res 53(2):131–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein J (2010) Green luxury no oxymoron. Hotels 44(2):30

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiedmann KP, Hennigs N, Siebels A (2007) Measuring consumers’ luxury value perception: a cross-cultural framework. Acad Mark Sci Rev 7(7):333–361

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiedmann KP, Hennigs N, Siebels A (2009) Value-based segmentation of luxury consumption behavior. Psychol Market 26(7):625–651

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeoman I, McMahon-Beattie U (2006) Luxury markets and premium pricing. J Revenue Pricing Manage 4(4):319–328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhan L, He Y (2012) Understanding luxury consumption in China: consumer perceptions of best-known brands. J Bus Res. 65:1452–1460

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Business, Law and Governance, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia

    Gianna Moscardo

Authors
  1. Gianna Moscardo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gianna Moscardo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Studies on Sustainable Luxury , Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Miguel Angel Gardetti

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Moscardo, G. (2017). Sustainable Luxury in Hotels and Resorts: Is It Possible?. In: Gardetti, M. (eds) Sustainable Management of Luxury. Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2917-2_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation