Environmental Quality Index for the Hong Kong Hotel Sector

Abstract

In recognition of the growing concern about the likely detrimental environmental impacts of hotel activities, an increasing number of tourism research publications highlight the importance of achieving sustainable tourism and accommodation. However, there is still a scarcity of numerical data which reflect the severity of the negative impacts on the environment created by the operations of hotel owners. This study compiles a database for hotels to design and construct an appropriate environmental impact index for Hong Kong as a first significant step towards creating a ‘green’ tourism satellite account for the city. It is estimated that the total environmental cost of the local hotel sector has increased by 400% in 16 years to HK$265 million in 2005. Computable or measurable environmental costs were used to establish a composite environmental index and it was discovered that it reached a peak in 2005. In the final analysis, the growth rate of the composite environmental index is compared with that of the value-added index of the local hotel industry and it is found that they generally have the same trend over the study period.

Keywords

environmental cost hotels environmental index environmental impact Hong Kong

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Census and Statistics Department (CSD) (2006a), Survey of Wholesale, Retail & Import/Export Trades, Restaurants & Hotels , CSD, Hong Kong.

Census and Statistics Department (CSD) (2006b), Annual Digest of Statistics , CSD, Hong Kong.

Census and Statistics Department (CSD) (2007), www.censtatd.gov.hk

Chan

(2005), ‘Partial analysis of the environmental costs generated by hotels in Hong Kong’, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol 24, No 4, pp 517–531.

Chan

Lam

(2001a), ‘Environmental accounting of municipal solid waste originating from rooms and restaurants in the Hong Kong Hotel Industry’, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, Vol 25, No 4, pp 371–385.

Chan

Lam

(2001b), ‘Environmental costing of sewage discharged by the hotels in Hong Kong’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol 13, No 6, pp 218–226.

Chan

Lam

(2002), ‘Prediction of pollutant emission through electricity consumption by the hotel industry in Hong Kong’, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol 21, No 4, pp 381–391.

Chan

Mak

(2004), ‘An estimation of the environmental impact of diesel oil usage of Hong Kong hotels’, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Vol 12, No 4, pp 346–355.

Chan

Wong

(2006), ‘Estimation of weight of solid waste: Newspaper in Hong Kong hotels’, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, Vol 30, No 2, pp 231–245.

10.

Fiering

M.B.

Holling

C.S.

(1974), ‘Management and standards for perturbed ecosystems’, Agro-Ecosystems, Vol 1, pp 301–321.

11.

Herfindahl

O.C.

Kneese

A.V.

(1974), Economic Theory of Natural Resources , Charles Merrill Publishing Co, Columbus, OH.

12.

HKTA (Hong Kong Tourist Association) (1990–2000), Statistical Review of Tourism, HKTA, Hong Kong.

13.

HKTB and H&A (Hong Kong Tourist Association and Horwath and Asia-Pacific) (2007), Hong Kong Hotel Industry , HKTB and H&A, Hong Kong.

14.

Hong Kong Hotel Association (2006), www.hkha.com.hk.

15.

Hong Kong SAR Government (2005), ‘Hong Kong Year Book 2005’, available online at http://www.yearbook.gov.hk/2005/en/index.htm (last accessed 22 August 2007).

16.

Hong Kong SAR Government (2007), ‘Hong Kong in Brief 2006’, available online at http://www.info.gov.hk/info/hkbrief/eng/ahk.htm#location (last accessed 21 August 2007).

17.

Inhaber

(1976), Economic Costs of Air Pollution; Studies in Measurement , F.A. Praeger, New York.

18.

Leontief

(1970), ‘Environmental repercussions and the economic structure: An input–output approach’, Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol 52, No 3, pp 262–271.

19.

Repetto

Magrath

Wells

Beer

Rossini

(1989), Washing Assets: Natural Resources in the National Accounts , World Resources Institute, Washington, DC.

20.

Rogers

P.P.

Jala

K.F.

Lohai

B.N.

Owens

G.M.

Dufournand

C.M.

(1997), Measuring Environmental Quality in Asia , Asian Development Bank, Manila.

21.

Towngas (2006), ‘Natural gas: igniting your passion for life’ available online at http://www.towngas.com/naturalgas/eng/introduction.html (last accessed 20 August 2007).