Sustainable Tourism is it All About Green washing?

Abstract

Sustainable Tourism has been a buzz word for a few decades now. It has become part of the tourism ecosystem. The question however, emanates, is it all about Sustainability in tourism or does it lead to ‘green washing’ which has been considered as a tool of deceptive marketing where tourism organizations, make false statements and portray products and service offerings as which are environmentally friendly or ‘green.’ In fact, it is well-known to tourism business, that green washing has led to (i) unsubstantiated claims, viz., terminology like nature-based, ecofriendly; (ii) Misleading labels/imagery; (iii) focusing on small and minor green features; (iv) claims of sustainability which become irrelevant; and (v) fake/false ‘net zero’ goal claims. Thence, it can be see that green washing has been resorted to intentionally, which leads to (a) eroding trust in the customer; (b) deceives the customer; and (c) hinders climatic action. The research papers interacts with hospitality operators, academics, and researchers to ensure an understanding about Green Washing, besides, focusing of the available literature, and places a perspective about Green Washing and its avoidance, which will help the sustainable tourism ecosystem to ensure for itself.