Energy Management in Four and Five Star Hotels in Algarve (Portugal)

Tourism is the sector of the global economy that has grown faster, in such way that the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicts a global average annual growth between 1995 and 2020, around 4.1%. This growth should contribute to a sustainable development and, be accompanied by environmental awareness of all stakeholders, and strategies of change pointing towards the preservation of environment, so as not to endanger the natural resources of future generations. Energy Management in tourism is the central theme of this research. The setting was 4 and 5 star hotels in Algarve, the most important tourist destination of Portugal. The main objectives of the study were to assess the current state of energy management in those hotels, understand the policies and strategies followed to optimize energy management, and analyze best practices. Results show a higher level of implementation of practices directly related to the optimization of energy than those related to reducing environmental impacts. In general, respondents consider that energy management is part of the concerns of those responsible for the hotels, the level of implementation of good practices in this area is high (78%) and that both employees and tourists attach great importance to this issue.