Title of Paper

Business managers’ sustainability attitudes and implementation of sustainability practices in a destination community

Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Kathleen Andereck, PhD is a Professor in the School of Community Resources and Development at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on the tourism experience from the perspective of both visitors and residents particularly as it applies to sustainable community tourism development and the tourism experience.

Christine Vogt, PhD is Professor Emeritus in the School of Community Resources and Development at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on the tourism experience from the perspective of both visitors and residents particularly as it applies to sustainable community tourism development and the tourism experience.

Christine Buzinde, PhD is Professor and Director in the School of Community Resources and Development at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on community development through tourism and the politics of tourism representations and aims to understand the relationship between community well-being and tourism development within marginalized communities.

Abstract (150 Words)

Sustainability planning, development, management, and marketing is becoming more common, especially in the face of complex issues such as overtourism and climate change. Various stakeholder groups are salient in these planning and management processes. One important stakeholder group in a tourism destination is business owners and managers. Based on Upper Echelons Theory (UET), the intent of this paper is to test the relationships between sustainability attitudes and incorporation of sustainability practices in businesses among business owners/managers in a destination community. A survey of business owners/managers in a major destination was conducted. Of the 730 unique business contacts, 262 completed the survey after three email reminders timed over several weeks for a response rate of 36 percent. Findings suggest a link between business managers’ attitudes toward sustainability and the implementation of sustainability actions in their businesses. The paper supports the premises of UET and outlines implications for practice.

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Business managers’ sustainability attitudes and implementation of sustainability practices in a destination community

Sustainability planning, development, management, and marketing is becoming more common, especially in the face of complex issues such as overtourism and climate change. Various stakeholder groups are salient in these planning and management processes. One important stakeholder group in a tourism destination is business owners and managers. Based on Upper Echelons Theory (UET), the intent of this paper is to test the relationships between sustainability attitudes and incorporation of sustainability practices in businesses among business owners/managers in a destination community. A survey of business owners/managers in a major destination was conducted. Of the 730 unique business contacts, 262 completed the survey after three email reminders timed over several weeks for a response rate of 36 percent. Findings suggest a link between business managers’ attitudes toward sustainability and the implementation of sustainability actions in their businesses. The paper supports the premises of UET and outlines implications for practice.