Effective Communication Strategies of Sustainable Hospitality: A Qualitative Exploration

Abstract

Sustainability is a pivotal issue for the development of hospitality. The industry has attempted multiple ways to achieve this goal, with effective communication being one of the most prevalent ones. However, the communication effect which hospitality has obtained in terms of persuading customers to practice sustainability is imperfect. This study draws upon the communication literature and textually analyzes hospitality professionals’ perception worldwide to generate a typology for hospitality practitioners to follow while conducting communication with customers on sustainability. The findings suggest two strategies and seven tactics that are of value to help hospitality achieve better communication. Thus, this study can extend the current communication theories on how to undertake sustainable hospitality communication and elucidate its operation in the industry.