University of Auckland research explores how sustainability initiatives progress inside New Zealand tourism businesses, and where they flounder.
Tourism businesses across Aotearoa New Zealand are working to become more sustainable, but a new study shows the process is complex and rarely straightforward.
The research, based on in-depth interviews, data analysis and site visits with established tourism operators across the country, examines how businesses move from good intentions to more sustainable ways of working.
Lead author Claire Beach says although all the firms in her study were working to progress their sustainability goals, many encountered similar barriers, including decision paralysis, supplier resistance and complex recycling standards.
One quote in the paper captures the confusion some operators face: 'They want the whole area to be carbon-zero by 2030 - tell us what the hell that means.'
"Even in a small country like New Zealand, there are many sustainability definitions, organisations and certifications. As confusing as it is for consumers, it's just as confusing for firms," says Beach.
Her journal article, Mapping sustainable transitions in tourism, shows that businesses tend to move through three stages: considering and implementing sustainability initiatives, embedding them into everyday operations, and eventually collaborating with others to drive wider industry change.
But they don't always follow a linear path. Businesses often move forward, stall, and sometimes regress before making further progress.
Beach, who was inspired by a lifelong love of travel and a stint working in hospitality, set out to understand sustainability from inside the tourism industry.
"I could never quite figure out what it is to be a sustainable tourist, and after working in a hotel, I was really curious about how tourism firms become more sustainable."
She analysed companies spanning adventure tourism, mountain sports, wildlife spotting, holiday parks and lodge operators. Across these businesses, she interviewed owners, CEOs, COOs, directors, sustainability leads and managers.
Beach would like to see clearer, more consistent language and practical, bite-sized resources to help tourism operators move more smoothly from considering a green initiative to fully integrating it.
But she says defining sustainability remains difficult.
"There's no end state. We thought carbon neutral was it, then carbon zero, then regenerative, and now nature positive. There's probably already something out there for what comes next."
If industry and certification organisations could settle on one definition of sustainability instead of constant variation, Beach says it would help businesses take tangible steps.
"It would help to say, 'This is carbon zero. This is what it is, and this is how you get there.'"
The findings also highlight equity issues, with some valuable sustainability training and tools sitting behind membership paywalls, creating barriers for smaller, less-resourced firms.
Beach says many firms are doing sustainability well, but some lack formalisation.
"If they lose a key staff member who's been sorting the company's sustainability initiatives, it sets them back. Formalising policy, putting responsibilities into job positions and sustainability training to future-proof efforts all help."
Meanwhile, sustainability certifications, such as B Corp, can be resource-intensive and difficult for smaller companies to navigate.
"None of the companies in my sample had just one sustainability initiative. They managed a range simultaneously, sometimes five, ten or fifteen at once. It's messy, complex and expensive."
Some organisations regretted not implementing sustainability initiatives sooner. They wanted to get started but often "got stuck" in cycles of consideration, stalling due to uncertainty and risk aversion, says Beach.
Her paper emphasises the value of establishing baseline measurements for energy use, water and waste to pinpoint starting points, build business cases, reduce decision paralysis and clarify next steps.
Sustainability can't be achieved in isolation
Digitalisation was one of the most adopted sustainability initiatives and often served as an "easy win," according to the study.
Businesses reduced costs by eliminating printed records and receipts through online booking, check-in and ticketing processes. In several cases, these shifts were described as low-barrier changes that required minimal staff retraining and quickly generated efficiency gains.
Recycling was often seen as "low-hanging fruit" requiring little effort, yet nearly half the firms said it remained one of their biggest ongoing challenges.
Keeping up with local recycling standards, managing seasonal fluctuations in waste volumes and monitoring consumer sorting made recycling more complex and resource-intensive than expected.
In contrast, firms that pursued supply-side initiatives, such as switching to refillable soap dispensers or reducing single-use plastics, reported faster progress.
In one example of collaborating with others to drive wider industry change, Beach points to a company that partnered with direct competitors to pressure shared suppliers into providing compostable packaging.
This, she says, shows how collaboration between firms can shift market expectations and industry norms.
"Sustainability can't be achieved in isolation."
The article is published in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management.
