Dr WANG Dan, Associate Director of the Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCDTT) and Associate Professor in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management, was interviewed by CCTV on the green development of China’s hospitality industry. She explained that the PolyU research team has developed the “China hospitality industry green development index”, a comprehensive evaluation system with 9 dimensions and over 80 indicators to assess the green development level of hotels in areas such as energy use, water resource management and waste management.
According to Dr Wang, the need for capital investment is the biggest challenge to the green transition in the hospitality industry, especially for small- and medium-sized hotels. She suggested that the government provide targeted support such as subsidies and tax incentives, and establish green awards to enhance the public’s recognition of green hotels. Industry associations can also help the sector to adopt green technologies and management methods through training and experience sharing. She believes that consumer participation must be promoted in tandem with the overall enhancement of public environmental awareness, and that the government, businesses and consumers should work together to gradually promote sustainable development.
