Understanding environmental actions in tourism systems : ecological accommodations for a regenerative tourism development

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the transformation towards a regenerative tourism system based on a mindset change, communitarian and collaborative work. The study analyses the role of ecological hotels as agents of change. A qualitative design was used to analyse the relevance of hospitality environmental actions from the supply perspective as a driver for a regenerative development of tourism. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with a total of 12 ecological accommodations. Results show that ecological accommodations have a big potential to be agents of change for regenerative tourism through their identity, their practices and their management and marketing. The paper argues that achieving a truly regenerative tourism model requires a shift both from the demand and supply side and a transformation of the current industrial operating model.