Resource use and waste management in Vietnam hotel industry

The hotel industry of Vietnam is expanding rapidly with increasing international arrivals and domestic tourists. At the same time, mounting costs of resources and impacts of waste could affect the income, environmental performance and public image of the hotel sector. The hotel industry's resource management (energy and water) would contribute to the long-term sustainability of the tourism sector. This paper reports the results of a study conducted to assess the resource use and management in the hotel industry in Vietnam. This was obtained by carrying out a survey in 50 hotels on energy and water consumption, and waste generation. The energy and water use, as well as the waste generated in the various hotel categories have been estimated and compared with those in other countries. The current practices in the hotels to address these issues are highlighted, and benchmarks for efficient use of resources in Vietnamese hotels are presented. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.