Towards green guest houses in South Africa: The case of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal

Tourists tend to have a large environmental impact, consuming substantial quantities of water, energy and other resources. As the primary supplier of these commodities, tourist accommodation establishments have the greatest potential to mitigate negative effects on the environment. Guest houses are becoming increasingly popular in South Africa, and due to their small scale and more contained capital costs, serve as the ideal starting point for greening initiatives. This study on the potential for greening guest houses within Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal demonstrates that the majority of interviewed guest house owners are aware of their impact on the environment, and are interested in mitigating these harms. The majority of them are not currently graded by any environmental certification programme. Attempts at greening guest houses are increasingly common, but progress in achieving the mitigation of environmental damage is slow. More academic attention is required to understand the initiatives to encourage greening in tourism accommodation generally in South Africa.