Building social entrepreneurship for the hotel industry by promoting environmental education

Purpose Social entrepreneurship by hoteliers in “going green” promotes a better future for the environment and arguably also for the human race. However, going green potentially increases costs for both hoteliers and their guests. Environmental education (EE) is possibly a useful vehicle for the hotel industry to gain support for greener operations. This research aims to investigate the potential impact of EE on increasing customer uptake of green hotels. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted to collect data from three winners of a green hotel competition. Six surveyors were dispatched, and 155 usable responses were obtained. Data were analyzed with AMOS 16.0 to estimate an structural equation modeling (SEM) model of how EE affects environmental motivation (EM) and how this relates to visitors’ intentions. Findings Model estimation shows that a moderating variable effect exists between EE and visitors’ intentions. The cause is approximately 40 per cent direct and 60 per cent mediated through EM. That environmental education affects visit intention for green hotels both directly and through creating environmental motivation is evidence that the hotel industry can expect to enhance the use of their socially responsible green services by facilitating EE. In research terms, how best to invest in EE to support the social entrepreneurship of hotels providing green services is a research area to pursue for developing criteria to maximize benefits while supporting business viability. Originality/value This study shows that social entrepreneurs who provide green services can expand their area of social responsibility and generate more potential customers by supporting EE. The findings and applications of this study are useful both for academia and practitioners.