Sustainability Practices and Motivations of Hostels Located in Tourist Destinations In the U.S. and Europe

The emphasis of this research is on the level of environmental and social sustainability in hostels located in top tourist destinations in the U.S. and Europe and the motivations of hostel proprietors in implementing sustainable practices. The related research is limited in terms of hostels; however, there are impactful studies in terms of sustainability initiatives and hoteliers perceptions of sustainable tourism that contributed to the development of this study. Additionally, research studies on the behaviors of the backpacking community provided necessary background in analyzing data on the hostel community. A 20 question survey was emailed to a total of 454 email addresses to hostels located in 29 popular tourist destinations in both the U.S. and Europe. This study found that out of the 24 completed responses, hostels in the U.S. had a higher level of implementation of sustainability practices than those in Europe, Hostels with a sustainability strategic plan ranked higher in levels of sustainability practices. Lastly, the study pinpointed selected implemented practices that positively correlated with hostels attitudes and perceptions of sustainability. However, with the limited number of participants this study is not statistically significant. There is an opportunity for future research to expand upon the implications of hostel community and sustainability.