Muslim Friendly Tourism:
Regulating Accommodation Establishments
In the OIC Member Countries
34
the US found that hotels that earned “eco-certifications” attained higher levels of operational
efficiency.63 This suggests that alternative standards such as environmental standards could
enhance operational efficiency. For example, the Ambrose Hotel achieved cost savings in
many areas through following the requirements of various environmental standards and
certifications. The hotel realized 20% savings on its water bill and reduced energy
consumption by 30%. The hotel also witnessed improved employee morale and performance
through its “green” investments. 64
There is limited research or evidence to establish the impact of standards on national tourism
receipts or rooms booked. In the case of national tourism receipts, many factors may drive
this metric, including economic growth, regional stability, and other macroeconomic factors,
which makes the direct effects of standards difficult to identify. Hotel rating standards were
only adopted by Thailand as an initiative of the Thailand Hotel Association and the Tourism
Authority of Thailand65 . Legislative efforts in 2002 led to the first 84 hotels being certified per
the Thailand Hotel Standards in 2004. By 2005, 116 hotels in Thailand participated in the
standard/certification. 66 The standards were refined over the next couple of years, and were
finalized by 2011-2012. Tourism in Thailand has grown dramatically during this period with
international arrivals increasing from around 10 million in 2001 to around 30 million in
201567, while nominal receipts from international tourism rose from $9.3 billion in 2001 to
$42. 1 billion in the same period.68 However, the positive growth in tourism receipts cannot
be attributed directly to the adoption of the new standards as they have not yet been widely
adopted. To date, only 213 hotels have adopted Thailand’s Hotel Standard69, and few of the
top70 hotels actually participate in the official ratings.71 However, in the case of mandatory
standards, failing to meet the criteria could be detrimental for a hotel’s bottom line. For
example, under the new system in the Philippines, venues with very low scores are not
granted a business license.72
63 Zhang, Jie J., Nitin Joglekar, Rohit Verma, and Janelle Heineke. "Exploring the Relationship between Eco-certifications and
Resource Efficiency in U.S. Hotels." Cornell Hospitality Report (2014): 6-16. Cornell Hospitality Report. Center for
Hospitality Research, 2 Mar. 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
64 Firmani, Roberto, and Nurit Katz. The Ambrose Hotel: Eco-labeling Strategies for Sustainable Lodging . Rep. Los Angeles:
UCLA Center for Corporate Environmental Performance, n.d. UCLA Institute of the Environment. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
65 Thailand. Thailand Hotel Standard Foundation. Thailand Standard Hotels - Directory 2011. Red Mango, Ltd, 2011. Web. 17
Oct. 2016.
66 Thailand. Thailand Hotel Standard Foundation. Thailand Standard Hotels - Directory 2011. Red Mango, Ltd, 2011. Web. 17
Oct. 2016.
67 Vanhaleweyk, Guido. "Tourism Statistics Thailand 2000-2016." Thailand Tourism Statistics. N.p., 30 July 2016. Web. 17
Oct. 2016.
68 "International Tourism Receipts (current, US$)." Yearbook of Tourism Statistics. World Tourism Organization, 2016.
Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
69 Thailand. Thailand Hotel Standard Foundation. Name List for Thailand Hotel Standard Foundation. Thailand Hotel
Standard Foundation, 2016. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
70 Per TripAdvisor
71 "IS THE OFFICIAL HOTEL RATING SYSTEM SINKING INTO THE PAST?" The Contemporary Relevance of the Hotel Star
Rating System. Quo Global, 19 May 2016. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
72 Villareal, Melo. "Department of Tourism Announces the New Philippine Hotel Rating Syste." Out of Town Blog. Out of
Town Travel, Food, and Lifestyle Blog, 03 July 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.