Adoption of Circular Economy and Environmental Certifications: Perceptions of Tourism SMEs

Tourism is one of the most important industries in the world. On the one hand, tourism activities provide a
significant boost to many national economies but on the other hand, they severely impact the environment.
Tourism SMEs are therefore needed to transform their activities from a linear economy to a circular economy
(CE). However, the tourism industry has not yet shown a clear and decisive transition towards CE. There is no or
very little academic discussion on why the tourism industry has not yet adopted CE and how tourism SMEs can
adopt CE. In this context, we analyzed a sample of 256 tourism SMEs (hotels and accommodations, travel
agencies, tour operators, and reservation service activities) based in Cyprus, France, Italy, and Spain. Our survey
reveals a ruthless situation regarding the adoption of environmental certifications. There is a very low demand to
adopt an environmental certification in the tourism industry. Moreover, the adoption of CE among tourism SMEs
is not so high. The main factors that hinder the adoption of green or CE practices are lack of funds, lack of
information about potential partners, and lack of skilled personnel. Nonetheless, many tourism SMEs perceive
that CE adoption leads to various positive outcomes. Our study provides some suggestions to facilitate the
transition towards CE in the tourism industry.