A RESEARCHER has been rewarded for her efforts to convince tourists to forgo their daily room clean.
University of Queensland tourism expert Sara Dolnicar has set out to convince guests at Slovenia's 96-room Bohinj Eco Hotel to opt out of daily cleans in exchange for free drink vouchers.
"Each daily clean uses about 35 litres of water, 100 ml of chemicals and 1.5 kWh of electricity, costing the hotel $13 on average per room," Professor Dolnicar said.
She said offering the free voucher upon check in lifted the percentage of those opting out of the daily service from three per cent to 42 per cent.
She said adding a pro-environmental message did not further increase the rate.
"The experiment taught us a lot about how equity theory can be used to change human behaviour," she said.
"This theory postulates that people seek to balance social exchanges."
"They want to get as much as they give, and give as much as they get."
Professor Dolnicar said some guests tended to doubt motives when hotels removed services for environmental reasons, believing it could be a cost cutting measure.
Her report on the experiment received the Travel and Tourism Research Association's 2019 Charles R. Goeldner Article of Excellence prize.
Professor Dolnicar became the only three time winner of the award, having previously received it in 2004 and 2015.
The study is part of a larger research program aimed at triggering pro-environmental behaviour in "pleasure-seeking contexts".
To read the full report, click here.
