Sustainable tourism in luxury resorts at the Maldives: Can luxury go hand in hand with sustainability?

Abstract

[EN] Purpose To examine if luxury tourism can go hand in hand with sustainability from a conceptual point of view. Design/methodology The study is based on a sample of 96 resorts, an online own survey, web content analysis and statistical analysis will be used to provide primary information as well as objective results. Findings The study shows that the majority of the luxury resorts at the Maldives have expanded their offering of environmental friendly initiatives. This, together with the help of progressive governments and responsible visitors, suggests that luxury can go hand in hand with sustainability with the common objective to protect the environment. Research limitations/implications The luxury resorts remain the minority group of hotels and resorts at the Maldives and therefore the majority group could follow the example of the luxury resorts. Practical implications The expanded offering of sustainable initiatives can be interpreted as change in the management style of the luxury resorts. Originality/value Two original papers have been presented at international conferences as part of the research.