December 2012: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published a new report, titled “Green Innovation in Tourism Services,” presenting the results of a country survey and a business model innovation project on green innovation in tourism.

The report identifies green innovation in technologies and processes as a key feature of sustainable tourism in a green economy. On the basis of a survey of 27 countries, the report concludes that while government action is essential to support green innovation in tourism, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The report provides an extensive overview of approaches taken by countries, and recommends a whole-of-government approach, including horizontal and vertical policy co-ordination, and closer integration of several policy areas, such as transport, energy and environment.

The report further discusses the results from the OECD/Nordic Innovation project on green business model innovation in tourism, which aims to guide tourism companies in greening their practices. The results show that, inter alia, only 15% of the participating companies demonstrate a strategic approach to business model innovation, and only 7% have a green innovation strategy.

The report also discusses drivers and barriers to green innovation in tourism, and finds that while a supporting policy framework and the business implications of environmental externalities are important drivers, the main barriers relate to financial resources to implement changes, customer reluctance to pay extra for green services, and a general lack of understanding of the value created from the greening of tourism. [Publication: Green Innovation in Tourism Services]