Environmental sustainability governance and other sustainability standards at selected private lodgings in national parks

As the world battles numerous challenges, ranging from environmental degradation to climate change-induced extreme weather events and pandemics, the demand for environmental care has been growing. Society and businesses are striving to find models to address their environmental footprints and improve business sustainability. One of the emerging and growing approaches to environmental sustainability is environmental, social, and governance (ESG) framework. The use and adoption of ESG in the tourism industry, and its efficacy, are poorly understood. This study examined ESG adoption and efficacy in private game lodges in Kruger National Park, South Africa. The principal objective of this study was to explore the initiatives undertaken by private lodges to address their ESG commitments and to identify the challenges they face in this regard. Using key informant interviews with lodge management and owners ( n = 10) and field observations, this study found varying levels of ESG adoption. One of the key drivers of lodge sustainability is addressing climate change and ensuring compliance and resource efficiency to ensure tourist satisfaction. Among other things, lodges are committed to ensuring that water and energy savings and efficiency are at the core of sustainability. Some of the challenges lodges face in ensuring sustainability include the cost of capital investment in some sustainability technologies and the attitudes of tourism role players. The study develops a sustainability framework for private lodges in a sensitive ecosystem. This study recommends further research on how tourists’ and employees’ knowledge and behaviour shape sustainability in private game lodges.