The study, led by researcher Claire Beach and based on in-depth interviews, data analysis and site visits with established operators across the country, examines how tourism firms move from aspiration to action, and why so many get stuck along the way.
Beach found that operators face a familiar set of obstacles: Decision paralysis, resistance from suppliers, and a bewildering array of recycling rules and sustainability standards. One operator summed up the frustration bluntly, telling researchers they’d been asked to be carbon-zero by 2030 with no clear explanation of what that actually meant.
“Even in a small country like New Zealand, there are many sustainability definitions, organisations and certifications,” Beach says.
“As confusing as it is for consumers, it’s just as confusing for firms.”
Her paper, Mapping sustainable transitions in tourism, identifies three stages businesses typically move through: Considering and adopting sustainability initiatives, embedding them into day-to-day operations, and ultimately collaborating with others to push for industry-wide change. But the path rarely runs in a straight line. Businesses often progress, stall, and sometimes slide backwards before moving forward again.
Beach, whose interest in the topic was sparked by a love of travel and a period working in hospitality, interviewed owners, CEOs, COOs, directors and sustainability leads across adventure tourism, mountain sports, wildlife tourism, holiday parks and lodges.
Claire Beach is a a researcher that University of Auckland’s Business School.
Among her findings: Digital transformation was consistently one of the easiest wins, with businesses cutting costs and paperwork by shifting to online booking, check-in and ticketing systems. Recycling, by contrast, looked simple on paper but proved to be one of the most persistent headaches, with nearly half the firms surveyed citing it as an ongoing challenge thanks to shifting local standards, seasonal waste spikes and inconsistent customer sorting.
Supply-side changes such as switching to refillable soap dispensers or cutting single-use plastics tended to deliver faster, more visible progress.
Beach is calling for clearer, more consistent language around sustainability, along with practical, bite-sized resources to help operators move from intention to implementation. She also flagged an equity gap, with valuable training and tools often locked behind membership paywalls, a barrier for smaller, less-resourced operators. Formalising sustainability responsibilities into specific job roles, she says, helps businesses avoid losing momentum when key staff move on.
One example from the study showed competitors joining forces to pressure shared suppliers into offering compostable packaging, proof, Beach says, that collective action can shift entire markets.
“Sustainability can’t be achieved in isolation.”
