Possible or Not?: ESG Certification for Hotels and Resorts

Abstract

<p align="justify">The Malaysian hospitality industry has launched an ESG Certification for hotels and resorts, aiming to promote sustainable tourism and provide clear, measurable standards. The process involves ESG training, pre-assessment, action planning, and a certification audit, with annual renewal required. However, challenges include low sustainability awareness, lack of dedicated ESG expertise, and difficulties in spreading knowledge within organizations. The process is complex and time-consuming, and relying on a single auditing firm raises capacity concerns. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face additional barriers due to limited resources and lack of benchmarks, risking exclusion and competitive disadvantage without government support or incentives. <p align="justify">马来西亚酒店业推出了针对酒店及度假村的 ESG 认证，旨在推动可持续旅游业发展并提供清晰、可量化的标准。该认证流程包括 ESG 培训、预评估、行动方案制定和认证审计，且每年需进行年度复审。然而，该计划也面临诸多挑战，包括可持续发展意识薄弱、缺乏专业的 ESG 人才以及企业内部知识普及困难。此外，认证流程复杂且耗时，而仅依赖单一审计机构也引发了对审计服务承载力的担忧。中小企业（SMEs）由于资源有限且缺乏基准参照，面临着更多的障碍；若没有政府的支持或激励措施，它们将面临被边缘化及失去竞争优势的风险。