Comunicar la sostenibilidad en las cadenas hoteleras españolas: el uso de las páginas web como herramienta de legitimación

Ana María Fernández-Vallejo

doi:10.31921/doxacom.n37a1855

Authors

Ana María Fernández-Vallejo ICS (Instituto de Cultura y Sociedad). University of Navarra, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3877-651X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n37a1855

Keywords:

Sustainability communication, legitimation, websites, hotel chains, Spain

Abstract

This study analyses the discursive legitimation of sustainability in hotel chains websites. Key legitimation strategies are examined in relation to different factors, namely the company’s size, its ownership structure, and the type of website. Data were extracted from the webpages of the 35 largest hotel chains in Spain according to turnover in 2021. Research was organized in three steps: first, content analysis was performed; second, sustainability discourse was quantified; and third, an index of sustainability content was developed. The study found that 76% of the selected hotels used websites to disseminate sustainability information, but the volume of sustainability discourse was different regarding size, ownership structures and website types. The “planet” dimension was rated with the best sustainability index. The study provides theoretical insights into the mechanisms of sustainability legitimation on corporate and booking websites. From a practical standpoint, the study offers guidance for managers in the tourist sector aimed at improving their corporate communication efforts and generating suitable engagement between firms and stakeholders.

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Author Biography

Ana María Fernández-Vallejo, ICS (Instituto de Cultura y Sociedad). University of Navarra, Spain

Lecturer at the School of Applied Management (University of Navarra), where she teaches Spanish for Academic and Professional Communication. Also she is an internal collaborator in the GradUN Research Group in the Instituto Cultura y Sociedad (ICS). She has published on corpus linguistics, political discourse and professional discourse (particularly business discourse and sustainability communication). Her most recent book is Populism and social media: a global perspective (2019) . Bern: Peter Lang. She is currently engaged in two European projects entitled CoMMiTTEd - Covid, Migrants and Minorities in Teacher Education: A Fake News Observatory to promote Critical Thinking and Digital Literacy in Times of Crisis (Project 2020-1-DE01-KA226-HE-005742) and KNowledgE alliance for Social Innovation in Shrinking villages Grant Agreement 621651-EPP-1-2020-1-ITEPPKA2-KA).

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