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Define and contextualise business and management research problems, questions or issues.

BTM6DIS Business & Tourism Management Dissertation

Programme:

Business & Tourism Management

Level:

Level 6

Module Title:

Dissertation

Module code:

BTM6DIS

Module leader/s:

 

Assignment No:

2

Assignment Type:

Dissertation 

Assignment weighting %:

75%

Assignment Word Count: (or equivalent)

6000

Penalties

All penalties that are listed at the end of this document in the Table of Penalties.

Submission Dates and Times (Day: Date & Time)

Summative deadline

Friday 13 February 2026 14:00hrs

https://moodle.globalbanking.ac.uk/mod/assign/view.php?id=161327

Late Submission

Tuesday 17 February 2026 14:00hrs

https://moodle.globalbanking.ac.uk/mod/assign/view.php?id=161328

Resubmission

Tuesday 7 April 2026 14:00hrs

https://moodle.globalbanking.ac.uk/mod/assign/view.php?id=161329

Grade & Feedback release Dates

All Grade and Feedback release dates are 28 days (4 weeks) after the submission date. If an assignment deadline is at 2:00pm then the grade release date will be at 2:00pm.

This assignment has been designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your achievement of the following module learning outcomes:

Module Learning Outcome 1

Define and contextualise business and management research problems, questions or issues.

Module Learning Outcome 2

Identify and refine an appropriate research question and methodology; justifying all the choices made.

Module Learning Outcome 3

Present research findings in an appropriate format, constructing reasoned arguments and critically comparing these with existing knowledge.

Module Learning Outcome 4

Examine relevant literature and present a critical review of that literature.

Module Learning Outcome 5

Analyse relevant evidence by using appropriate methods and evaluate their findings and draw conclusions.

Module Learning Outcome 6

Discuss the ethical dimensions of your research and obtain appropriate ethical approval if needed.

Assignment Requirements

Overview

 

Research is an important element of developing skillset of a modern professional and is key to developing sustainable business and sustainable tourism. This module provides an opportunity for final year (Level 6) students to research, in depth, a topic of particular interest, the field of tourism related to the degree programme. In this 40-credit module, students are required to select a current topic in tourism for study and carry out a piece of independent research, with guidance from an allocated project/dissertation supervisor.

This dissertation will enable students to develop skills required for original and creative thinking and enable students to demonstrate research, data gathering and analysis skills, as well as depth of understanding of the chosen subject/topic area within the broad field of tourism. This module focuses on the following Graduate Achievements which are the skills students will develop through this module that can be transferred into the workplace; Professionally Orientated, Committed to Succeed, Digitally Competent and Enterprising Mindset.

Consequently, this dissertation allows students to demonstrate the ability to understand and interpret information relevant to the research methodology and present it to an audience in a written format as a 6000-word research project. 

Assignment task/s to be completed

The dissertation will substantially develop the following parts:

  • Introduction, rationale for the research, stating and justifying the research problem, aim, objectives and research approach.
  • Literature review, illustrating previous research, gap in the research, or evidence of the research necessity, e.g. from reports. Theoretical framework as the basis for the literature review.
  • Research methodology, data collection and analytical techniques.
  • Result analysis and Discussion
  • Summary of research, Conclusions and Recommendations

Additional Information required to support completing the tasks above

This Dissertation brief should be used with the dissertation structure template. Its purpose is to provide guidance on the best way to meet the task requirements in the assignment brief. It also indicates what the marker will be looking for in the case study.

Note: The dissertation should be formatted with font of Times New Roman (12 pt) with 1.5 line spacing.

You should use the dissertation structure template to type in your information as required.

Start your dissertation with a strong title, brief, clear, and descriptive, summarising the main idea of the research. It should also include keywords that help readers find the dissertation in online searches.

Each section divided into subsections might require a different word count, however, generally the biggest sections – Literature Review and Research Methodology, Data Analysis and Results/Findings, will require elaborated approach and more specific details.

Follow the structure and suggestions in the Dissertation Template:
1.  Chapter One: Introduction to the Dissertation.

1.1. Overview of the Chapter

 Be specific about the purpose and the structure of the chapter.

1.2. Background and Context.

The background should draw from either industry or business reports or academic sources and include the following: Lead the reader into the topic and scope of your research, explain why this research has value and why it will be original, and why the research is required.

1.3. Problem Statement.

Describe the theoretical or practical research problem that you want to address.

What is already known about the problem? Briefly refer to 2-3 main policies/reports/frameworks that introduce the reader into the context and specify the contradiction/problem that still exists and needs solution. Here you will use relevant terminology: relate to the key concepts, theories and empirics (reports/statistics which reveal the problem).

1.4. Research Aim.

Make it clear what new insights you will contribute.

Formulate a clear research aim in one line, e.g.

  • The aim of this study is to determine…
  • This research aims to explore…
  • This research aims to investigate…

1.5. Research Objectives.

Define research objectives (at least two but not more than 5). Justify a major approach you will take (general methodology to achieve these aims). Start by using active verbs, e.g.

  • To discover current research surrounding the topic of dark tourism.
  • To evaluate the motivations of travellers’ visiting destinations associated with dark tourism.
  • To use focus groups to examine whether tourist perspectives are influenced by dark tourism.

OR include specific details of HOW you will achieve these objectives, e.g.

  • To measure …… using quantitative methods.
  • To analyse … by means of …. analysis.
  • To test (e.g. customer brand awareness).

DO NOT REPEAT THE VERBS!

1.6. Research Questions.

State the specific questions that you aim to answer. The research questions Should align with the research objectives.

1.7. Significance of the study

Highlight the significance and originality of your research explaining why your study matters and what contribution it makes to your field. What is missing from current knowledge? Briefly state the methods for which the research will be achieved.

1.8. Dissertation structure.

Provide a clear outline of how the dissertation is structured and organised ensuring logical flow and coherence between chapters.

1.9. Chapter summary

Briefly summarise the chapter summary and link the next chapter.

2. Chapter Two: Literature Review.

The literature review summarises, compares and critiques the most relevant scholarly sources on the topic. There are many ways to structure a literature review, but it should explore the following contents:

2.1. Overview of the Chapter

Be specific about the purpose and the structure of the chapter.

2.2 Review of the Key Concepts

Identifying the key variables and evaluate their relevance to the study.

2.3Review of Related Studies

Review of related literature on the research. Provide critical review of past empirical studies that relate to your topic. This should not be limited to the chosen company, sector or location.

2.4 Review Key Theories

Review of theories that are relevant to the study. Evaluate relevant theories.

2.5 Gap(s) in existing knowledge.

Identify and discuss what is missing from the literature and how the research aims to fill the identified gap(s).

2.6 Chapter summary

3. Chapter Three: Research Methodology.

This section should explain how you will design the research: qualitative/quantitative data research. Determine what kind of data you need to analyse, and which resources you will use, primary or secondary. Decide and justify the framework you intend to use following the Onion model with the six layers.

3.1. Overview of the Chapter

Be specific about the purpose and the structure of the chapter

3.2. Methodological Framework: Application of Onion model

Briefly introduce the model.

3.2.1 Research Philosophy: Explain what philosophy (positivism or interpretivism) you intend to use and justify your selection.

3.2.2 Research Approach: Explain what approach (deductive or inductive) you intend to use and justify your selection.

3.2.3 Research Design / Strategies: Decide and justify if this will be exploratory, explanatory, descriptive or experimental research.

3.2.4 Research Choices: Decide and justify if this will be mono-method (either qualitative or quantitative) or mixed method (combination of qualitative and qualitative, which means student will collect both qualitative and quantitative data).

3.2.5 Time Horizon: Decide and justify if the study will use cross sectional (data gathered at a point in time) or longitudinal (data gathered over a period of time).

3.3. Research Methods: Techniques and Procedures of Data Collection

3.3.1 Type of Data: Justify chosen methods of data collection, weather you will use primary or secondary method to collect the data.

3.3.2 Sampling Design: Describe the procedure and the sample of the participants of your research.

3.3.3 Describe systematic data collection steps: State exactly what or who you will study and if you will collect data personally or use the databases. If the databases will be used, which ones and what data will be taken from there. State clearly how you will access the databases or the resources of information.

3.4. Analytical Techniques

  Include data analysis methods and justify them. Discuss if you are using thematic (qualitative) or statistical (quantitative) analysis.

3.5. Ethical Considerations.

  • Discuss the ethical issues and how you plan for and deal with problems?
  • Specify how the consent of subjects will be obtained. Refer to Appendices where the Consent Form must be enclosed. Please include a description of any information you intend to provide the subject with.
  • Indicate any potential risks to subjects and how you propose to minimise these.
  • Mention policies and guidelines regulating data collection and data protection in the in the UK (there will be at least two documents). Include them in the reference list.
  • ENSURE THE APROVED ETHICAL APPROVAL FORM IS ADDED TO THE DISSERTATION AND SUBMITTED ON THE ETHICAL FORM LINK.
  • ENSURE THE CONSENT FORM (COMPLETED AND SIGNED BY THE PARTICIPANTS) IS ADDED TO THE DISSERTATION (IF YOU USED PRIMARY DATA).

3.6. Data Presentation (in Appendix)

  • It is MANDATORY to present the data collected and add to the appendix.
  • It is important to show the data supervisor.

3.7. Chapter Summary

4. Chapter Four: Data Analysis and Discussion.

Data analysis and results discussion chapter should be organised as:

4.1. Overview of the Chapter

Be specific about the purpose and the structure of the chapter.

4.2. Presentation of Results/Findings

  • Ensure the specific data to be analysed are first presented using the appropriate structure.
  • Briefly discuss how the data was collection and step by step data analysis to arrive at the results (for example, in thematic analysis, the coding process of how the themes has emerged).
  • Ensure you clearly present result findings in a specific, organized manner, typically using tables, graphs, and descriptive text, highlighting the key data points and patterns discovered without interpretation or extensive discussion, allowing readers to easily understand the results of the investigation.

4.3. Interpretation of Result/Findings.

Interpretation of result, allowing readers to easily understand the results of the investigation.

 4.4. Critical Analysis and discussion of Results

  • Evaluate your result in line with the objectives.
  • Discuss your research findings with existing literature.
  • Appraise the theoretical and practical implications of the study.  
  • Compare the results/findings to the existing literature.

4.5. Chapter Summary

5. Chapter Five: Summary and Conclusion.

5.1 Introduction to the chapter: Be specific about the purpose and the structure of the chapter.

5.2 Summary of Research: Summarise the main points of the study and explains why the research is important. And briefly discuss how the research objectives have been achieved.

5.3 Limitation of Study: Provide information that limits robustness of your research.

5.4 Suggestion for Further Research: Provide suggestions for future researcher based on the limitation of the study.

5.5 Practical Recommendation: Provide practical recommendations based on the findings, with appropriate support.

5.6 Conclusion:

  • The conclusion should help readers understand the significance of the research and leave them with a strong impression.
  • Ensure you show how the research questions are answered.

References.

Include at least 30 references here, please, include only the resources that you used for:

  • Contextualising your research topic.
  • Analysing the previous research in the Literature Review.
  • Regulating your research procedures, especially Ethical Considerations.

Do NOT use bullet points or numbering!

Appendices are mandatory, though not included in the word count. See example below.

Appendix A - Ethics and Consent Form

  • You will complete the appropriate (red or green) ethical forms and add here.
  • Consent Form and all other forms completed by participants (if primary data is used).

Appendix B - Data

  • Specific data used for the study should be included.

Appendix C - Result

  • Clear specific result used for the analysis should be included.

 

Mandatory Referencing and Research Requirements

Referencing Style

CCCU Harvard Referencing Style.

Mandatory Sources to be included in the Assignment

Essential Resources (available on shelves and electronically in GBS library).

  • Walliman, N. (2019) Your Research Project: Designing, Planning, and Getting Started. 4th edn. London: Sage.
  • Greetham, B. (2019) How to Write Your Undergraduate Dissertation. 3rd edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
  • Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2019) Research Methods for Business Students. 8th edn. Harlow: Prentice Hall.
  • Hart, C. (2018) Doing a Literature Review: releasing the research imagination. 2nd edn. London: Sage.

Websites

The Financial Times

Other Learning Resources

Further Digital Resources:

  • Academic Search Index
  • Aphasiology Archive
  • Archive of European Integration
  • arXiv
  • British Library EThOS
  • Business Source Complete
  • CINAHL Complete
  • ClinicalTrials.gov
  • Communication Source
  • Construction News
  • eBook Business Collection (EBSCOhost)
  • eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)
  • Economist
  • E-LIS (Eprints in Library & Information Science)
  • Entrepreneurial Studies Source
  • FT.com
  • GOBI E-books
  • IndianJournals.com
  • Industry Studies Working Papers
  • JSTOR Journals
  • Library Catalogue
  • Milne Open Textbooks
  • Minority Health Archive
  • PhilSci Archive
  • SCOAP3
  • Supplemental Index

Format of your submission and how your assignment will be assessed

This assignment should be submitted electronically via Moodle (module tutors will discuss this process with you during class time).

Please ensure your work has been saved in an appropriate file format (Microsoft Word).

You can submit your work as many times as you like before the submission date. If you do submit your work more than once, your earlier submission will be replaced by the most recent version.

Once you have submitted your work, you will receive a digital receipt as proof of submission, which will be sent to your forwarded e-mail address (provided you have set this up). Please keep this receipt for future reference, along with the original electronic copy of your assignment.

You are reminded of the CCCU’s regulations on academic misconduct, which can be viewed on the CCCU website: Academic Misconduct Policy. In submitting your assignment, you are acknowledging that you have read and understood these regulations.

Assessment Requirements:

You will submit your dissertation individually:

  • Demonstrate why you are personally interested in this topic? Reflect on what drew you to this research.
  • Explain your research aim, and objectives.
  • Explain some of the key studies in the field, found from your literature review.
  • Illustrate the theory or theories you will adopt to analyse your research topic.
  • Explain the methodology (primary/ secondary, quantitative/qualitative), mention the data collection you will likely undertake.
  • Present your research results/findings.

Assessment Criteria:

Your work will be assessed to the extent it demonstrates your achievement of the stated learning outcomes for this assignment (see above) and against other key criteria, as defined in the grading descriptors. If it is appropriate to the format of your assignment and your subject area, a proportion of your marks will also depend on your use of academic referencing conventions.

This assignment will be marked according to the grading descriptors for Level 6; also see Table of Penalties enclosed to the Assignment Brief and Assessment Guide.

Please see assessment rubric at the end of the document:

 

Submission Requirements

Submission Platform

This assignment should be submitted electronically using Moodle to the Module Submission link.

Submission Date &Time

All submission and resubmission dates and time are as stated at the beginning of this Assignment brief.

You should submit your Assignment for all deadlines earlier than 2:00pm on the date stated.

Late submissions can be accepted for Summative Submissions only up to a maximum of 2 working days after the submission deadline. This does not apply to resubmission deadlines. A 10-mark deduction will be made by CCCU for all late submissions.

Work submitted more than two working days after the deadline will not be accepted and will be recorded as a non-submission.

Assignments submitted to the Resubmissions deadlines will be capped at 40 by CCCU.

If you are affected by events which are unexpected, outside your control and short-term in nature (i.e. lasting one to two weeks), under the exceptional circumstances procedure you may be eligible for:

  • Self-Certification - A 7-day extension to your coursework. Students are allowed a maximum of 2 self-certification request per academic year can be requested.
  • Extenuating Circumstances - A 14-day extension to your coursework but there must be evidence to support the request.

You can make a self-certification request up to 14 calendar days before your deadline: for coursework it must be no later than 2pm on the deadline date.

 

Assessment Infractions

Issue with the Assignment

Process to implement

Suspected Academic Misconduct or Breach of Academic integrity

Insert the following text with your rationale for the AMC referral. As part of your reasoning, please ensure to include the type of academic misconduct suspected from the table on page 7 of CCCU’s Student Academic Integrity Policy alongside an explanation.

This assessment has been identified as having potential Academic Misconduct because [insert reasoning for AMC referral with an explanation on top of any % scores that may be part of the referral]. The assessment will be analysed by the AMC review team, and you will receive further communication from them as to the next step in the AMC process. Until the AMC investigation into your assessment is concluded your assessment will remain at grade 0.

Marker’s Name:

Date: dd/mm/year

Similarity Score at the time of marking:

AI Score (if relevant to the referral)

The assignment is more than 10% over the prescribed wordcount i.e. for 3,000 words, if 3,400 is submitted excluding the cover page, table of contents, references and appendices.

A 10% deduction applied to the overall maximum grade that is manually entered by the Lecturer. This deduction means an assessment can fail if the resulting grade is below 40/100.

For example, if the mark for the assignment was 68 out of a possible maximum of 100 before deductions, the lecturer would deduct 10 marks, and the mark will be 58. If the mark for the assignment was 30 out of a possible maximum of 50 before deductions, the lecturer would deduct 5 marks, and the mark will be 25.

Written feedback must also state ‘This assignment is 10% over the wordcount and has a penalty equal to 10% of the maximum available marks applied to it’.

Students not working in their groups as agreed by the lecturer.

This assignment will be graded a Fail. 

The lecturer will grade as 1 and the written feedback will state ‘This submission was not completed in the designated group’.

Please note: This does not apply in either of the following circumstances:

  • There has been a reasonable adjustment to a student’s assignment based on a Learning Support Plan.
  • Where a student has asked the lecturer to move from their original group and the lecturer has agreed.

For a presentation assignment that requires oral delivery, and the student does not present in person.

This assignment will be graded a Fail. 

The lecturer will grade as 1 and the written feedback will state ‘As you did not present in class, this assignment is a Fail.’

Please note: This does not apply if there has been a reasonable adjustment to a student’s assignment based on a Learning Support Plan.

If the student has uploaded their submission in an incorrect file type (a file type that is not authorised in the Assessment Brief).

This assignment will be graded a Fail.

The lecturer will grade as 1 and the written feedback will state ‘This is an incorrect submission as it does not follow the assignment brief instructions.

If the summative assignment is group work and the resubmission is not changed to individual work.

This assignment will be graded a Fail.

The lecturer will grade as 1 and the written feedback will state ‘This resubmission should be individual assessment’.

If the summative assignment is individual presentation and the resubmission does not follow the resubmission assignment brief.

This assignment will be graded a Fail.

The lecturer will grade as 1 and the written feedback will state ‘This assessment should follow the resubmission brief’.

Where a written assignment has text that is unable to be read by Turnitin because it is either a graphical image (excluding Presentations & Posters); for example, a screenshot or the assignment is written within text boxes on each page.

This assignment will be graded 0 and the written feedback should state ‘This assignment is unreadable by Turnitin and cannot be checked for Academic Misconduct. It has been referred for an AMC meeting’.

The assignment will then be referred for Academic Misconduct investigation.

For assessments where Referencing is one of the grading criteria:

An assignment has a reference list, but no citations. Or citations, but no Reference List

The reference rubric criteria is not moved and that criteria will remain at zero.

Written feedback should state ’The reference criteria has been graded Zero as no citations have been used/no Reference List has been provided.  Please include citations in your assignment to support the academic points being made/a Reference List of your citations’.

For assessments where Referencing is one of the grading criteria:

An assignment has no citations and no reference list.

Foundation & Level 4 - The reference rubric criteria is not moved and that criteria will remain at zero. The written feedback will state ‘Please ensure that you use citations with a corresponding Reference List to support your assignment submission’.

At Level 5 and Level 6 this would be graded as Fail. The lecturer will grade as 1 and written feedback will also show ‘This assignment has no citations and no reference list’.

Where False references are included in an assignment and cited from Inflated Reference List

This will be referred for Academic Misconduct as per the first box.

Uncited Reference List entries on their own do not merit an AMC referral, but feedback should highlight them and ask the student to refrain from doing this.

Student Integrity and Academic Misconduct

The values of student integrity expected by CCCU are:

  • Honesty – being clear about what is your work and where your ideas come from other sources.
  • Trust – others can have faith in you being open about your work and acknowledging others’ work.
  • Fairness – you do not try to gain an unfair advantage in using others’ work.
  • Responsibility – you take an active role in applying the principle of Academic Integrity to your work.
  • Respect – you show respect for the work of others.

Peer-support:

Students might choose to get support from their peers when preparing assessments, such as discussing the subject of the assessment, exchanging ideas, and receiving suggestions for improving the work. This is peer-support, and GBS accepts this as a reasonable expectation when completing assessments. However, peers must not make any changes to anyone’s assessments as such actions could lead to allegations of academic misconduct.

Use of English as the medium of assessment:

Students cannot write an assessment in another language and subsequently translate their work into English or have it translated by any form of third-party. Use of translation software or third-party translators is a form of academic misconduct.

Artificial Intelligence (AI):

Students must write the entire assessment without using AI software such as ChatGPT. Submitting an assessment that contains any form of AI is a form of academic misconduct.

Proofreading:

Students can make use of Microsoft Word’s grammar and spell-checking functions but the use of Grammarly is not allowed as it uses AI text generation. If student’s use third-party proofreaders, these cannot make any changes that alter the assessment in anyway including correcting language or citation format errors. Third-party alterations to the assessment are a form of academic misconduct.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism can be defined as incorporating another person’s material from books, journals, the internet, another student’s work, or any other source into assessment material without acknowledgement. It includes:

  • Using exactly the same words (sentences, phrases or even expressions not in everyday use, invented or created by an author to explain an idea) as used originally
  • Rephrasing by making slight adjustments
  • Paraphrasing in a way which may deceive the reader as to the source.
  • Plagiarism in whatever form it takes is form of academic misconduct.

Collusion:

If students submit work for assessment that is falsely presented as the student’s own work but was jointly written with somebody else; this is a form of academic misconduct.

Duplication/Self-Plagiarism:

The inclusion in assessments of a significant amount of identical or substantially similar material to that already submitted for assessment by the student and graded for the same course or any other course or module at GBS or elsewhere is classed as self-plagiarism. It does not include a resubmission of the same piece of work allowed by the examiners in an improved or revised form for reassessment purposes. Self-plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct.

Further clarification of the above can be found in CCCU’s Academic Misconduct documents below

  1. CCCU Student Academic Misconduct Procedures can found below: Please click the link to Open.

Student-Academic-Misconduct-Procedures-staff-students.pdf

  1. CCCU Student Academic Integrity Policy can be found below: Please click the link to Open.

 Student-Academic-Integrity-Policy.pdf

Assessment rubric:

Marking Scheme / Rubric - The Marking Scheme (otherwise known as a rubric) is below: TO BE CONCLUDED AND UPOADED ON MOODLE

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About BTM6DIS Business & Tourism Management Dissertation

BTM6DIS is the final‐year Business & Tourism Management Dissertation module, where you bring everything from your degree together in one 6,000-word project. It’s not just “another assignment”, it’s your chance to pick a real problem in business or tourism, investigate it properly, and show you can think like a future manager, not just a student.

On this module you normally choose a topic from the business, tourism or hospitality world, for example: how a city markets itself to business travellers, why a hotel group struggles with staff retention, or how online reviews shape tourist choices. You turn that idea into a clear research question, read the key academic and industry sources around it, and then design a practical method to collect and analyse data (such as surveys, interviews or secondary data). The final dissertation pulls all of this together into chapters that explain the background, method, findings and what your results actually mean for practice.

BTM6DIS usually has two parts: an individual presentation (where you pitch your project and justify your research plan) and the written dissertation, which carries most of the marks. The presentation helps you explain your ideas clearly, defend your choices, and get feedback before you commit to the full write-up. The dissertation itself tests whether you can manage a long project on your own, work to a deadline, deal with ethical issues and produce a piece of work that would make sense to both academics and managers in the tourism industry.

If you’re feeling stuck with BTM6DIS, the most important thing is to break it into simple steps: pick a focused question, agree it with your tutor, build a short reading list, map out your chapters, and then write a little bit each day instead of trying to do everything in one go. That way the dissertation feels like a series of small tasks rather than one huge mountain.

Sample

Title:

Do “Green” Hotel Practices Really Matter? A Study of Sustainable City-Break Tourism in Manchester, UK

1. Introduction

City-break tourism has grown strongly in the UK over the past decade, with travellers often choosing short stays in cities like Manchester, Edinburgh and Bristol instead of traditional long beach holidays. At the same time, public concern about climate change and environmental impact has increased. Many hotels now say they are “eco-friendly” or “sustainable”, but it is not always clear whether guests notice these efforts or if they actually change booking decisions.

This dissertation focuses on independent mid-range hotels in Manchester and looks at how visible sustainability practices influence the way guests choose where to stay. Manchester is a useful example because it is a major UK city with a mix of business and leisure visitors, a growing tourism sector, and strong messaging from the city about low-carbon growth and greener travel. However, not every hotel has the same level of resources as a large international chain, so it is important to understand what small and medium hotels can realistically do and what guests actually value.

Over the last few years, a number of UK tourism and hospitality reports have suggested that more travellers “care” about sustainability, but there is still a gap between what people say in surveys and what they do when they book. Price, location and online reviews often remain the main drivers. For independent hotels, this creates a practical management problem: they may spend time and money on green certifications, recycling schemes or local food sourcing, but they are not sure if these efforts bring any return in terms of occupancy or room rate.

The aim of this study is therefore to explore whether visible sustainability practices influence guest booking decisions in independent hotels in Manchester.

To achieve this aim, the dissertation sets the following objectives:

  • To review existing literature on sustainable tourism, green hotel practices and consumer decision-making.

  • To identify which sustainability practices are most commonly advertised by independent Manchester hotels to potential guests.

  • To explore how recent guests at these hotels perceive and value such practices when choosing where to stay.

  • To provide practical recommendations for hotel managers on how to communicate sustainability in a way that is clear and credible to guests.

Based on these objectives, the dissertation will address the following research questions:

  1. What does existing research say about the relationship between hotel sustainability practices and guest booking decisions?

  2. Which types of sustainability initiatives are most visible in the marketing of independent hotels in Manchester?

  3. How do guests who stay in these hotels view and prioritise sustainability compared with other factors such as price, location and online reviews?

  4. How can independent hotel managers present their sustainability efforts in a way that supports both guest expectations and business performance?

This study is significant for several reasons. From an academic point of view, it adds a focused case study to the broader debate on sustainable tourism by zeroing in on independent city-break hotels in one UK destination rather than large international chains. From a practical point of view, it can help hotel owners decide whether to invest more in visible green practices, in communication, or in other aspects of the guest experience. For local and national tourism bodies, the findings may give a clearer picture of how city-break visitors think about sustainability when making choices.

The dissertation is also important for the researcher’s own professional development. Understanding how sustainability is linked to everyday business decisions in tourism will be valuable for a career in hotel management, destination marketing or tourism consultancy in the UK.

The dissertation is structured in five chapters. Chapter One introduces the study, sets out the research problem, aim, objectives and questions. Chapter Two reviews the main literature on sustainable tourism, green hotel practices and consumer behaviour, and identifies the gap this study addresses. Chapter Three explains the research methodology, including the research philosophy, approach, design, data collection and ethical considerations. Chapter Four presents and discusses the findings from the data. Chapter Five summarises the research, highlights limitations and offers recommendations and suggestions for further study.

2. Brief Literature Background

Sustainable tourism is often described as tourism that meets the needs of visitors and host communities while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. In the hotel sector, this idea is usually translated into practical actions such as energy and water saving, waste reduction, use of local suppliers, and fair employment practices. Many hotels in the UK now have towel-reuse schemes, LED lighting, and some form of recycling. A smaller group has formal eco-labels or green certifications.

However, the link between these practices and guest behaviour is not straightforward. Some studies suggest that a growing segment of travellers, especially younger and more educated guests, is willing to choose or even pay more for “green” accommodation. Other research suggests that when guests actually book, they still tend to focus on price, location, free Wi-Fi and review scores first, with sustainability features being a “nice extra” rather than a deciding factor.

There is also debate about the difference between deep, operational changes (for example, investment in efficient heating or renewable energy) and more surface-level “green” signals, such as a few lines on a website or a card in the bathroom asking guests to reuse towels. For independent hotels with limited budgets, deciding which approach matters most to guests – and therefore which to prioritise – is a key management question.

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