EXPLORING OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF GREEN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT TO ADVANCE SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN NORTH MACEDONIA

Purpose – The drive for environmentally-sustainable tourism, seen as the consideration of present and future economic, social, and environmental effects while taking care of the needs of the tourist, the sector, the environment, and the host, has recently become a focus of many researchers and managers. To achieve environmental sustainability, the management of tourism organizations can benefit from introducing green human resource management (GHRM) practices as a new managerial approach to improve organizational performance. Grounded by three theories, the paper aims to address the gap in the GHRM research as part of the environmental sustainability efforts in the tourism by exploring the opportunities and obstacles for implementing such practices. Methodology – We conducted qualitative research founded on data from semi-structured interviews with nine HR professionals and managers who are working in tourism in North Macedonia. This helped us understand their experience in the settings holistically, thus helping us better understand how GHRM can help organizations improve their sustainable practices. We choose reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) as an approach to qualitative analysis. Findings – Through this exploratory study, we address 1) the potential opportunities and challenges of implementing GHRM practices to advance the environmental performance of tourism organizations, and 2) a theoretical framework for implementing GHRM for HR managers to contribute to the development of environmentally-sustainable tourism. Contribution – The paper represents one of the first studies on GHRM in North Macedonia and its tourism sector. As such, we aim to provide insight into the current situation as well as recommendations for the business community.