Adoption of renewable energy innovations in the Portuguese rural tourist accommodation sector

Abstract The imperative of decarbonisation represents a great challenge for the tourist accommodation sector. This article examines the adoption of renewable energy innovations in the tourist accommodation sector of Portugal. The analysis focuses on one of the most known tourist accommodation products in the Portuguese countryside: Tourism in Rural Areas (TER). Drawing from two complementary e-mail-based surveys conducted with TER owners/managers, the results of the study show that there is a substantial gap between their positive perceptions of renewables and levels of renewable energy innovations adoption. The reasons pinpointed relate to unfavourable market factors and to institutional, legal, regulatory, or administrative hurdles. In addition, except for geographical location, the characteristics of the units and respondents had no significant influence on adoption.