Society of Eastern Poland in Light of the Use of Hotels Providing Pro-Environmental Activities

The aim of the study is to analyse the attitudes of the society of Eastern Poland (Lublin voivodeship, Podkarpackie voivodeship and Podlaskie voivodeship) towards a range of hotels that declare the pro-ecological activities in their offer. Efforts have been made to identify barriers to higher prices for respondents from the surveyed regions as an increased cost of protecting the environment. The paper presents the hypothesis: on the market of accommodation services in Eastern Poland there are groups of tourists who, when booking an accommodation, pay attention to the environmental aspects of hotel operations, including the ISO 14001 certificate, an economical energy policy and a rational waste policy in the hotel. To achieve the intended purpose, the study used the method of a diagnostic survey with a research tool in the form of an original questionnaire that provided necessary data. The study was conducted from May to October 2017 among residents of Eastern Poland (0.02 % the population of residents in Lublin voivodeship, Podkarpackie voivodeship and Podlaskie voivodeship) using hotel accommodation services. The discriminant function analysis was used for statistical calculation. Among the population of Eastern Poland aged over 60, the interest in choosing a hotel that conducts pro-environmental activities is low. As many as 25.89 % of them are not able to pay a higher price for an accommodation in a hotel that conducts activities and investments in the field of environmental protection. This is mainly due to the low income of this social group. However, in groups of younger Poles from the Eastern Poland Region, the lower the age range, the fewer people would refuse to additionally pay for a service in a hotel that pursues pro-ecological policy. Eastern Poles up to 30 years old are more environmentally conscious. As many as 86.31 % of them are able to pay up higher price for a night in an eco-friendly hotel. At the same time, these people generate a greater demand for the services of ecological hotels. The significant statistical factors in choosing an eco-friendly hotel by guests from Eastern Poland were: the preparation of meals from organic products, running a cost-effective energy policy and having the ISO 14001 certificate. However, the statistically significant barriers were: low income related of consumers from Eastern Poland, lack of knowledge about environmental activities in hotels, no promotion of ecological hotels, to desire to purchase the cheapest accommodation by guests.