Carbon footprint management in the tourism sector: A green marketing prespective form Manavgat's five-star hotels

The tourism sector is a dynamic industry that draws attention not only for its contribution to economic development but also for its pressure on natural resources. Especially accommodation establishments have high environmental impacts in terms of energy consumption, waste generation and greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, green marketing practices developed in line with sustainability principles are of great importance in terms of increasing environmental awareness and providing competitive advantage. While green marketing aims to raise awareness with environmentally friendly production, service and communication strategies, carbon footprint measurements stand out as a basic tool for evaluating the effectiveness of this process. Carbon footprint is an environmental indicator that expresses the measure of direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions of individuals or organizations. In the case of tourism enterprises, this measurement provides important data in terms of both improving environmental performance and sustainable destination management. In this study, the approaches of five-star hotels operating in the Manavgat region to carbon footprint and green marketing concepts were examined and the activities carried out by these businesses in the field of environmental sustainability within the scope of green marketing strategies were analyzed. Qualitative data collection method was preferred in the study. In this context, semi structured interviews with hotel managers detailed the perceptions and practices of the sector regarding green marketing and carbon footprint. This methodological approach made it possible to both reveal quantitative indicators and to understand the managerial tendencies behind these indicators. The findings suggest that many hotels have made efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, but these efforts are often limited to corporate image and responding to customer expectations. While there have been positive developments, particularly in the areas of energy efficiency, water conservation and waste management, there is a lack of standardization in the comprehensive measurement and reporting of carbon emissions. This limits the traceability and comparability of environmental performance. Keywords: Green Marketing, Carbon Footprint, Hospitality Sector