Net-Zero Pathways for Thailand's Hotel Sector: Strategic Roadmaps and Technological Adoption (2030- 2040)

Abstract – The Thai hotel industry is an essential sector in Thailand’s economy, but it also has an impact on greenhouse gasemissions due to high energy consumption in construction processes like air conditioning, lighting, heating, and waste disposal.This study aims to investigate the ways and strategies that can be taken towards achieving net-zero emissions in Thailand’shotel industry between 2030 and 2040, focusing on major tourist destinations like Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. A heatmodel has been applied in this study to analyze emissions during the maintenance phase in the construction of hotel buildings. Ithas been found that there are differences in emissions in these regions due to dissimilarities in climate and structural conditions.Bangkok has lower emissions compared to Phuket and Chiang Mai. Technologies that can be applied in achieving net-zeroemissions have also been identified in this study, including solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, heat pump, wind power, wasteheat, and energy efficiency in building construction and operation. Strategic roadmaps have been proposed in achieving thesetechnologies in the short term (2023-2025), medium term (2026-2030), and long term (2031-2040). These have been aligned withThailand’s Sustainable Tourism Goals (STGs). Moreover, the study has emphasized the significance of monitoring andevaluation mechanisms through key performance indicators like energy consumption, renewable energy, and waste. Despitethese opportunities, there are challenges in achieving net-zero emissions, including financial, technological, and regulatoryissues, particularly in small and medium-sized hotel enterprises. It has been concluded in this study that, with the application ofrenewable energy technologies and energy efficiency, Thailand can move towards achieving sustainability in its hotel industry.Keywords- Net-zero emissions; Sustainable tourism; Hotel sector decarbonization; Renewable energy; Solar photovoltaic;Energy efficiency; Thailand tourism industry; Sustainable Tourism Goals (STGs); Carbon emission reduction; Green hoteltechnologies.