Wednesday, June 19, 2019

What CSR in Tourism?

First of all, what is CSR? The UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) defines: “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders.” In simple words, how a company is conscious of the impact they are having on society and do changes or projects to improve based on the four aspects of Sustainability.

Sustainability: the ability of a society to make conscious and responsible use of its resources, whether natural, energy and economic, without exhausting them or exceeding their capacity for renewal and without compromising access to them by future generations


On the other hand, we can see that the Tourism industry has increased to the point of being a fundamental piece for the fulfillment of sustainability. That's why the concept of "Sustainable Tourism" is born. And more than what the tourist needs to do for help, we want to focus on what the companies can do. Of course, the tourist is part of this purpose, but the companies are the ones that have more job to do in this objective because they are the ones who will set the example for their clients.
So, how can Touristic companies and CSR be related? A guideline for this is the “Global Code of Ethics for Tourism” made by the UNWTO, which sets a frame of reference for the responsible and sustainable development of tourism. Ten ethic codes where you can learn, for example, about responsible use of natural and cultural resources; the minimization of pollution and waste; the conservation of landscapes, biodiversity and cultural heritage; fair and responsible treatment of employees, suppliers and guests; fair use of local products and services; as well as involvement and cooperation with local communities so as to improve the quality of life of local people.
In conclusion, these two concepts need to be one. When we think about Tourism companies, we can also talk about a Corporate Social Responsible industry.

No comments:

Post a Comment