Abstract
CSR in the tourism industry aims to bring to the fore social responsibility initiatives. The decline in the first 10 months of the year 2020 represents 900 million fewer international tourist arrivals compared to the same period of the year 2019, and translates into a loss of US$ 935 billion in export revenues from international tourism. According to the World Tourism Organization, international arrivals will drop by 75% in 2020. This would mean that international tourism has returned to the levels of 30 years ago. In order to restore tourism, extensive social responsibility campaigns involving stakeholders should be launched. The main stakeholders in the tourism industry carry out social responsibility campaigns that take into account employees, guests, the environment, and the local communities. Environmental protection, fair working conditions for employees, and contributing to the welfare of local communities are key issues in the strategies of international tourism corporations and will be explored in the chapter on CSR in the tourism industry.
TopBackground
The European Commission presents the multidisciplinary nature of CSR, pointing out the areas covered: human rights, labor, and employment practices (training, diversity, equal opportunities for women and men, health and well-being of the employees) environmental issues (biodiversity, climate change, effective use of resources, life cycle assessment, and pollution prevention), combating bribery and corruption, consumer interests, community involvement and development, integration of people with disabilities. Cross-cutting issues are also addressed: social promotion and environmental responsibility through supply chains and the reporting of non-financial data (EU, 2021; The role of CSR in business strategy, 2018).
According to the EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2017) tourism companies report CSR actions, so appreciated by tourists.
Companies in the tourism industry are becoming increasingly concerned about their role in terms of social responsibility, which implies ethical behavior in conducting business (Köseoglu, et al., 2021).
In figure no.1 entitled: The essence of corporate social responsibility on different levels: economic, legal and ethical there can be observed the different levels in social responsibility that companies in the tourism sector should fulfill.
Figure 1. The essence of corporate social responsibility on different levels: economic, legal and ethical
Key Terms in this Chapter
Airline Companies: Commercial enterprises that provides scheduled flights or charters for passengers.
Hotels: A place to sleep and eat and other services for tourists offered for a sum of money.
Hotel Strategies: An overview of the hotel services offered to their customers.
Tourism Industry: A complex concept, which includes several fields of activity: travel agencies, airlines, hotels and restaurants, entertainment activities, professional associations and tourism state bodies.
CSR: Represents a management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders.
Global Code of Ethics for Tourism: A fundamental frame of reference for responsible and sustainable tourism and encompass a comprehensive set of principles designed to guide key-players in tourism development.
Travel Agencies: Creator and seller of holiday packages.