Crucial to tourism are beautiful landscapes, the impeccable nature, pure and pristine lakes, and cultural heritage. However, as more and more people travel across borders, visit untouched and unseen lands, ponder into deep forests, the biodiversity is being threatened by the lack of disciplined travel.

To maintain the balance of nature it is necessary to manage tourism in a sustainable way. In recent years, Sustainable development is being given more importance than ever before.  Tourism is seen as a way to gain income and provide a market for small organizations in low-income countries. Sustainability has arisen as the way forward to preserve the ecosystem and improve quality of life of host populations.

 

This rise in awareness gained traction to a form of tourism called, Sustainable Tourism. It is a concept wherein, a tourist visits a destination with the cause of bringing about a positive change in the environment, society and economy.

The past few years can be seen as the silver lining for sustainable development as there has been steady growth and endorsement of sustainable tourism principles leading to the creation of many initiatives.

Born out of may such initiatives is the Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR]. CSR is a concept beautifully adorned by many organizations including, Hotels, Tourism Boards, and Multi-National Companies, where companies integrate social environmental concerns in their business models on a voluntary basis with an intention to bring a positive impact on society and the environment.

Although CSR initiatives have risen to the top during the recent years, it was first implemented in the later part of the 1990s by international hotel corporations.

Today, the concent of Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR] in tourism has become an integral part of the corporate strategy for tourism companies/businesses.

Some of the CSR measures  in tourism include:

• Responsible use of natural resources.
• Pollution minimalisation.
• Responsible usage of local products.
• Collaborating and cooperating with local organizations to improve the quality of the host population.
• Conservation of biodiversity, landscape, and cultural heritage.
• Promoting sustainable products and services.

To function successfully in the future, it will be necessary for tourism enterprises to continuously implement and strongly institute CSR tactics in the long term.

Watch out for more info as we explore various CSR activities in tourism undertaken by different organizations!

Also Read:

1. How Can We Make Tourism Sustainable?
2. How I Try To Decrease My Carbon Footprint While Travelling
3. Do Millennials Really Care About Sustainable Tourism?