CSR Reporting Initiative for Tourism
Sustainability reporting for small and medium enterprises in tourism
Project duration: December 2006 - May 2008
Partners: KATE, Tourism Watch (eed) , UNI-Europe, Forum Anders Reisen
Supported by the European Commission
Corporate Social Responsibility or, in short, CSR stands for an entrepreneurial concept that combines core business operations with voluntary social and ecological responsibility. In the broader sense, CSR denotes a sustainable approach to business. More specifically, it means an enterprise聮s social responsibility both internally and in its external relations.
Until now there have been no standardised CSR criteria for the tourism industry. On a European level as well as internationally several businesses, state-run institutions and non-governmental organizations may have come up with codes of conduct. For the most part, however, these only address subareas such as environment protection, human rights or the rights of employees. More and more often businesses articulate a need for concrete and straightforward CSR tools they can implement on a day-to-day basis. Reporting is considered to be a key factor in this respect.
Development of guidelines for CSR reporting in tourism
This is where our project comes in. Together with travel businesses, associations and social partners it aims at developing a simple and inexpensive CSR reporting system that will serve as an effective tool for the implementation of corporate social responsibility in tourism.
Sustainability reporting is an innovative management and communication tool that helps to concretise CSR. It introduces employees and business partners as well as consumers and the general public to an enterprise聮s stance on CSR.
Measures until the end of 2007
路 A promotional flyer addressed at tourists will advertise the concept of CSR as well as the demand for it.
路 Printed CSR guidelines will be created in cooperation with travel businesses and the project partners.
路 Participants in the project will include small and medium travel businesses as pilot enterprises, most of which are organised in 聯Forum Anders Reisen聰 while two are from other European countries.
路 Those pilot enterprises will provide sustainability reports based on the guidelines. They will be accompanied and advised by the partner organisations.
路 The guidelines as well as the pilot enterprises聮 reports will be published and then distributed at trade fairs and other events throughout Europe.
路 At a European conference in October 2007 the guidelines and the pilot enterprises as well as their respective sustainability reports will be presented.
