Travel Best Practice CSR Pays Dividends
David Reutz of Messe Berlin
“Are CSR concepts in the tourism industry only niche products or are these best practice examples actually trendsetters with a potential impact on the entire industry?”
This was the question set the high level panel on day two of the ITB CSR programme – including such big hitters as John Koldowski of PATA and David Ruetz of Messe Berlin (hosts of ITB).
The “CSR at Work“ panel examined examples of best practice in international tourism. Following an introductory paper by David Ruetz, Senior Manager ITB Berlin, a discussion round featuring leading figures debated what objectives corporate concepts are pursuing and the impact of CSR concepts on the industry overall.
The packed hall heard that Voluntourism is now the fastest growing sector of the burgeoning adventure travel market. Said Richard G Edwards of the Planeterra Foundation “Our sponsors GAP Adventures can hardly handle the current demand – customers are just blowing the door off in Toronto”
In the spirit of CSR David Reutz frankly admitted that the climate balance analysis of ITB was “terrible” but all that was needed was to switch on the light of CSR.
John Koldowski brought Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs into the discussion asserting that we were still at the bottom of the triangle but going up.
And Gopinath Parayil invoked Shakespeare’s ghost with the statement that “Some are born with CSR, some achieve CSR and some have CSR trust upon them”
Whatever happens with CSR in the travel and tourism industry, it seems that it doesn’t lack high-level protagonists.
Valere Tjolle
Valere
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