Why CSR makes good business sense

In the past, CSR programmes have often been overlooked in the hospitality sector, and in general. However, things are changing rapidly, and embracing a CSR programme and culture can be easier than one thinks. All companies, big or small, can be part of this movement. Most of all, CSR activities should not be viewed as an “expense” but as a partnership with the community, a benefit to the environment and a way to enhance the value of your business

--Social and Cultural conservation
Today, companies have to work together with the local community and this can take a number of forms. Companies must give special consideration to employing and empowering people from the local community, and whenever possible, ensuring that environmentally and culturally sustainable products and services are sourced locally. We have learnt that when expanding the Minor Hotel Group to China, the Maldives, Australia and beyond, working with the local communities from a CSR perspective ensured that we were able to quickly tap into on-the-ground expertise from a business operations perspective. In addition, we ensured our position as a good corporate citizen earning valuable community goodwill.

--Enhance guest experience
In the tourism industry, also consider how CSR can add value to your guest offering! Actively encourage guests to participate in CSR activities. This is something we have done within the Anantara hotel group and the popularity of activities that we offer in the Maldives such as coral planting to rejuvenate the surrounding reefs or elephant conservation in Chiang Rai, mangrove planting in Sikao and turtle releases in Phuket – it is these unique experiences that not only give our guests a great holiday experience but they also leave knowing that they have given back something to the environment and local community. You can imagine how this offers a direct return on investment to the brand – green business is good business!

--Add value to your business through CSR
Remember, you don’t have to do everything yourself; partnering a charity or organisation with a similar vision can have a very positive reflection on your business.
We felt that there was true value in partnering with a world-renowned organisation with genuine expertise and understanding of CSR, so Green Globe was our partner of choice and we felt that value was added in three key ways:
-working with renowned experts gives us the framework and quality goals to achieve at an international level;
-obtaining accreditation from such an organisation adds to our brand value;
-CSR expectations of guests are met and often surpassed.
Overall, being a good corporate citizen involves bringing your team together in a meaningful way where small steps ensure progress in leaps and bounds. Involving charitable partners or creating your own initiative creates the direction and showcases the results of everyone’s hard work. CSR is now an integral part of doing good business – embrace it!