Nexus Between Hotel Corporate Socially Responsible (CSR) Practices and Traveler's Perception on Hotel Selection Decision (Special Reference to Down South of Sri Lanka)
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Date
2015
Authors
Darshana, M.R.H.
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Publisher
Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka
Abstract
The global environmental threats, scarcity of natural resources and socio-economic impacts are forcing individuals and companies to evaluate their impact on natural, social and economic environments. During the past decade, consumers have become progressively more interested in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). As a response, hoteliers focused on investing in CSR activities which resulted in creating a gap between the hotel's CSR initiatives and traveler's perception. The purpose of this research is to identify the nexus between hotel CSR practices and traveler's perception on hotel selection decision. The researcher has constructed three research objectives based on three questions. The structured interview method was used to investigate the traveler's awareness on CSR, the link between hotel selection perception and CSR activities, and to ascertain the impact of CSR. Data were collected from 14 respondents using purposive sampling technique in a qualitative approach. Collected data were transcribed and analyzed manually using a thematic analysis. Results of the study revealed that there is no identifiable nexus between hotel CSR practices and traveler's perception on hotel selection decision. Further, the impact of CSR practices on hotel selection decision was very low. The results reflected that travelers perceive a positive attitude towards CSR and expect hotels to engage more in CSR. But travelers were not willing to accept CSR as a hotel selection factor. Therefore, it is necessary to work on enhancing the importance of CSR among tourism stakeholders to convert the potentiality of CSR into a key decision factor to attract tourists in the future.
Key words: CSR, Traveler's perception, Hotel selection, Awareness
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Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management degree programme (HTE)