CSR and tourism development: greening the accommodation sector in Malaysia

One of the core resources for destination appeal stems from the availability of quality accommodation. As destinations compete to improve their global ranking, those responsible for managing the hotel and accommodation sector will play a major role in the delivery of positive destination image. Hotels like any other product must, like any market-driven business, become attractive “products”. The need to improve skills, particularly those of the front-line service staff, in communicating its corporate responsibility to society effectively to target markets is seen to be critical. This research paper reports on the findings of a fourteen months study on “Redefining Tourism Management: Identifying Critical Success Factors on Tourism Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility” in Malaysia. It examines the challenges faced by the hotel industry as guests become more selective in terms of accommodation choices while on vacation and comparatively seen as a reflection of their lifestyle at home. A qualitative approach to in-depth interviews was conducted with 64 respondents. This included outbound travel agencies and inbound tour operators, accommodation facilities, tourism related non-government organisations and international tourists vacationing in Malaysia. The evidence has shown that corporate social responsibility can no longer be seen as a trend but has implications on the sustainability of the business and may improve market share in the long term