Corporate social responsibility in travel on the upswing

February 13, 2008
	In just over two short years since the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) introduced Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a major industry initiative, the number of travellers and companies embracing environmental awareness has more than doubled, according to an industry-wide survey conducted jointly by ACTE and KDS, a travel management group. The survey indicates 59% of respondents' companies now have a CSR charter, and that the same percentage of their travellers looks to these charters in making environmentally sound travel decisions. Quoted by Michael Verikios in Travel Daily News, ACTE's executive director Susan Gurley says this is a major industry shift that goes beyond a trend or a public relations campaign: "It is the beginning of behavioral change that clearly indicates companies and their travellers support corporate social responsibility because it is the right thing to do."
	Author: TOURISM staff Organization: Canadian Tourism Commission