The tourism and hospitality industry has entered a new phase in recent years – one where priority is given to conservation and community upliftment alongside building business and fuelling footfall. At the recently concluded ITB Asia 2014, one of the sessions addressed responsible tourism, stating that they aim to make it a part of mainstream tourism and not just a niche segment of travel. But a widely popular idiom comes to mind in this situation – charity begins at home.
It is probably this thought that first encouraged companies to add Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to their standard operating procedures. Being an industry that thrives on people to people relations and places emphasis on conservation, it has over time become a part of the sector’s DNA. Ranging from energy and water conservation to community betterment, NGO activities and so on, the tourism and hospitality industry makes continuous, and sometimes numerous, CSR strategies year after year.
Radha Bhatia, Chairperson, Bird Group, which runs a number of charitable organisations, said that the Group’s social responsibility is being driven to make meaningful interventions in the areas of education, health and women empowerment. “We hope to engage, educate and empower women and children through various initiatives to augment inclusive growth. We have adopted a village named Mangar in Gurgaon to promote IT education among underprivileged students in Mangar village of Gurgaon. Earlier, we were paying the salary of faculty and now ITI has adopted the school. We are also imparting training to women to make them economically self-reliant,” Radha Bhatia said and added that Bird Foundation has now become a funding agency and recently donated funds and computers to NGOs. She has also been trying to rope in other management institutes and universities to make them partners in her endeavours.
Women safety is another field where Bird Group has initiated some innovative measures. “We tied up with Delhi Police and recently conducted a 10 days training workshop on self defence techniques and moves as well as how to deal with crisis situation for our women employees. 45 students of the Group participated in training programme,” she added. Last year, the Group organised ‘WE’ conference highlighting the role of empowered women in empowering the larger society. The conference worked as a platform for all women to drive their ambition and motivate them to achieve their dreams. The Group also organises free health check up of women in villages of Gurgaon.
“CSR in India has traditionally been seen as a philanthropic activity. It was an activity that was performed but not deliberated. As a result, there is limited documentation on specific activities related to this concept. However, it was clearly evident that much of this had a national character encapsulated within it, whether it was endowing institutions to actively participating in India’s freedom movement, and embedded in the idea of trusteeship,” opined Om Prakash, Director, In ORBIT Tours.
He further stated that, the practice of CSR in India still remains within the philanthropic space, but has moved from institutional building (educational, research and cultural) to community development through various projects. “With global influences and with communities becoming more active and demanding, there appears to be a discernible trend, that while CSR remains largely restricted to community development, it is getting more strategic in nature (that is, getting linked with business) than philanthropic, and a large number of companies are reporting the activities they are undertaking in this space in their official websites, annual reports, sustainability reports and even publishing CSR reports,” Prakash said.
A green shoot
Termed a growing ‘trend’ in the tourism industry, CSR has grown year on year to become more than just an umbrella under which to donate to a needy cause or segregate wet and dry garbage. Owing to the advent of green technology, every few years the industry moves on to a new method of energy and natural resources conservation under CSR. For instance, Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport falls under the IHG Green Engage programme. According to Grimek Khizakhe, Manager HR & Talent Development, Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport, the IHG Green Engage is a point-based metric system, like LEED, BREEAM and Green Globes. These systems establish both a minimum level of sustainability and outline opportunities for improvement. But IHG Green Engage goes further, providing ongoing tracking, reporting and analysis as well as point-based certifications. It encourages improved performance and recommends solutions to sustainability challenges.
“Key action groups under this programme are where the hotel is taking measures, including operations & processes; site; water; products and materials; waste; building envelope; mechanical; and energy. There are several points distributed across the water, energy, mechanical, operations and processes groups that are directly or indirectly contributing to conservation or natural resources,” he added.
Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited (MHRIL) views CSR not just as an important statutory requirement, but as an ideology that depicts and defines the company’s business behaviour. One of the key areas of it’s CSR strategy pertains to conserving natural resources and ensuring environmental sustainability. Mohit Bhatia, Chief Human Resource Officer, MHRIL revealed that the company has taken several measures at its resorts across India in order to implement this.
“Several of our resorts have been brought under this scope through energy saving initiatives that have been put in place. One of the projects, called ‘Mahindra Hariyali’ is an initiative at some of our resorts to plant tree saplings to help increase green cover and offset green-house gas emissions. Some of the other initiatives implemented at our resorts include installation of solar power and environment friendly refrigerants and water recycling. We also carry out rain water harvesting at some of our resorts. Apart from undertaking various activities, we also work towards creating awareness about the need to conserve natural resources and sensitise communities on environmental issues and the importance of green practices,” Mohit Bhatia stated.
Accor’s Planet21 initiative gained a lot of attention when launched across all it’s brands worldwide about two years ago. As part of the programme, Sofitel Mumbai BKC hosts activities such as tree plantations within the premises of the hotel and the local community and Sewage Treatment Plant optimisation. Speaking with T3, Salil Desai, Director of Human Resources, Sofitel Mumbai BKC added that an innovative Coffee Bean Waste Project has also been implemented wherein used coffee beans are collected from all areas of the hotel and transferred into the Waste Converter Machine to create recycled waste, which is later used as manure for the plants.
“In today’s day and age it is vital that measures are taken to conserve natural resources and the eco system. At Sofitel Mumbai BKC, we take efforts to encourage our guests and ambassadors to contribute to a healthier and cleaner environment. Cycle2 work, an initiative part of the World Environment Day celebrations, and the Mithi River Race, marathon to build awareness of social responsibility towards the environment were some of our initiatives within this year itself,” he said.
Premier Inn follows parent company Whitbread’s Good Together programme, which focuses on reducing the carbon footprint at all it’s operating units. Aly Shariff, Senior Vice President, Operations (Asia), Premier Inn revealed that the programme covers a wide range of areas such as energy efficiency and waste reduction, sourcing the most sustainable raw materials such as coffee, meat and fish, encouraging healthier eating and further developing charity programmes with WaterAid and Costa Foundation.
Airlines too have joined the bandwagon to facilitate conservation as part of their daily workings. Rajesh Menon, Regional Sales & Marketing Manager – South Asia, Cathay Pacific Airways opined that the airline industry operates in a situation that brings about increased impacts on the environment and communities, and is being increasingly brought under the limelight due to the industry’s reliance on fossil fuels, increasing regulations, external interest, consumer and investor needs and other risks and liabilities associated with operations.
“We have hence developed a strategy with a view to embed best-in-class social and environmental practices across all our business operations. Our strategy covers five priority areas: improving flight operations by becoming more fuel efficient, investing in the best available technology and utilising optimum flight management procedures; enhancing the environmental performance of our ground infrastructure and support services; providing customers with sustainable products and services; developing partnerships with our suppliers to address and improve the social and environmental impacts of our supply chain; and supporting people and communities at the workplace and empowering them to make a difference in local communities,” said Menon.
Investing in emotions
With the tourism and hospitality industry growing into every corner of the country, it has becoming increasingly important to either involve the local community, or give back to it. JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai, in addition to giving its associates a choice to donate any amount towards supporting the elementary education of the vernacular language of the girls at a children’s home called Bal Bhawan, also plans to give an internship opportunity/ training in 2015 to the girls from the facility who have completed their secondary education, revealed Divyangana Shrivastava, Director of Human Resources, JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai.
The property also hosts an Associate Appreciation Week wherein it arranges for the associates to visit Bal Bhawan and gift/donate anything that they like to the children residing there; and invites the girls to the hotel for Diwali. The hotel also associates with Deeds, a school for the deaf and dumb and provide them with training and apprenticeship programmes, Shrivastava added.
Menon commented that the airline is always a part of the communities served and the environment in which it operates. In the recent years Cathay Pacific Airways, along with sister airline Dragonair, has worked with organisations such as Habitat for Humanity, Muktangan, Udavam Karangal, Calcutta Rescue, Naandi Foundation, Bangalore Oniyavar Seva Coota (BOSCO), Manchikalalu Organisation and Butterflies in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad.
MHRIL also encourages its employees to be change agents and support NGOs in their personal capacity by setting an example. Waste Warriors, a voluntary organisation and a registered society committed to cleaning up India, has initiated a waste management project for the many villages around the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand. Their project for the Corbett landscape is huge and was established with the intention to provide sustainable waste management systems for over 100 villages spread across 100 kms, in three districts of Uttrakhand. MHRIL and Anand Mahindra are supporting the organisation in its efforts by providing monetary help and ground assistance, Mohit Bhatia divulged. The company also aims to support and work closely with orphanages, old age homes and homes for differently abled across India to help make a difference.
Sofitel Mumbai BKC has recently tied-up with the Indian Foot and Mouth Painting Association, set up for disabled artists. The hotel associated with them to display the paintings created by these spirited individuals around the hotel. The proceedings collected through the purchase of the paintings were completely given to the artists.
The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa runs a CSR programme called MET REACH, and as part of it has raised funds for devastated people of Uttrakhand with World Brotherhood Organisation and the conservation of elephants in India with Wildlife SOS, Sanzeev Bhatia, General Manager, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa revealed.
The growth of this trend
An undeniable conclusion to the industry’s CSR activities is that this trend will only keep growing. Menon opined that there is a growing trend towards these activities in emerging economies and many larger corporations from these economies have improved environmental and social governance compared with their developed economy peers. Shariff believes that CSR activities are becoming increasingly important as the Government is taking steps to ensure that all the companies are actively involved and are contributing their part towards CSR and the hospitality industry is also going down the same route.
“We feel that making hospitality and tourism more sustainable is actually about adding value to communities. It is also an important aspect towards providing value to stakeholders and finding solutions to mitigate business risk and turning them into opportunities. We strive to create awareness and support conservation of the environment at all locations we are present in,” said Sanzeev Bhatia.
Khizakhe stated that, being a service oriented industry, CSR comes naturally to the hospitality community; and since CSR helps everyone, the initiative (social, environmental etc) the people and the company the hospitality industry can do a lot to contribute e.g. using LED’s for energy conservation, associating with Swach Bharat program by involving the surrounding community etc.
The next step
Although the industry’s activities seem vast and numerous, the stakeholders do not intend to stop there. With 2014 coming to an end, these companies are set to commence 2015 with renewed vigour, and in some cases, even new CSR strategies. For instance, Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport plans to take its association with the Swach Bharat programme to a new level. Furthermore, it is looking to be associated with the J&K government to train and recruit employees from the state under the Udaan programme, and is currently associated with a similar one called the YCI programme, said Khizakhe.
MHRIL has a four point strategy for CSR for the year 2015: Promoting education, including special education and employment, enhancing vocational training for children, women, elderly and the differently abled; Empowering women, promoting gender equality, reducing inequality faced by socially and economically backward groups; Rural development and social upliftment projects; and ensuring environmental sustainability.
“As a CSR initiative, as a matter of principle we do not give donations. We strongly believe in participation of the people and creating a community which also believes in contributing to the society. After initiating activities like Mithi River Race and International Disability Day in December, 2014, we have plans of organising Blood Donation Camp, Wellness Programmes, Health Talks, Cycle Promotion, Visit to Old Age Homes, Painting Exhibitions of Mouth & Foot Artists. We also intend to create a fund for unexpected natural calamities so that we can provide financial assistance to the victims in India,” said Desai.
The Bird is now working on expanding its reach. “We are aiming to replicate our success in Mangar village to other parts of the Delhi-NCR region. We are looking at some NGOs as partner to increase our reach. I am also planning to take ‘WE’ in other SAARC region and discussing the roadmap with diplomats,” she added.
