What are the best ways to report on your company's sustainable tourism efforts?

1 What is CSR reporting?

CSR reporting is the process of disclosing your company's social, environmental, and economic impacts and performance to your internal and external stakeholders, such as employees, customers, investors, regulators, and the public. CSR reporting helps you demonstrate your commitment to sustainability, accountability, and transparency, as well as your alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). CSR reporting can also help you identify and manage risks, opportunities, and improvement areas for your sustainable tourism practices.

2 How to choose a reporting framework?

A reporting framework is a set of guidelines, standards, or indicators that help you measure and report on your CSR performance in a consistent and comparable way. Popular reporting frameworks for sustainable tourism include the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, the Travelife Sustainability System, and the Green Destinations Standard. The GRI Standards are the most comprehensive and widely adopted global standards for sustainability reporting, covering economic, environmental, social, and governance topics. Additionally, they have a specific sector supplement for tourism with additional guidance and indicators. The Travelife Sustainability System is a certification scheme for tour operators and travel agents to improve their sustainability performance and report on their achievements. It is based on the GRI Standards and the SDGs, covering topics such as human rights, labor practices, environmental management, and customer communication. Lastly, the Green Destinations Standard is a certification scheme for destinations to assess and improve their sustainability performance while also reporting on their results. This standard is based on the SDGs and covers topics like nature and scenery, culture and tradition, social well-being, green economy, and climate and energy.

4 How to communicate and present your report?

Communication and presentation are essential for CSR reporting, as they help you share your sustainability story and engage your stakeholders. When preparing your report on your sustainable tourism efforts, consider your audience's preferences, expectations, and needs. Highlight your key messages and achievements, using facts, figures, and stories to illustrate your points. Additionally, it is important to provide assurance and feedback mechanisms to verify the report content and quality. This can be done by using external assurance providers such as auditors or experts, as well as feedback mechanisms such as surveys, comments, or ratings. Doing so will ensure accuracy, completeness, and reliability of the report while also providing recommendations for improvement and addressing stakeholders' opinions.

5 How to improve and update your report?

Improvement and update are ongoing steps for CSR reporting, as they help you maintain and enhance your sustainability performance and impact. To do this, you should monitor and evaluate your progress and impact, implementing and reporting on your actions, as well as review and revise your reporting scope, goals, and indicators. Data analysis methods and tools can be used to assess strengths and weaknesses, while SMART action plans can guide the implementation process. Additionally, stakeholder feedback, best practices, and emerging trends should be considered when reviewing and revising the report’s scope, goals, and indicators in order to ensure relevancy.