EXPLORING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) ADOPTION IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY: THE CASE OF MALAWI

Many studies on corporate social responsibility (CSR) have focused on the understanding of CSR, CSR practices, masons for and barriers against the adoption of CSR, and the extent of adoption. In tourism, CSR has been closely linked to responsible tourism as tourism is believed to bring with it a number of negative impacts; hence, CSR is used as one of the ways of protecting the very resources that attract tourists to ensure the sustainability of tourism businesses. More studies have been conducted on CSR adoption in hospitality operations than the tourism sector worldwide. This study explores the practices and perspectives on CSR by tour operating companies in Malawi and the extent to which they have adopted the concept. A qualitative research approach was used for this study with semistructured interviews targeting senior managers of the tour operating companies. The study found that most tour operating companies have not fully adopted CSR.