Guests’ Perceptions And Hotels’ Approaches As To CSR In The Hotel Industry: A Comparative Study Between Tunisia And Hungary
Authors:   , Chaker Hajer 
Published: November 2023

Iwaniec et al. (2020) note the challenge of promoting environmental behavior among visitors, particularly the younger generation, in today's changing ecological, social, and economic climate. This challenge is crucial not just for sustainable tourism but for society as a whole. The increasing number of environmentally aware travelers has led to pressure on hotel operators to adopt sustainable practices. To develop effective sustainability programs, it is vital to understand what hotel guests prefer. Therefore, the goal of this thesis is to examine CSR strategies in the hotel industry and identify a set of attributes that suit both generation Z guests and hotels' perspectives. By finding common points, the study aims to contribute to successful sustainability programs in the hotel industry.. Based on this, the main research question of my study is: What attributes should a CSR strategy contain based on hotels' approaches and guests' perceptions? To answer the research question, the phenomenon of sustainable hotels should be analyzed from different aspects. Qualitative research methods are applied in the dissertation: systematic literature research, netnography, Q method and in-depth interviews. These methods were applied in both Tunisia and Hungary in a socio-cultural comparative study. The main scientific contributions of my dissertation are the following: (1) Identifying CSR attributes by studying hotels’ approaches as well as guests’ perceptions of CSR. This research adds to the existing literature on sustainability in the hospitality industry by exploring guests' perceptions and identifying key attributes for a successful CSR strategy that aligns with both hotel approaches and guest preferences. (2) Identifying the CSR attributes that hotels use in both their strategic and operative level. The study categorized CSR related information into eight categories, and recent articles led to a recategorization into four main categories. Tunisian and Hungarian hotels' websites mentioned social and economic categories consistently but had less consistent mentions of environmental categories, and safety was not mentioned on all websites. The social media and marketing attribute from the economic category was mentioned on all websites. (3) Identifying the CSR aspects of visited hotels that guests refer to in their reviews and comments. The study found that Tunisian and Hungarian hotels received mostly positive feedback on their CSR practices, with local environment, employee attitude, and environmental responsibility being key areas of focus, and suggests that educating guests on sustainable practices could further improve hotels' CSR strategies. (4) Identifying the CSR attributes preferred by hotel managers and those preferred by guests. Tunisian hotel managers face challenges in implementing sustainable practices effectively, while Hungarian hotel managers are highly committed to sustainability and CSR. Both groups agree on the importance of sustainability and focus on energy consumption reduction and proper waste management, with a focus on educating employees or supporting local communities, respectively. (5) Identifying if there are any differences between hotel managers / guests based on socio-cultural backgrounds. Tunisian and Hungarian hotel managers are committed to sustainability, but Tunisian managers face implementation challenges due to a lack of means and government support, while Hungarian guests are more knowledgeable, and both Tunisian and Hungarian guests from generation Z prioritize comfort despite awareness of CSR importance.