CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN VENEZUELAN HOTELS

This paper analyzes the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the hotel sector of Merida State (Venezuela) and its contribution to the sociocultural dimension of local development. A theoretical framework is presented that supports the subsequent empirical analysis. Summary is made of the public policies related to CSR and the tourism sector, and the characteristics of the State of Merida where the tourism activity that is going to be analyzed is carried out. Next, the empirical part is developed. The managers of the hotels were surveyed, using a questionnaire adapted from indicators of the ETHOS Institute. Average values of the different items are obtained by dimensions, themes and indicators and a logistic regression model is applied. The Governance and Management dimension has high compliance with anti-corruption practices. In the Social dimension, three indicators are highly valued (relationship with consumers, monitoring the impact on human rights and relations with employees) and three less valued (support for the development of suppliers, commitment to the community and professional development). Additionally, three aspects of CSR contribute to the sociocultural dimension (vision and strategy, human rights and sustainable use of resources) and represent 58% of the larger hotels, with most category, and longest seniority.