Public Policy for Corporate Social Responsibility and Governance for Sustainable Tourism Development in Greece

Abstract

Business innovation, employment generation, environmental sustainability and good governance were some of the fundamental issues that crisis highlighted in Greece as prerequisites for sustainable development. The tourism sector sustainability in parallel with environmental modernization competiveness and social welfare is a complicated and a non linear policy task. The sustainable development in European Union and member states such as Greece is crucial for 2020 and 2030. Moreover, it is essential for the tourism sector’s differentiation-competiveness but local societies’ welfare too, because it holds a significant share of GDP in Greece. This paper combines literature review, theoretical investigation and political discourse analysis in European Union for CSR and SD. The main goal is to provide a comparative policy analysis framework, which will link European policy framework for SD and CSR with tourism sector in Greece. From a public policy perspective and governance, tourism is an interdisciplinary and multitasking policy field (e.g. agro-food and culture), because influences different policy tasks as well as different stakeholders. The business sector in tourism is an essential stakeholder for sustainable development, whilst its corporate social responsibility is an important factor. The existing policy framework for corporate social responsibility and responsible entrepreneurship in European Union and Greece indicates potentials for tourism sector, in parallel with the international quality standards and criteria. The Sustainable Development Agenda for 2030 is a policy framework that influences CSR policy implementation and sets critical development issues and indicators for development activities with great socioeconomic impact and environmental footprint such as tourism.