Sustainability and transparency of ethics in the tourism sector: the role of corporate social responsibility policies and the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism

Abstract The tourism sector is key to sustainable development, but ethics, although essential, has often been overlooked in research on sustainable tourism. Although ethics and transparency are an essential part of corporate governance, there is no proper accountability for ethical behaviour on the part of organisations. This study aims to advance the understanding of how sector entities can contribute to sustainable tourism by promoting the transparency of organisational ethics. The article proposes a model to understand the relationships, direct and mediating, between variables that promote ethical transparency, such as corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies, economic outcomes, and the adoption of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (GCET). Few studies have addressed the role of the GCET as a tool within CSR policies in the sector. The model and hypotheses were tested using partial least squares analysis with data from 137 Spanish hotel chains. The results highlight the direct and mediating role of CSR policies in ethical transparency. The company’s resources and capabilities must be channelled through CSR policies to facilitate ethical and transparent management. Given the direct relationship identified between the adoption of GCET and ethical transparency, it is suggested that non-financial and sustainability-related information include ethics as an explicit dimension in reports, in line with the content of the GCET. These findings can help companies strengthen their governance by improving transparency and explicitly incorporating the ethical dimension into accountability. All of these are necessary conditions for promoting sustainability.