--- title: Staircase to Sustainability - Socio Economic Pillar image: https://global.hostelworld.com/hubfs/palmar.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://global.hostelworld.com/staircase-to-sustainability-socio-economic#main-content) [![Hostelworld](https://global.hostelworld.com/hs-fs/hubfs/HW_Horizontal%20tagline%20orange%20.png?width=280&height=62&name=HW_Horizontal%20tagline%20orange%20.png)](https://www.hostelworld.com/) English - [Español](https://global.hostelworld.com/es/staircase-to-sustainability-socio-economic) - [English](https://global.hostelworld.com/staircase-to-sustainability-socio-economic) - [Home](https://hostelworld-25308819.hubspotpagebuilder.eu/s2s) - [S2S Levels](https://global.hostelworld.com/s2s-levels-1) - [Home](https://hostelworld-25308819.hubspotpagebuilder.eu/s2s) - [S2S Levels](https://global.hostelworld.com/s2s-levels-1) - Menu Show submenu for Menu - [Home](https://global.hostelworld.com/staircase-to-sustainability) - [Sustainability Management](https://global.hostelworld.com/staircase-to-sustainability-sustainability-management) - [Socio-Economic](https://global.hostelworld.com/staircase-to-sustainability-socio-economic) - [Cultural Impact](https://global.hostelworld.com/staircase-to-sustainability-cultural-impact) - [Environmental Impact](https://global.hostelworld.com/staircase-to-sustainability-environmental-impact) - [GTPI](https://global.hostelworld.com/staircase-to-sustainability-gtpi) - Menu Show submenu for Menu - [Home](https://global.hostelworld.com/staircase-to-sustainability) - [Sustainability Management](https://global.hostelworld.com/staircase-to-sustainability-sustainability-management) - [Socio-Economic](https://global.hostelworld.com/staircase-to-sustainability-socio-economic) - [Cultural Impact](https://global.hostelworld.com/staircase-to-sustainability-cultural-impact) - [Environmental Impact](https://global.hostelworld.com/staircase-to-sustainability-environmental-impact) - [GTPI](https://global.hostelworld.com/staircase-to-sustainability-gtpi) # Socio-Economic Pillar Supporting the people around us is key to achieving a better world. This pillar covers policies that impact hostel employees (e.g., equal employment), customers (e.g., exploitation and harassment), and the wider community (e.g., local purchasing). ![Villa Viva Guesthouse Cape Town](https://global.hostelworld.com/hubfs/Villa%20Viva%20Guesthouse%20Cape%20Town.jpg) [Villa Viva Guesthouse, Cape Town, South Africa](https://www.hostelworld.com/st/hostels/p/984/villa-viva-cape-town/) ## What's covered in Socio-Economic? **Community support:**Identifying at least one group within the community to support.  **Fair and equal employment:** Having an equal opportunities policy, that includes hiring across gender, marital status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, and race. **Local purchasing:** A supplier review, with the commitment to sourcing local and/or Fairtrade suppliers where possible. **Exploitation and harassment:** A defined policy enforcing zero tolerance to any form of exploitation and harassment. **Local entrepreneurs:** Wherever possible, give local entrepreneurs access to the hostel and its guests to develop and sell products and/or services. **Decent work:** A policy to ensure all mandatory and applicable labour rights are respected and employees are provided with a safe working environment. **Community services:**  The hostel's operations do not impact local access to basic services such as food, water, energy, healthcare, or sanitation.    **Local livelihoods:** The hostel's operations do not impact local access to livelihoods, including land and water use, rights of way, transport and housing. ## Hostels taking action ![Villa Viva Guesthouse Cape Town-1](https://global.hostelworld.com/hubfs/Villa%20Viva%20Guesthouse%20Cape%20Town-1.jpg) ##### [Villa Viva Guesthouse Cape Town, South Africa.](https://support.hostelworld.com/knowledge/showcasing-villa-viva-guesthouse-cape-town-south-africa?hsLang=en) *"Villa Viva is a Guest House, a fresh, innovative social business, meeting and networking platform to share and express, creative work, social projects and celebrating life..."* ![Edd Hostel - France](https://global.hostelworld.com/hubfs/Edd%20Hostel%20-%20France.webp) ##### Edd Hostel, France *"\[…\] All our food and drink providers are choosen locally. We are based in a small town at the crossroad of famous touristic attraction and they are all accessible by train or bike"* ![Hostel Celica](https://global.hostelworld.com/hubfs/Hostel%20Celica.jpg) ##### Hostel Celica, Slovenia *"Hostel Celica sustainable policy is visually presented to guests and employees throughout the property with THINK. ACT. SHARE. information signs."* ![Amama Baita France](https://global.hostelworld.com/hubfs/Amama%20Baita%20France.jpg) [Amama Baita, France](https://www.hostelworld.com/st/hostels/p/314386/amama-baita) #### Summary - Our industry has a direct and indirect contribution to the local economy and therefore the community.  - Our activities within the sector can generate jobs, be an incentive for public investment in infrastructures and services, strengthen local identity, as well as add value to the local culture.  - The sustainable management of your hostel should ensure that economic activities are viable in the long term.  - Reporting socio-economic benefits can contribute to the reduction of local poverty. #### Benefits 1\. Economic contribution to the local community: - Fair, equal and decent work, as well as new professional opportunities - Support for local and fairtrade entrepreneurs - Ability to track and communicate the economic contributions of the hostel industry 2.  Social contribution to the local community: - Increase community support - Prevention of exploitation and discrimination - Ownership and use rights defined - Increased security and surveillance - Greater access for all ## Self-Assessment for Socio-Economic Pillar  - Does your hostel support any local community groups? And if so, are your contributions tracked?  - Does the hostel have an equal opportunities policy?  - Does the hostel oversee employment equity to ensure there is no discrimination? - Has your hostel held discussions with local or fair-trade suppliers?  - Do you offer spaces or opportunities to local entrepreneurs? - Does the hostel have policies against exploitation or harassment? And are these policies available for everybody to view? - Do you have policies that ensure that work rights are respected and always applied? - Do the hostel’s activities have any impact on local access to basic services? - Do you have a system that allows you to collect feedback from the local community to solve any problems that arise? - Can you ensure that the hostel’s activities do not negatively impact the local populations’ access to basic services?  [Register Interest](https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TX7MXRS?email=[email_value]) [![Hostelworld](https://global.hostelworld.com/hubfs/hw-icon-1.svg)](https://www.hostelworld.com/) - - - - - Copyright © 2026 Hostelworld All Rights Reserved. [Book a Hostel |](https://www.hostelworld.com/) [Check our Blog](https://www.hostelworld.com/blog)