Voluntourism
Voluntourism
Every LITTLE Helps?
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harity expeditions, volunteer tourism, learning holidays: the rise of do-gooding travel appears to know no bounds. An ever-increasing number of us want more from our trips than a tan and an exotic Twitter feed. We either want to improve ourselves by learning a new skill or seeking out immersive cultural experiences, or we want to improve the world — perhaps by raising money on a charity challenge or by volunteering for a worthy project. All commendable ideas, but anyone who’s planned a big trip knows that intent and outcome are often two different things — and this is perhaps nowhere truer than with volunteer tourism (voluntourism). A steady stream of news headlines have given this relatively new sector of the tourism industry a kicking, painting it as little more than a money-making enterprise that either panders to wealthy First World volunteers or exploits both them and the Third World communities in which they volunteer. A recent Daily Mail article, for example, reported on everything from bogus animal sanctuaries to fake orphanages, while a CNN feature ran under an increasingly common headline: Does volunteer tourism do more harm than good? The answer isn’t simple. But it’s true to say that ethical volunteering and the profit-driven travel industry aren’t natural allies. And the first question many potential volunteers ask is: why should I pay to volunteer my time? Giving up precious holiday days to volunteer on a project abroad may seem enough but, in fact, it’s commonplace to be expected to
152 National Geographic Traveller | April 2014
pay to secure a placement — at the very least to cover travel expenses, meals and accommodation. In many cases, some of this fee will go to a third-party organisation that helps place volunteers in projects, and this is where things can get murky. Traditionally, volunteering was the preserve of nonprofit charities or non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which placed trained volunteers — teachers, nurses, engineers and the like — in long-term projects suited to their skills. Voluntourism, conversely, has grown up around travellers who have little time to spare and/or no specific skills, and is often managed by companies that are essentially focused on their bottom line. A recent report by Leeds Metropolitan University showed a direct correlation between cost and quality, noting that volunteer tourism organisations offering the most expensive products are likely to be the least responsible. “Unlike charities, commercial operators don’t need to prove to the Charity Commission that they’re providing a benefit,” says Peter Bishop, project manager at campaigning charity Tourism Concern. “Major gap year companies have been so successful that they’ve been bought by holiday companies. The package-holiday group First Choice bought i-to-i for almost £20m. Tui later merged with First Choice and also bought Real Gap, which includes the Gap Year for Grown Ups brand.”
From top: Working in the biogarden, Manu National Park, Peru; Biosphere Expeditions, Namibia
IMAGES: BIOSPHERE EXPEDITIONS; TRAVEL PEOPLE AND PLACES
From monitoring reef sharks on a conservation project in the tropics to helping build an African school, voluntourism is an increasingly attractive way to travel. But it’s also a moral minefield. With many volunteer tourism companies motivated chiefly by profit, it can be hard to distinguish ethical projects from those that do more harm that good. WORDS: Sarah Barrell
natgeotraveller.co.uk | National Geographic Traveller 153