Volunteer Tourism-A Global Analysis-A Report

TR TOURIS

RESEARCH A D MARKER G

VOLUNTEER TOURISM: A GLOBAL ANALYSIS

A, ^, Patio" to, Ton, ri$111 and Last. re Educat, on

UruVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA Up. ARY

January 2008 A report by Tourism Research and Marketing Martinez de Ia Rosa 40 (Pre1,2'), 08012 Barcelona, Spain Tel: (0034) 932,74826 Email: greg@train-research. coin WWW. train-research. coin

VOLUNTEER TOURISM :

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VOLUNTEER TOURISM: A GLOBAL ANALYSIS

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Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I.

INTRODUCTION

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WHAT Is VOLUNTEER TOURISM?

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2.1. What is meant by 'volunteer'? 2.2.

Defining and measuring civic service

2.3. Types of Volunteer Projects 2.4. Profit or non-profit 2.5. Fund raising 2.6. Costs 2.7.

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Government funding of projects

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WHO ARE THE ORGANISATIONS AND COMPANIES INVOLVED?

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FACTORS STIMULATING THE GROWTH OF VOLUNTEER TOURISM 4.1. Volunteer Motivation and Commitment

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ETHICAL ISSUES IN VOLUNTEER TOURISM 5. ,.

Impact of volunteer tourism on local people

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VOLUME AND VALUE OF VOLUNTEER TOURISM

6.1. Estimated volume of volunteer activity 6.2. Estimated market value 6.3. Charitable contributions

6.4. Government and government agency involvement 7.

VOLUNTEER TOURISM MARKETS AND DESTINATIONS 7.1. Volunteer markets 7.2. Volunteer destinations

7.3. Volunteer Tourism - a global demand profile 7.4. Volunteer tourism and Tourism Boards

7.5 . Responding to crises 8.

VOLUNTEER TOURISM ON THE WEB

8.1. " Getting information

8.2. Voluntary Service supporting organisations 8.3. Volunteer Tourism Research 9.

THE FUTURE OF VOLUNTEER TOURISM

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CONCLUSIONS

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APPENDIX LIST OF ORGANISATIONS

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GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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This report provides a first global overview of the rapidly growing volunteer tourism

market, and analyses the motivations, behaviour and travel patterns of volunteers and the activities of the organisations providing volunteer travel experiences. ,

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Part of the recent growth in volunteer travel can be related to the diversification of

volunteer experiences, which make a definition of this market more difficult. Although most volunteer tourism involves a combination of travel and voluntary work, new forms of experience are emerging which involve a combination of work and leisure, or making donations instead of working.

This increasing demand for volunteer experiences is being met by a growing number of volunteer service organisations, most of whom have their headquarters in the developed world. Over half of the organisations we identified are non-profit, but the number of commercial providers is rising rapidly. Their activities have a considerable

impact on the countries served, not only in terms of the fees paid directly to them by participants, but also because the volunteer travellers spend much larger sums of money funding their total travel plans - an average of over $3000 a trip in 2007. Based on our survey of over 300 volunteer tourism organisations worldwide, we estimate that overall the market has grown to a total of 1.6 million volunteer tourists a

year, with a value of between ;:832m and E, .3bn ($1.7bn - $2.6bn). The most substantial growth in the sector has taken place since 1990. A survey of over 8500 young travellers in 2007 indicates that volunteers are more likely to be women than men, and 70% were aged between 20 and 25. The

frequency of volunteer motivations among young people grew slightly between 2002 and 2007, in line with trends in volunteering in general. Motivations for travel tend to

be a mixture of volunteering, exploring other cultures and work and study abroad. There also seems to be a significant element of 'unorganised' volunteer tourism, with many young people finding volunteer placements once they arrive at their destination rather than being placed or sent by a volunteer service organization.

The main destinations for volunteers are Latin America, Asia and Africa. Together these regions account for almost 90% of the locations offered by volunteer service organisations. This underlines the close link between levels of development and volunteering, with most flows of volunteers being from relatively rich to relatively poor regions, .

National Tourist Offices have slowly begun to realise that there is a 'high spending' tourist market that is attracted to volunteering, and they are beginning to introduce

volunteering opportunities on their websites. There has also been a significant growth in the number of commercial organisations catering to the volunteer market, and these are beginning to compete with the traditional non"profit volunteer service organisations There are also emerging ethical concerns about the benefits of volunteer travel, with

some groups suggesting that it can do more harm than good. This especially concerns the way in which the volunteer work can be misdirected and organised more for the benefit of the untrained traveller than the recipients of their efforts

One of the proposed solutions to this problem is to recruit more experienced and highly skilled volunteers who will have more to offer their hosts. This trend matches

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the growth in career gaps and sabbaticals among older volunteers, which is slowly giving the volunteer tourism market a more senior age profile. The growth in volunteer tourism has also produced a PIethora of analyses, websites

and industry events, which are slowly adding to our body of knowledge about this important social phenomenon.

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I.

INTRODUCTION

About this report *

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This report provides the first comprehensive overview of the global volunteer tourism market, This dynamic tourism sector is growing rapidly in response to increased

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demand for volunteer experiences from people of all ages, and is spreading to a

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growing range of destinations around the world.

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It has been claimed that volunteer tourism provides mutual benefits for the volunteers and the destinations they travel to.

Potentially, volunteer tourism can help bring funding and enthusiastic labour as well as new ideas and skills to important projects around the world. It can also

lead to improved cross-cultural understanding, mutual learning and increased awareness of social and environmental issues. At the same time, volunteer ,

tourists are often given the opportunity to gain valuable skills, develop their sense of self and even boost their cultural and corporate capital. (Raymond, 2007)

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Perhaps even more important!y from the point of view of the destination, volunteer tourists can also generate considerable income for local communities. Volunteer tourists not only contribute their time and skills, but also make donations in cash or in kind, and will often spend time travelling around as well. It is not surprising, therefore,

that many destinations are starting to view volunteer tourism as an interesting market niche to develop. ,

At the same time, both non-profit volunteer organisations and commercial companies

are beginning to capitalise on the willingness of millions of people to give time and money to help others' There has been a veritable explosion in the number of volunteer experience providers in recent years, and these experiences are becoming global Iy accessible over the Internet.

This report analyses the development of volunteer tourism, the factors driving supply and demand, the motivations of volunteer tourists, the destinations being developed,

the profile of today's volunteer tourist and the volunteer experience providers. A listing of over 300 volunteer service organisations and volunteer tourism providers is included at the end of the report. This report also provides estimates of the volume and value of the global volunteer tourism market. We also examine some of the issues thrown up by the growth of volunteer tourism,

including ethical considerations and the changing demands placed on volunteers. At the end of this report, we consider the future of volunteer tourism, and the directions in which it may develop. The development of volunteer tourism 'Volunteer tourists' have been around for centuries, originally sent by religious and t

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medical organisations that wished to offer medical, educational and spiritual help abroad.

This practice became more organised in the early I 900s with the formation of organizations such as Australian Volunteers Abroad and the United States Peace Corps. The aftermath of the Second World War also stimulated a growth in volunteer organisations, which began to appear in significant numbers in the 1950's, some with

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Governmental support. Africa in particular was one of the prime targets o vo un ary organisations.

Cousins (2007) notes that 'The first international conservation holidays from the ^K became available in the inid-, 980s, and since this time there has been a fair y

constant positive growth in the number of organisations offering interna iona

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conservation volunteering opportunities.

During the I 990's there was a veritable explosion of new organisations orme y those who had 'enjoyed' an experience working overseas and wished to urn eir

experience into a personal life-enhancing challenge. Most of these organisa ions

were founded in the United States as non-profit organisations dependent on

donations together with income from the recruited volunteers. By the en o e 1990s it was reported that the number of volunteer tourists had reached 500,

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(Rand0 2004).

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The early years of the 21' century have seen a continued grovvih in vo un eer organisations and numbers of volunteers. More local NGOs have sprung up to crea e

projects and volunteer opportunities in developing countries, and more coinmercia

companies have begun to provide volunteer experiences alongside the re i iona non-profit organisations.

Over the past century, volunteer tourism has changed considerably, rom eing

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orientated towards providing development aid towards the provision of experiences which are supposedly beneficial to both host and volunteer. In the past volunteering was almost exclusively the preserve of the young, whereas today the recruitmen o

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professional people, older people and retirees has grown extensively. Equally, it may once have been true that 'volunteering usually takes p ace in developing nations" (Zahra and MCIntosh 2006:3), these days volunteer projects ale

found all over the world. One of the reasons for this is the tremendous gro^rt in

volunteer organisations, many of which have been set up by people returning rom their own volunteer experiences.

New segments of 'volunteer tourism' have also emerged as the market has grown,

such as the explosive growth of language schools. In Latin America, for examp e,

many Us volunteers often take the opportunity to learn Spanish and/or teach Eng is

through these organisations.

As a consequence of its recent emergence in the tourism industry, there has een

relatively little scholarly research devoted to the concept of volunteer tourism (Brqad 2003: Wearing 2003). In addition, this research is usually focused on developing nations or the benefits of the tourist e>:penence for the individual. There is a ac o

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documented examples and analysis of volunteer tourism in develope coun Ties. (Rand0,2004) As MCBride at a1, (2006) note:

International voluntary service (IVS) has a significant and growing presence worldwide. IVS is a policy and program tool used for international development

aid, humanitarian relief, and promotion of international understanding. n t e last century, forms of IVS have proliferated, while research on scope,

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effectiveness, and impacts has lagged behind.

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Growing interest in the field of volunteer tourism is evidenced by the launch of an international journal dedicated to the field, as well as increased media coverage of the potential negative impacts of volunteer tourism. I. WHAT Is VOLUNTEER TOURISM? *

The most widely cited definition of volunteer tourism comes from Wearing's (2001 :, ) study: those tourists who, for various reasons, volunteer in an organized way to undertake holidays that might involve aiding or alleviating the material poverty

of some groups in society, the restoration of certain environments or research

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into aspects of society or environment.

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As Raymond (2007) points out, although this definition is widely used, it provides only a very general understanding of the concept, and the question of what can and cannot be classified as volunteer tourism remains unclear. It is riot clear, for example,

whether volunteer experience is the main purpose of travel, or a component of a wider leisure trip or working holiday. The level of organisation is also unclear,

because volunteering can be organised by tour operators and other 'sending organisations, or by local NGOs, and the experience may immerse the volunteer in the local community, or it may involve simply turning up and donating some form of

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Rand0 (2004: 7) notes that volunteer tourism basically involves travel 'not only for the purpose of a travel experience but also to make a valuable contribution to the host region in the form of volunteering. ' But in order to understand the concept of volunteer tourism one also has to understand the concept of volunteering. t t

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What is meant by 'volunteer'?

The following is the definition used by the Association of Voluntary Service Organisations (AVSO):

Voluntary service is an activity aimed at working for the common good. The volunteer takes part at home or abroad, in a continuous, full-time activity, following a free and informed personal decision. ,

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He/She engages himself/herself in a personal social and/or an intercultural learning process by participating in activities proposing solutions for new needs or creating new approaches to already recognised problems, part of the process of a changing society. The volunteer is active on the basis of a volunteer agreement for an unpaid

activity for a limited time, generally between 6 and I8 months. I^

The fields of action include social

serving handicapped, elderly or

marginalized people cultural work, development of anti-racism projects, reconciliation, education, environment protection, 'grass roots' initiatives etc. * ,

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Volunteers participate in the on-going processes of political and social change. They are learning by doing in the social or non-governmental sector.

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Volunteers and their organisations participate in local projects which promote intercultural and social learning. The volunteers engage themselves on the basis of a personal decision concerning their own development and commitment to the volunteer philosophy. Volunteers shall not be used as 'cheap labour' but rather as add value to the hosting projects and local communities.

The simple way of approaching volunteer tourism is to assume that it is a combination of volunteering and travel. This is the approach taken by Vo!untourism: 'the idea of combining voluntary service with travel is not a new concept. In fact, it can be traced back for many thousands of years in various cultures and religious orders throughout the world. Missionaries, healers and/or medical practitioners, sailors, explorers, and countless others have rendered service in conjunction with their travels. '

But this may be an oversimplification, because many of the 'volunteers' involved in programmes abroad act in a different way to volunteers at home or the missionaries of the past, It is clear from the AVSO outline for example, that most volunteers spend longer on projects at home than they would tend to abroad. It is also not clear whether volunteer tourists fully buy into the philosophy of volunteering, or if many

tourists are looking for very specific benefits from their time in a project, such as training in specific skills, or learning a language. For example, some projects are based not so much on voluntary 'work' by the

participants, but on the giving of donations. Relief Riders International offer 'Give the Gift of Sight' tours, in which the tour participants riding on horseback participate in a medical and educational relief mission along the way. Funds received from trip fees are used to purchase medical and school supplies and hire doctors who serve

villagers at each camp. This would suggest there is little practical participation from the tour participants other than providing resources. While this may fit within Wearing's definition of volunteer tourism as 'alleviating material poverty', it would fit less well with AVSO's idea of volunteering, It also has to be considered if the volunteers believe themselves to be tourists.

Wearing's (2001) research suggests that volunteer tourists may not wish to be associated with the term 'tourist' as they consider themselves to be more cultural Iy and environmentally aware. The current study provides some empirical evidence to

support this assertion, since 'volunteers' are twice as likely as other tourists to reject the traditional tourist labels (see Part 7). Callanan and Thomas (2005) also suggest that the volunteer tourists and the projects themselves can be separated into three categories: 'shallow', 'intermediate', or

'deep'. They suggest that project duration, volunteer skills, altruism and host community benefits increase as you progress from one end of the spectrum to the other.

(Raymond 2007) argues that if volunteer tourism is to be considered a distinct form of volunteering and a unique form of tourism, then it is necessary to establish what differentiates it from these two activities. First, volunteer tourism can be separated from other forms of volunteering due to the travel component involved (and for the

purposes of this study that such travel should be to another region or country). Moreover, whereas volunteering in general is associated with minimal remuneration,

volunteer tourists often have to pay for their volunteering experience. In fact, short

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term volunteer tourists often pay more than an average tourist would pay for a standard holiday in a similar location (Wearing 2001 )

Second, the key concept that differentiates volunteer tourism from other forms of tourism, lies in the ideal that volunteer tourists seek experiences that are mutually beneficial and will therefore 'elevate both the giver and the receiver' (Wearing 2003). Volunteer tourists can thus be defined as: travellers who vacation to volunteer in an

organised, responsible way to learn new skills or improve existing ones, while at the same time restoring or researching certain aspects of the environment: all the while aiding some groups of society' (Rowe and Hall2003). This definition brings volunteer tourism very close to the concept of 'creative tourism' (Richards and Wilson 2006), except that creative tourism tends to focus more clearly on the personal development benefits to the tourist. But as Zahara and MCIntosh show in the case of New Zealand,

volunteer tourism and creative tourism can coincide very closely (see section 4.1). 2.2.

Defining and measuring civic service

In some quarters 'volunteering' is considered to be a form of civic service. MCBride at a1. (2006) attempt to provide a definition for the purposes of measurement: *

Discussion of service evokes consideration of who is and is not a volunteer.

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The debate usually turns on the issues of stipends and compulsion. Some

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scholars have argued that compensated or required service is not volunteerism.

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Hence, we use the term 'service' instead of volunteering. Across types of civic

service programmes, the individual performs an action that is presumably of benefit to some group or cause; the action is performed in the spirit of improving living conditions or general welfare. They further argue that civic service may involve both compensation and compulsion: for example a payment to cover basic living expenses, or service required for the award of educational credit. What distinguishes civic service from sporadic

volunteering (which might include some volunteer travel) is the intensity of commitment: Civic service can be defined as 'an organised period of substantial

engagement and contribution to the local, national, or world community, recognised and valued by society, with minimal monetary compensation to the participant. ' (SheTraden 2001: 2). This engagement is usually organized through a specific programme of service, for which: Incentives may also be provided for participation, including development of

skills or receipt* of educational credit, for example. Service is distinguish able from employmeht, because any monetary award for service is not equivalent to market wages. Civic service roles may also be compensated by such benefits as stipends, awards, and educational scholarships. The service institution may provide information and facilitation or support via training, supervision, reflection sessions, and mentoring. There may be other important forms of incentives or compensation for service, such as personal satisfaction and social connections.

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MOBride at a/. (2006) found that 81% of civic service programmes require servers to commit to the service experience on a full-time basis, which is equivalent to about 40 hours per week. This is more prevalent among international programmes (91 %) Across the sample, the average amount of time that a participant serves is 7.3

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2.3

Types of Volunteer Projects

For the purposes of this study, nothing has been included that involves the recruitment of local people to become involved in national or regional endeavours. Volunteer tourism is not restricted to undertaking work in developing nations; it also

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covers opportunities that are available in developed countries. * *

The domestic markets appear to be dominated by conservation volunteering

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organisations, some of them receiving local or national government support. In the Us many public sector tourism enterprises and information services are staffed by

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volunteers drawn from the local and mostly retired population.

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The longer distance markets are organised by a wide range of commercial tour

operators and not for profit organisations, some of which receive subsidies in one form or another from national governments or charitable trusts.

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David Clemmons, founder of the website voluntourism. coin estimates that there are some I 0,000 voluntourism projects underway worldwide at the present time - from hard-core building programmes such as Habitat for Humanity, to animal conservation

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projects, and a growing number of 'cross-generation al experiences that allow whole families to travel to often remote places to help out needy communities. This process he claims is 'transformational tourism'

The following listing is not comprehensive but gives a flavour of the varied destinations and tasks that can be enjoyed on the programmes offered by organisers:

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Australia - construction of multi-purpose community park

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Brazil - Atlantic Amazon research on red breasted toucans/vocational centre for street children

Bolivia - researching giant otters Burkino Faso - education and village development

Garnero0n - computer school/woodwork/nursery/music/drama Costa Rica - mapping ecology Dominican Republic - child education Ghana - construction of community school/Tenovating medical facility Hawaii - marine research

Iceland - surveying nature reserve Indonesia - earthquake response

Kenya - street children education Kyrgyztan - snow leopards and rare birds rescue Malaysia - conservation work in Borneo Mindanao - natural resources management

Mongolia - restoring Buddhist temples Morocco - remedial lessons for the young Namibia - captive breeding programme

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Nicaragua - safe water conservation

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Poland -conservation of coincrakes

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Portugal - Iberian wolves recovery Russia - brown bears rescue/internet for the elderly Spain - greyhound rescue

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Tanzania - providing village health and education

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Thailand - elephant rescue

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Thailand - sea turtle conservation Ukraine - dance ensemble

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USA Florida - wildlife rescue

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Volunteering organisations working on the spot range from the individual enterprise with a website to substantial NGO or Ministry backed administrations organising meeting, greeting, and training and familiarisations services.

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An example of an extremely small hosting organisation is Quinta das Abelhas, a husband and wife run organic farm enterprise in Portugal. This is a 2 hectare organic smallholding situated in the Beiras region of central Portugal. The farm offers cheap and cheerful camping on the uncultivated lower terraces of the farm and welcomes volunteers on working holidays (free camping and meals in return for your work).

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Nomenclature

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Any programme that regularly sends groups or individuals to work abroad as volunteers, interns or lay missionaries, for any length of time, falls under the broad category of International Volunteer Programmes. However, there are many different types of programmes and many ways of classifying them. For example, one can classify programmes according to their organisation, their

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tourism orientation or the activities involved.

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Organisation

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Volunteer experiences may be organised in a number of different ways, including:

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International internship programmes. Development agencies, Cultural eXchange organizations. Workcamp programs. Technical and professional aid groups. High schools and universities. Religious institutions. Commercial tour operators Language schools

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Tourism orientation

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Volunteer programmes can have a range of different relationships to tourism, and can cover a range of different forms of travel experiences, including:

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Adventure Tourism

Charity Tourism Creative Tourism

Coinmunitarian Tourism

Corporate Volunteering & Team Building Tourism (Business Groups) ECo-Tourism ,

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Gap-Year Tourism

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Language LearningITeaching Tourism

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Travellers Introductory Networks (Servas)

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This illustrates the range of tourism products which can be involved in volunteer tourism, some of which may require some introduction.

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Gap years, for example, are defined in Jones' (2004) report as 'any period of time

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between 3 and 24 months which an individual takes "out" of formal education,

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training or the workplace, and where the time out sits in the context of a longer career trajectory'. These breaks from education or work are increasingly common in the UK,

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Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, are also being taken up in re ,

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and Scandinavia, and are becoming increasingly important as a source

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Jones estimated that there are between 200,000 and 250,000 gap years a

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education in the UK each year.

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Corporate and Team Building Tourism, which may also be known as omjnunity Challenge, is a combination of team-building with philanthropy, a so . I equity', a movement which got undeiway as a result of the Asi^n sunam'. '. .

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2004. It enables companies to express their corporate an SOCia resp ' ' ' y ' tangible ways

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Corporate Volunteering involves businesses supporting an en g g

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involvement in the community. (Quirk 1998)

It is all about employees undertaking voluntary roles wit in non-p

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community groups with the endorsement and assistance o t eir emp y

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the purposes of this report, the term Employee Volunteering is interchangeably with Corporate Volunteering. In the UK, t e generic Employee Community Involvement. While this term may be mole tec nica y

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correct, the term Corporate Volunteering or Employee Volun eering se convey the most meaning for people new to the concept,

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Employee Volunteering programmes can take a variety of forms as summarised in

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Table I: Cor orete volunteerin How BUSINESSES SUPPORT EMPLOYEES WHO VOLUNTEER Making More Attractive . culture that values volunteering

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. flexi-time

, development assignments

. awards schemes ("dollars for doers")

Making More Accessible . presenting opportunities . in-house brokerage . skills bank a the Volunteer Centre

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VOLUNTEER FOR

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ridividual Activities

. self-selected volunteering

. recognition . matched fundraising

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o legitimate use of company facilities

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. transitional secondments

, board placements . meritorlng Team Activities

. challenges o staff Committees

Non-profit Groups Selected By . employees individually or by committee

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o company sponsorship partners or Community

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Investment Areas

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. community need . a broker sourcing and presenting relevant opportunities.

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Company Wide Activities , community partnerships . cause-related partnerships

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. opening doors to community groups . packaging opportunities

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. facilitating team forrnalion . involvement in distrlbuting donations bud at

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Source: Quirk (I 998)

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For example, the Financial Times reports (, I December 2007) that IBM is abqut to launch a 'Corporate Service Corps' to send employees to wor on pro developing world such as income generation and access to e uca ion. of between 6 and 10 people will be placed with non-governmen a orga. ni , charities and non-profits in markets where IBM does business, inc u ing in a, ,

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Brazil, Russia, South Africa and Chile. It is being described as 'a corporate version of the Peace Corps. ' J

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Participants might work on anything from developing technology for an NGO in a higher education system in Latin America to applying information technology to a government transportation project in Tanzania. During the next three years about 600 employees drawn from across IBM's global offices will participate in the programme. They will each spend a month working with the organisation to which they have been assigned. The Traveller Introduction Network Sen/as Hosts was founded in I 949, and is an

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international, non-governmental, inter racial peace association run in over 100 countries by volunteers. These volunteers open their doors to travellers of every race, creed and nationality. A host should provide a bed for two nights (or longer, but only at the host's invitation) and usually invite the traveller to share in the evening meal.

The host is not expected to provide transport for the traveller, although some may

want to show the traveller places of interest. The traveller should present the Letter of Introduction on arrival, and the host should keep a record of travellers' names and addresses in a Visitor Book.

Whilst this form of tourism is not strictly volunteer tourism, more a volunteer host ,

format, it may have some importance in sustaining a 'freelance' movement of volunteers and gap year travellers.

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Table 2. ' Product cluster rou s and their sub-activities Name of Cluster Grou

Sub-activi

Environmental regeneration

Conservation work, Wildlife, Plants Gardenin and landsca in

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Environmental research and education

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interpretation trails, Land mapping for zoriing Animal and plant research Learnin about lookin after the environment

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Environment protection

Preservation and Land care, Ranger work Wildlife monitorin and rehabilitation care

Community welfare

Cultural developments

Elderly, Children, Youth Work Social services, Refugees Legal assistance, Counselling Non-violent conflict, Peace actions Empowerment of women Cultural work eXchange programme Indigenous programmes Arts ro rainmes

Teaching

Teaching a foreign language In-class instruction Vocational trainin ' Indi enous issues

Business developments

Farming business (organic, sustainable) IT/finance projects Local businesses

Building projects

Constructing new buildings Renovatin buildin s, Architecture

Medical

Hospital/doctors practice, Aids patients Health jin rovement assistance

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Journalism

Local

ress, Lan ua e/communication

Derived from Callanan and Thomas (2005)

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2.3. I Product cluster groups and their sub-activities.

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Table 2 sets out a listing of key volunteer activities, breaking down the common types

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of work they are involved in.

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There is little previous research which indicates the relative importance of these

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different sectors. However, in the UK, Jones (2004) provided some estimates of the main areas of volunteer placements offered by overseas volunteer organisations:

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Table 3: Volunteer service sectors

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Work with Children

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Practical Projects Conservation/environment

12% 17% 45% 5%

Social work Other

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Our analysis of the programmes offered by the 300 + organisations that are listed in

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Appendix I indicate that community work is the most important category of activities, followed by educational and eco-conservation projects.

An analysis was made of the types of work offered by voluntary tourism organisations in order to identify the 'popularity' of certain types of work. Many organisations offer several of the categories listed.

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Figure I: Analysis of types of programmes offered by 300 organisations Community Work

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Tourism Research & Marketing

46

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VOLUNTEER TOURISM

In spite of the frequent link made between volunteering and conservation in the literature (e. g. Cousins, 2007), it seems that the actual range of projects undertaken by volunteer organisations is much broader. 2.3.2 Organisation of work activities Volunteer projects can last from a few days to one year or longer. Although the UNVl!To definition of 'tourist' limits stays to under one year, the nature of volunteer

tourism suggests that a longer stay which involves a mix of volunteer 'work together with travelling experience justifies the lengthening of the qualification as 'tourist' in this case. For the purposes of this study, and based on the AVSO definition of 'volunteer' any travel period of over eighteen months would disqualify the participant as a 'volunteer tourist'. , ,

This means for example that the Us Peace Corps, whilst listed, has not been included in the data used in this study as Peace Corps volunteers are required to make a 27 month commitment and the programme is only open to Us citizens' *

Volunteer work offers fall broadly into three categories:

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a) b) c)

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Short-Term Placements

Long-Term Placements Paid Supervisor Positions

a) Short-Term Placements

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Short-term volunteering is considered to be up to three months, whilst long term volunteering can be more than one year. Cost

Shorter volunteer opportunities generally require the volunteer to pay a minimal fee

to participate (see section 2.6). It is a major misconception among prospective volunteers that this fee is a form of profit. In fact, in most cases the fees are returned to the volunteer in the form of room and board, project costs and materials, and local

transportation. Some organizations also provide a weekly stipend for volunteers, and some costs may also be tax deductible. Immediacy

.

*

In general, short term volunteering lends more to direct action projects. Direct action means these projects directly improve the community in an immediate manner. Some examples of direct action projects include construction of community buildings and temporary medical clinics. These projects can be started and completed by a volunteer team in the short amount of time available.

Most short-term volunteer programmes involve some manner of English teaching or construction. These types of programme do not require the volunteer to possess any *

special skills.

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The best types of short-term volunteers tend to be professionals and trained individuals. These volunteers can enter a region and through training sessions and

skill clinics, spread valuable services and/or knowledge through the local population.

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Tourism Research & Marketing

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VOLUNTEER TOURISM

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Short-Term Placement Field Example: Remote Area Medical

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Remote Area Medical is a Us based organization which provides ree me ica

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to remote areas around the Americas. A typical volunteer project lasts only two o four days, however due to the high percentage of professional oc ors on

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volunteer team; a huge impact can be made.

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On a recent Remote Area Medical expedition:

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In a 21/2 day period from July 25th to July 27th, 988 RAM volunteers provide

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Dentists, using 50 dental chairs, extracted 2,681 bad teeth and filled I,

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free medical care in a total of 4,749 patients.

General medical doctors gave 2067 consultations which included extensive a

procedures, pharmacy and telemedicine. 93 women received Mainmograms. There were 1140 eye examinations and 814 people obtained free prescrip ion

eyeglasses, many of them made on site in the RAM mobile eyeglass lab.

The total value of free care delivered in 2 1/2 days was a staggering $653,309.00,

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Remote Area Medical (WWW. rainusa. org. )

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by Long-Term Placements

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In contrast to the intensive, high impact strategy of short-term placements, orig- erm

placements tend to concentrate on making a deeper impact on the target community.

Because of the longer time commitment required, there are many free or even paying long-term volunteer opportunities available. The Us Peace Corp is one SUG

opportunity and includes a monthly stipend and $1 2,000 after two years' It is Tare to

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find a long-term volunteer opportunity that does not provide some sort of stipend.

Long term volunteering generally offers many side benefits to the vo un eer o

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than financial, including deferment of loans, and alumni job placement. Culture/Language Benefits

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integrate and

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I think it was only after the first three months that I felt part of the community and knowledgeable enough to start effective projects that would make any so of lasting change - Chris Gillman, Peace Corps Volunteer 2000-2001

,

Long term volunteering allows the community and the volunteer to

create interaction on a level not available to short-term volunteers.

Over time volunteers can learn the language and the culture of their host coinmuni y and therefore can operate more independently. Long-term volunteers gain e

knowledge necessary to develop and run their own projects through coinmunica ing

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with the community and examining different problem and potential solutions.

Long Term volunteers are immersed in the local culture to a much larger ex en an

short-term volunteers. The overall experience is much more intimate, wi e volunteer becoming a member of the community, normally with a house o1 at. I^ast a room to himself/herself. Volunteers have time to learn the names of many in ivi ua s in the community and make friends among them. .

Tourism Research & Marketihg

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voL UNTEER To uRisM

Types of Projects With the extended length of time available, a volunteer can take the time and energy

to develop long term solutions for the community, including applying for and acquiring international grants for larger projects.

With less demand to create an immediate change, a long term volunteer is granted freedom from the structure of a typical short-term expedition. Projects can develop,

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change, and be modified to better suit the situation without crippling any chance of the project being completed in time.

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I spent the first two months just getting to know my host village. I spent the next two months making a list of every complaint and problem of the villagers. Armed with this list, I had everyone in the village over for dinner and asked them to vote on the problem they wished me to solve. It was only the next morning (4 months into my 2 year trip) that I started to work. - Jason Tillinari, Peace Corps Volunteer.

Generally, short-term volunteers pay money to complete a specific predetermined project. They fly into the region in a group and work as a group. Short-term projects also tend to be much more structured than long term volunteer opportunities.

Long-term volunteers often get paid to volunteer. They generally do not have a specified project and have the freedom to make their own. There is very little (if any) structure for a long term volunteer.

c) Supervisory and Staff Positions The growing number of volunteer projects means there is also a greater need for supervision, particularly for short-term volunteers who have relatively little time to learn the ropes. This means that some of the larger volunteer organisations have a

need for large numbers of staff. For example, Conservation Volunteers Australia has more than I 70 full time employees, Paid supervisory and staff positions are therefore

available in many of the larger volunteer programmes. In many cases, these positions will be filled by older 'career gappers', or younger volunteers who already have considerable experience in the field. Short"term volunteers rarely complete an entire project during their short stay. ,

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Volunteer service organizations therefore need to manage the flow of volunteers to and from projects. This management allows those with limited time to hit the ground .

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running.

Things are already set in motion and you pick up where the last team left off. Being part of one team in a series, part of a long-term commitment served by many teams, I realized that I was participating in something much bigger. It was perfect for me because I only get a few weeks' vacation a year - Jim Haus!er, a volunteer with Global Volunteers.

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The following guidelines are set out by Raleigh International for those seeking staff positions:

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Tourism Research & Marketing

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VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Staff Roles & Training

Taking time out to broaden one's horizons is no longer only the domain of I8 year o gap year students' Career breakers and pre-retirement gappers are the fas est growing sectors looking for new and challenging opportunities away from their norma way of life. Whether you have been given a sabbatical from work, or wish to~ ta e time out from your career to consider your options, or your kids have finally left home an

suddenly you. have time to think about yourself, joining a Raleigh International programme as a volunteer staff member will provide you with an enriching experience and an opportunity of a lifetime. Who are we looking for? '

Field Based Staff; Project Based Staff; Staff roles; Training Benefits We take on staff from a wide variety of backgrounds with various skills, both

specialist and more general skills such as leadership, interpersonal and project

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management.

Each Raleigh programme has between 35 and 50 staff who work with one of our 5

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professional Country Direttors and 90-, 30 young people, to ensure projects are

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carried~ out safely, successfully and to a high standard. The staff are volunteers who

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variety of cultures and backgrounds.

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enjoy working as part of a team as well as empowering young people from a wi e If you are aged 25+, enthusiastic and want to work with young people, benefit

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communities around the. World and inspire others, please do not hesitate to enquire for more information or apply, Unless you have a 'hard' skill (eg. medic, interpreter, builder, administrator or outdoor instructor) you should have either 6-months

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managerial experience and/or-some experience of working with young people between 47 and 24. .

'Participating in a Raleigh overseas programme is a' uniquely special experience. is

the classic task, group and individual management juggle. Definitely challenging,

never easy, always profoundly rewarding. ' Steve JoneS " Country Director

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2.4, Profit or non-profit

A large number of the organisations identified claim to be non-profit. In total, 56 fo of the organisations listed in Appendix I were non-profit. The proportion of non-pro It

organisations seems to have fallen slightly in recent years, For those organisations

formed since 1990, the average proportion of non-profit organisations has fallen to

about 45%. The proportion of non-profit organisations also varies by location. In the UK, for example, less than 40% of organisations were recognised as non-profit,

compared with over 50% in the USA. This may well have a lot to do with the Us tax regulations which allows tax deductions for donations to non-profit organisations. These figures point to the growing number of volunteer opportunities offered by trave agents, tour operators and other commercial companies. It is often unclear if t e travel arrangements made on behalf of volunteers are included in the non-profit definition. Some of the larger organisations set out a detailed chart of the way in

Tourism Research & Marketing

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20

VOLUNTEER TOURISM .J

which the fees charged are distributed (See 2.6. for an example from Cross Cultural Solutions).

Cousins' (2007) study of UK-based conservation volunteer organisations reveals a similar pattern. Although the original organisations which dominated the conservation tourism industry in the past were all non-profit, now the range of organisations includes scientific research organisations such as CGC, Frontier, Earthwatch Institute, Operation Wallacea, Biosphere Expeditions and Blue Ventures. Forty-eight percent of the organisations studied are companies, however at least two were registered both as a charity and a company. As the Lonely Planet Guide to Volunteering comments: 'You can volunteer with a registered charity, a not-fopprofit organisation or a limited company. There is no difference in the actual volunteering experience, but registered charities are normally

regulated by national bodies and, from an ethical point of view, have an extra layer of accountability. Certain limited companies choose to operate like not-for-profit organisations, while some sending agencies are set up as limited companies to speed up decision-making. ' (Hindie at a1. , 2007). 2.5.

Fund raising

Many of the organisations offering volunteer tourism opportunities will encourage the volunteers to undertake a fund raising exercise, or to seek sponsorship. The larger

.

organisations offer advice on how this can be undertaken on their websites and in

.

.

their brochures.

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A study of volunteers at a project in Honduras by Chang at a1. (2005) indicated that the average volunteer project donated $4,944 to the local hosts in money or

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materials.

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ArtCorps takes the view that volunteers are offering their time for not less than 9 months, but volunteers are expected to do their own fund raising to cover incidental living expenses. On the other hand ArtCorps will provide travel expenses (up to $1,000), an allowance for art materials, and medical and evacuation insurance, and the host organisation is responsible for providing food and housing for the volunteer, ArtCorps also solicits corporate sponsors to sponsor artists.

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2.5. I . Corporate Sponsorship

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Corporate sponsorship is becoming an increasingly important source of income for volunteer organisations. For example, Conservation Volunteers Australia is mainly funded by corporate sponsors, and its list of sponsors includes 45 companies, including the National Australian Bank, Nestle, Philip Morris, Shell and Vodaphone. Travel organisations also feature strongly in the list of sponsors, including STA Travel, Adventure Tours Australia and ECotour Travel Australia.

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The American Hiking Society undertakes repair work on deteriorating hiking trails as well as building new trails in U. S. National Parks and other wilderness areas. Corporate sponsors such as REl and Columbia cover much of the project costs,

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reducing the participation fees for volunteers to $100 per trip ($80 for AHS members)

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for a one or two week project.

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Tourism Research & Marketing

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2.5.2. Partnerships ,

Some organisers work in partnership with other non-profit organisations, as in e

case of Amigos de Ias Americas working with Save the Children in Central America and Caritas in South America.

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Other partnerships are created with the relevant national Ministries of Health an or

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Education. In some countries, volunteer travel is officially encouraged as a way o

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broadening the horizons of young people and creating links with other coun ries. or

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example in Taiwan:

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With the goal of encouraging college student awareness of the internationa

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community and for them to become global citizens, the Ministry of Education began urging college students in 2006 to form overseas volunteer groups

during summer and winter vacations. Through exchanges with disadvantaged peoples across the world, the volunteers can experience the impacts of poverty,

sickness, and natural and manmade (siC) disasters so that they may learn. the needs of local people, which will further their understanding of different nations and broaden their global view. Last year (2006) tthe MinistryI provided funds for students from seven universities including National Taiwan University to

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volunteer medical and information education services overseas that inclu e

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southern India, Malawi, the border between Thailand and Myanmar, Chiang Mai, and Vietnam. (eng!ish. inoe. gov. to)

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Similarly, the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOGV) programme

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Offers cooperation in the nation-building efforts of developing countries. Through the program, enthusiastic young people aged 20 to 39 who are technical Iy skilled are sent to such countries for a two-year period, Each year, over I 200 volunteers are dispatched to live and work with the local people of

given countries, and to develop mutual understanding through the IOCa language while engaging in cooperative activities at the grass-roots level. (http://WWW. ICa. gojp/branch/cic/pages/english/e_ov. ocv. html)

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It would seem that some of the organisations identified as being based in developing countries are working directly with organisations based in developed or 'supp y' countries as well as setting up their own websites to promote volunteers directly.

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2.6.

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Costs

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Most volunteer tourism providers charge a fee to participants, even though they are

volunteers. The argument is that even when the labour is given free, there are sti

costs for running a volunteer project. In order to avoid the costs being paid by t OSe the volunteers are supposed to be helping, the volunteers themselves usual y ear the costs (at least for a short-term programme).

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Most volunteer service organisations also build long"term partnerships with reputa e

local NGOs and through these volunteers are given access to the local community in

a way no unsupported volunteer could hope for. Global Citizen Network be ieves "while individuals may be able to travel for less to many of these places (we) PPVid^

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the entrance into a village and exposure to a culture that one could riot receive i travelling solo. .."

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Tourism Research & Marketing

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VOLUNTEER TOURISM

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interesting Iy, ecuadorvolunteer. org offers free volunteer placements on its website. Most of these projects are social, community or health projects, generally looking for people with experience. However, there are also some ecological projects as well.

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The fees charged and the proportions of those fees that go to the projects in the destination vary widely between organisations. Cousins (2007) found in a review of UK conservation tour operators that the proportion of the fee Teaching the destination varied from 35% to 80% :

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Typically, a proportion of the fee stays in the UK covering the cost to the organisation of providing and managing the program (administrative overheads, volunteer recruitment, marketing, insurance, staff wages, staff training and for a few organisations volunteer training days), The remainder of the fee covers field expenses and project logistics including costs to the partners hosting the holiday (volunteer food, accommodation and transport) and in some cases extra funds are provided to project partners. Coral Cay Conservation puts 59% of the volunteer's fee into covering field expenses and logistics including field equipment, hiring local personal such as cooks and boat drivers and medical equipment. The remaining 41% is spent on: volunteer recruitment, marketing and PR (20%); administrative overheads (12%); insurance (2%); and education (7%).

Jones (2004) found that the 'typical gap year provider is thus charging a fee of between 2500 and 24000 ($, ,000-$8,000) with a small number offering more costly placements. '

Quest, which describes itself as a 'development travel company', offers a four~week

trip to Malawi building community centres for orphans for E1,465 ($2,986), excluding flights and insurance. The same company offers a three-month expedition to Brazil for 1:4,920 ($10,028), again excluding flights and insurance. Mike Lamb, education manager at Quest, says the trips his company run can cost thousands of pounds because they provide long-term help in developing countries. "The expense can be

easily justified. It should cost the local communities nothing to have these unskilled volunteers staying with them. The cost of the trip ensures this. We are not embarrassed by how much our projects cost. The money is going to the right place. "

(Source: Guardian 9'' January 2007) * * *

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The fees charged by organisations therefore vary enormously from the get yourself there and then pay us locally for the transfer to the work site and local food and

lodging' to 'everything included'. However, a large number of the organisations identified do not directly make travel arrangements, the volunteer experience starting on arrival in the country concerned.

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An analysis of the organisations listed in Appendix I indicates that relatively few include any kind of tourism activity or travel arrangements in their quoted fees. Almost none offer to pay expenses or a salary (this would usually only apply to supervisory staff in any case). About I O% of organisations also require the volunteers to raise funds for their projects.

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Tourism Research & Marketing

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VOLUNTEER TOURISM

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Table 4: Anal SIS of elements included in volunteer tourism foes % of

Elements included'.

organisations I0.9

Tourism Activity included Includes Travel

5.1

Expenses Paid Salary/Fees paid Fund. Raising Required

2.0

0.3 9.6

(Source: TRAM database) Cost structure case studies

Because of the importance of transparency about where the volunteers money goes,

many companies provide detailed breakdowns of their cost structures. The following case studies illustrate the different cost structures that can be found among volunteer

tourism organisations. For example Cross-cultural Solutions' programmes are driven entirely by volunteer contributions and donations. Cross-cultural Solutions How the Fee is allocated

The Volunteer Abroad and Intern Abroad program fees are based on a worldwide

average of Cross-cultural Solutions' expenses. The fees include the base fee (for a two-week program) and the fees for additional weeks of stay. Base Fee - Volunteer Abroad

The base fee of $2,389 for two weeks covers the cost of: $616 - program development and management

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$455 - outreach $305 - volunteer coordination $389 = administration $522 - first two weeks of field expenses

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$1 02 - in country start-up: orientation, placement, assistance and adjustment

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Base Fee - Intern Abroad

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The program fee for Intern Abroad includes the Volunteer Abroad Base Fee of

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$2,3891isted above plus $300 for costs incurred for Intern Abroad program components. The $300 fee covers the cost of:

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$43 - volunteer coordination

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$70 - in-country start up $162 - local staffs support $10 - materials

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$10 - transportation $5 - communication

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Most program sites are available for 2 to 12 week stays. There is a 3-week minimum stay for the following countries: Ghana, India, and Tanzania.

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Tourism Research & Marketing

24

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VOLUNTEER TOURISM

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After the 2-week base Fee for Volunteer Abroad and Intern Abroad, each additional

week of stay is only $261 (2452). *

What do the costs genera"y cover?

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Administration

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Volunteer service organizations employ a full time staff-to build partnerships and recruit, support, and manage volunteers, The fees paid by volunteers' covers a number of services and means that little to no costs are passed onto. the local NGOs themselves.

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Recruitin and Trainin Volunteers:

Most local NGOs are unable to afford the cost of recruiting international volunteers,

although the discovery of the relatively cheap web opportunities'is changing this. This , ,

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cost includes advertising, brochures, and customer service for prospective volunteers, A portion of a volunteer's fee goes directly into. maintaining this recruitment drive for the future.

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Most organisations will also give training to volunteers and supervisory staff, and for short-term placements there is a considerable time investment required for this.

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Maria in and Su

onin Volunteers:

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The flow of volunteers to and from projects needs to be effectiveIy managed. Many international volunteers have also never travelled overseas. Volunteerservice

organisations provide a wide range of support to their volunteers including help with vaccinations, travel insurance, and fundraising.

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Trainin and Orientation

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Many projects require volunteers to have orientations. and training in languages ,

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and/or special skills, A portion of the fee paid by volunteers goes towards this orientation and training when necessary. i-to-i even provides accredited. TEFL courses to prepare volunteers in all placements where English language instruction is required,

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Medical and Travel I surance

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Often, a volunteers program fee is used to provide comprehensive medical and travel insurance. This gives both the volunteer and their family piece of mind that

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their health and safety are secure. Food and Board

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Volunteer service organization always arranges food and board for volunteers. Often volunteers are hosted by locals who are given a stipend to provide:for the volunteer. The host families provide a safe and welcoming atmosphere for the volunteers.

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Tourism Research & Marketing

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VOLUNTEER TOURISM

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Local Trans ort

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Local transportation in a foreign country is intimidating* especially when you don't

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speak the language. Volunteer service organizations often arrange safe local

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transport to and from the airport and other destinations.

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Volunteer service organizations often employ in-country staff to provide local support and services during the volunteer's stay, -The staff also provides a valuable safety net

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just in casesomething goes wrong. ,, ,

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The Pro^Ct Itself *

The most important use for the volunteer's fee is on the project itself. Program fees

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help fund the'project itself, from school supplies to construction materials. With every

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new volunteer comes the funding to continue the project into the future.

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Aid Camps International

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For those attending independent aid camps, they must cover their own and created ' costs in the host country; The registration fee is ^45, and 2100 per week for the first

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three weeks. Thereafter E:50 a week is encouraged,

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Typical "no frills" living costs: 230-235 per week plus ^, 5-245 for arrival and departure. (each way).,

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The first E, 00 'goes equally beltvveen the host country development organisation you

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will be working with and AidCamps. international to fund both organisations charitable work. I 00% of the. -rest, including'. donations more than the minimum, goes directly to

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the objeative(s) agreed with. you'll ' ' .*,

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Aid Camps ask that at least E200 'be used to provide for needs within the cqmmunity of 'your placement, .and agreed before you go. Agree~whatyou d like to fund with the

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rest either beforehand or when you are there. '

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ARSP

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ARSP is a non-profit organization and is not a corporation with u. nlimited monetary

resources; It costs approximately 600 EUR per month to support an ARSp volunteer during the service.

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The work of ARSP. is funded in part by the federal German-Protestant Church, the

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protestant dioceses in'Germany, local"churches, the German government, and the European. Union. More than two-thirds of the remaining costs are financed through

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donations, church collections, and personal contributors.

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Tourism Research & Marketing

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voL UN TEER To URISM

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Global Service Corps

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Participant fees include subsidized airport pickup, project transportation, hotel, hostel, or homestay accommodations, all meals, language and cultural training, weekend excursion, and project administration, As GSC's primary source of funding,

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these fees support our in~country coordinators and other staff in Tanzania and

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Thailand, and also offset the cost of participant recruitment and preparation, pre-trip

planning and in-country project coordination. As staff, we ensure that you and your fellow participants are well informed and prepared for your GSC program work. Due to seasonal Iy varying participation levels, a portion of fees ensures that GSC is able to operate in-country year-round. Participant fees andintemational airfare can be

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claimed as a tax deduction for Us taxpayers to the full extent of the law,

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Administration expenses

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Project Expenses (90%) Field expenses Participant Co-ordination Programme Development Participant Recruitment

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2.7.

Government Funding of Projects

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It is becoming quite difficult to identify exactly what constitutes government funding. It

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range of charities. in developed countries this can be part of a government budget for

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overseas development, in the home country it can be drawn from a range of budgets

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~ environment, education, health and so on.

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WHO ARE THE ORGANISATIONS AND COMPANIES INVOLVED? ,

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The rapid growth in the demand for volunteer experiences abroad has also led to an explosion in the number of organisations offering them. 'One of the longest published guides to these organisations, Volunteer Vacations by Bill MCMillon, listed only 75 such organisations in its first edition in I 987 (Campbe11 1999). In its newest edition, published in 2003, there were approximately 275 organisations' (Leigh, 2006:59-60). Cousins (2007) found over 100 organisations worldwide offering volunteering and wildlife-related holidays.

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In our review of volunteer organisations in 2007 we found well over 300 service

providers and host organisations actively offering volunteer tourism on the Internet (see Appendix I ). This indicates a further significant growth in the volunteer tourism sector.

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*, *

*; *

"

"

*. *

t

In compiling this list, a number of checks were made to ensure that only those organisations providing genuine volunteer tourism products were included. To qualify as an 'identified organisation' the organisation had to have an active website (some are more active and more regularly updated than others). These websites are listed

in Appendix I. Another requirement was a fixed' address or headquarters location. Only in a very few cases has this rule been ignored, for example where the organisation is operated from a very remote location, usually by an individual who

.*, ,~

'* .

.

Tourism Research & Marketing ,L

27

r~~ a

VOLUNTEER TOURISM I

I.

but is clearly active and has an apparently runs the organisation from their laptop,

*.

.

email address.

Much of the data drawn upon for this study has al een a ub!ished on the relevant websites. Additional materia as e ran e of studies, which are referred to in Appendix 2. Organisation types

. I : :

There are basically three types of organisation, sending, hosting an s ' ' g.

The majority of the organisations we identified are p acemen organisations. Projects may

be run by private associations, churches,

local authorities or .. .

*

communities.

..

Sendin or an is ations

According to the Association of Volunteer Service Organi^ations ( ) ' g or an is ation is 'a voluntary service organisation engage in re

service, carry out training and preparation of volunteers e ore y , . country, they are expected to provide language an in ercu

:

they leave and in the host country.

Pocket money, board and lodging, insurance and suppo y

during the projects. Projects are regularly evaluated an vo un return to their home country.

'The sending and hosting organisations are active in pro^C common good and non-profit making, i. e. pro^C s o ' .g , understanding and reconciliation, awareness and consciousne g , ,

ecological development dealing with cultural problems an p' g youth, the elderly, disabled, refugees, etc, .' Hostin or an is at ions

The hosting organisations may be wholly operated by t e sen ing g , a separate operation in the host country run by anot er organi o erations can also be run on a self-supporting basis y o0a org for the purpose. \

,

The study of volunteer programmes by MOBride at a1. (2006) indicate a ' yfive per cent of the transnational service programmes

international service programmes are administered by s'.

Local NGOs (non-governmental organizations) are 9011monly sina . non-pro specific cause, such as running orphanages or bui ding coinm ' y

*

,

organizations rarely have the funding required to recrui an pp

* *

volunteers themselves. To help recruit international vo un eers, y

*

partner with volunteer service organisations. *

Sen/icin or anis ations

* ,

Volunteer Service Organizations such as i~to-i, Global Vo un eers, a

*

Solutions are for-profit or non-profit organizations who recrui , in g , ,

international volunteers. UK-based i-to-i calls itself a 'meaning u rave p ' ,

Tourism Research & Marketing

28 ,

*

*

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

*

sends some 5,000 people a year as part of some 500 projects in 30 countries. Some international service organisations partner with hundreds of local NGOs, supplying a steady cycle of new volunteers. Many volunteer service organisations charge the

*

volunteers a fee to volunteer through their organisation.

* *

,

a ,

Servicing organisations supply information to those seeking volunteer service and tourism opportunities (See also Section 9 - Volunteer Tourism on the Web). These

P

include AVSO and Voluntourism and they generate feedback on past volunteers

experiences through their websites. * *

There is also evidence that mainstream travel organisations are now recognising the

*

potential of volunteer servicing organisations as a lucrative market niche. In March 2007 First Choice Holidays, a mainstream UK tour operator, acquired I-to-i, iExplore Inc and TKJ Pty Ltd trading as Western Xposure for a combined price of 221.7 million ($41 million).

*

*

There are also peripheral organisations such as Global EXchange Reality Tours that

*

do riot involve 'work' as such, but claim to link travellers with activities and

organisations who are working for a positive change. The company offers programmes to many countries and provides an opportunity for Americans to travel

*

as 'citizen ambassadors' to countries such as Syria, Iran, Libya and Cuba.

* ..

* * ,

*

,

*

,

\

A large number of people also volunteer independently of volunteer service organisations each year. For those more comfortable with international travel, independent volunteering is the perfect option and it is clear that some travellers simply stumble over a project during their travels and decide to stay for a while. Our research on independent travellers in 2007 indicates that these independent volunteers form a very large proportion of those undertaking volunteer tourism (see section 7.3).

* *

,

3. f

Types of Organisations offering Volunteer Tourism Experiences

,

, *

, .

I

There is a very wide range of organisations offering the volunteer tourism experience; they can broadly be divided into the following:

$ *

*

* ,

t , *

, .

a) Direct contact with the volunteer experience by Single country organisations, usually based in the country concerned c) Co-ordinating organisations, bringing the local experience to the supply market place

d) Commercial tqur operators (often acting through a non"profit subsidiary) e) Search base Organisation, providing a website service offering of a range of experiences. Among these may be some National Tourist Offices as in the example of Ecuador, http://WWW. vivecuador. coin/htm!21eng/volunteer. htm) f) Advice organisations

,

* * *

*

,; *

,

* "

*

These different types of organisations may also have different motivations for promoting volunteer tourism, including: a) Religious convictions b) Supporting a specific charitable cause c) Medical, usually aimed at recruiting experience volunteers d) Providing cultural or work experiences for student e) Green, conservation, or environmental organisations f) Political objectives g) Language School/Learning in Promoting women's rights ,

*

*

.*

,

Tourism Research & Marketing

29

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

According to the International EGOtourism Society, the market for conservationoriented tourism in particular is growing rapidly; in 2004, worldwide ecotourism and nature tourism were growing three times faster than the tourism industry as a whole.

The popularity of nature-based travel led the United Nations to hold a World

EGOtourism Summit and declare 2002 the International Year of EGOtourism. More than 55 million Americans are interested in sustainable travel, which protects both environment and culture, according to a study in 2003 by the Travel Industry Association of America.

Duane Silverstein, executive director of Seacology, said, 'These people are looking

for two things: access to unique areas that most tourists can never visit, and a way to

improve the quality of life of the people and places they do visit. ' Seacology trips visit project sites in remote places like Fiji, where the group built a kindergarten in return for the establishment of a 17-square-mile marine reserve, and Tonga, where a

floating medical clinic was set up as incentive for the creation of a nature preserve. 4.

FACTORS STIMULATING THE GROWrH OF VOLUNTEER TOURISM

The two basic factors stimulating the growth of volunteer tourism have been the

growth of tourism in general (and particularly youth travel) and an increasing willingness to volunteer for service abroad. The Us Bureau of Labour Statistics reported that nearly 30 per cent of Americans of

16 years and older had participated in service projects in 2005. Among nearly 264,000 incoming college students that year, 83 per cent said that they had given their time during the previous 12 months, the highest rate in the nearly 40 year

history of the Co-operative Institutional Research Project s Freshman Survey. Twothirds said they would be likely to volunteer more in future

The general increase in volunteer participation is also reflected in the growth in the UN volunteer programme, which gives young people the opportunity to undertake development-related projects across the world. Growth in the number of participants in the programme has been particularly strong in the last few years, with an increase from just over 5000 in 2003 to 8000 in 2005.

Of the more than 300 organisations identified in this study (Appendix I ), 207 reported their foundation year. The first, AFS, was founded in I 914 in connection with supplying volunteers from the USA to assist the troops in the First World War. The most recent organisation included in the current study, Cyntax Foundation, was founded in 2007 to assist volunteers to work in Southeast Asia.

For those organisations for which data on the age of the organisation are available, the rapid recent growth of the market is clear. Over 70% of organisations operating today have been founded since 1980. The rate of growth also seems to be increasing, with almost six organisations a year having been established since I 990, compared with three a year during the I 980s.

Tourism Research & Marketing

30

a * *

voL UN TEER To URiSM

,.

*

*

Figure 2: Numbers of participants in the UN volunteer programme, I 985-2006 , ,

9000

, ,

8000

t

*

7000 -

4. *

6000 t

5000

\ ,

* *

4000 -

, ,

3000

,

2000

* * *

1000

*

*

o-

*

c;" c^:"" c^>" c^^i'' c;:>"' c^$" c;^"' c^2!" <:;:""' CS"" CS"' <5' , *

,: ,

* . ,

Table 5: Evolution of Volunteer Or antsations

*

,

No. of

*

..... . * *

organisations

., 910-1919. , ~

* *

*

, , t ,

, , .J

*

,

*

-" O

I'

1920,1'929

4

2

' I 930-4 939

3

2

I9404 949

6

3

, 950-, 959 1960-, 969

9

.4 .

47

,197^-'1979 '

17

.8.

I980;I 989

33

15'

I990-1 999

64 .

31

2000.2007

53

27

207

100

I,

*

%

* . ..

.8

.

,

* *

Source: TRAM database

,.

.

Table 5 demonstrates that growing wealth in the developed countries during the ,

*

; *

*

*

* * *

, * * , ,

*

t * t ,

t

t t \

,

* :J. *

*

I980's and 1990's generated a large number of organisations, nearly half of all organisations identified over the period of 90 years, satisfying a demand in wealthy countries to spend time overseas doing good. \

Table 6 identifies where organisations have their headquarters. It can be seen that the USA hosts by far the largest number, with about a third of the total tit should also be recognised that this distribution may be influenced by the prevalence of Us sites on the Internet). The UK is also very important as a base for volunteer organisations, with over 16% of the total. In the USA there is no particular State or City that has

captured the market - location does not seem to have had an influence on the way in which these organisations have grown and flourished. Indeed in many cases they have been set up by individuals with a mission rather than by recognised NGOs, which probably has a bearing on their headquarter locations. There are a few developing countries which have relatively large numbers of hosting organisations, including Ecuador, Thailand and Nepal. It is also clear that some of the organisations based in developing countries co-operate with those based in developed countries in order to generate a supply of volunteers.

"

Tourism Research & Marketing ;t

31

*^ ..

it

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

*

Organisation Headquarters,

Table 6, '

**

No. of

Headquarters country or countries

Nepal. -

organisations 5

Australia

3

'Belgium .Belize

*

*

Bolivia Brazil

,

New Zealand~.

3

Peru

6

Portugal Senegal

2

,,

*

I J,

*

I

S6uth Africa I

..

I

Netherlands

Slovenia ' ' 4

**'

,. ,.

a

1.1

J.

7

..

*,

Canada

9

*.. -I'

CanadalUK 1'1. :'.':' :,' .

Chile. - -. - . I

.-.

China. . ...

Swe'den -.,,.

. Tahzahid

*

...

,

,

2

,

*

2

..

12

Thailand' -' I I

,\

Uganda'. 58

UK UN+Other , J -

Denmark ,5

Ecuador

EI Salvador .

2

Francei

3

,Galapagos

UNUSA

,o

.J

Ghana

5

Guatemala

2

,.

I

.UNUSNAustralia

UNUSNAtistta!iai Ireland'

Germany. *

*.

,

'UKIUSAIAustralial Japan ' ' - '*~,';-.-. 11 UKIUSNCanadd ' I

I

,UK!UsNitaly .' ~'-: '. . ' ' ~

Hungary '* -'. India -.;..(

\.

' Ireland *.-.~:-I. .,*':*';

8 2

,,

... ....

,

* . . *.

,Its I . ..

7

Japan'-.' " .I' . I. : ' IK6hy4:; ' ;.' ' ':' ' I ;.,';,.

2

Latvia-- , ,.

.Lebanon' :.. Mexi^"

'Namibia: '

.-.

'switzerland'

Czech' Republic

Israel i, l .,

2

,,. ,-.

, *

Colombia .:

....,

I

'Uruguay. .. \ . 'USA-'..;.. I USAIUK:- , Vietnam

'* ., . .

* ....

I.

"

. ,., ;..,' . ..

. . -...... ..

100

..

I

5

I '*",_,\

'.*

* *

3

,-..

Source: TRAM Database

About half of the organisations listed have international operations across more than one country. This is indicative of the impact of globalisation on the volunteer tourism

sector. The Internet also seems to have introduced a new dimension which means that organisers in developing countries can make contact and sell to volunteers directly in a wide range of other countries. It is also clear that some of the early volunteers have based themselves in their chosen destination and set up new

volunteer organisations to finance their living and lifestyle. 4. I. Volunteer Motivation and Commitment

As volunteering is by definition unpaid, the motivations of individual volunteers to give their time (and in most cases money) to work abroad is a very important issue. L

Raymond (2007: 28) notes that 'two key sources of motivation are repeatedly

highlighted in literature concerning both volunteering and volunteer tourism (and

. ,

indeed human behaviour in general): altruism and self-interest. ' The first view is emphasised by Coghian (2006:225-226): ,

Tourism Research & Marketing

32

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Participants in (volunteer tourism) are believed to be motivated by a sense of altruism. They wish to undertake a holiday with a difference which provides them with an opportunity for personal development, self discovery and the chance to re-evaluate personal values, as well to make a difference in the world and put something back into the natural or social environment. More instrumental motives may include the 'feelgood factor' that helping other people

gives the volunteer the idea that volunteer experiences are more 'authentic' because they involve Teal contact with real people, the opportunity to develop your own skills and increase employability and the opportunity to social ise (Raymond, 2007),

Although intrinsic and instrumental motives are usually treated separately, for the volunteers themselves the motivations are often a mixture of the two, This is underlined

by

research undertaken

by

AFS into

volunteering

(http://afs. org/afs_or/view/3150), which indicated that volunteers are attracted to their work by a mixture of factors that range from altruism to self-interest. Religious motivations, a desire to help others, or the pursuit of social change were among the more altruistic factors. At the self-interest end of the continuum were the desire to

support programmes that help one's children, the desire to meet new people and have something to do, the hope of gaining skills or contacts that will be useful in one's own career, or the desire to assume power and leadership. In between are the need to fulfill one's obligations or duties, the desire to participate in the community, and an interest in learning and personal gro^rth

A study of gap year provision in the UK (Jones, 2004) indicated that the main motivations for taking a year out (often involving voluntary work) included: . The desire to take a break from formal education or work;

. To gain a broader horizon on life; . To experience different people, culture and places; . To gain personal life skills; . To enhance CV in relation to gaining university entry or employment (in a general sense); . To earn money; . To make a contribution to society (civic engagement); . To help people (altruism); . To meet a challenge; . To have fun;

. Religious motivations. \ *

* .J t

The specific motivations of volunteer tourists depend on a wide range of factors, including the background of the volunteer, their previous travel experience and experience with the destination and the type of destination and project involved. For example in Honduras, a study of 'voluntourists' by Chang at a1. (2005) found that The primary affiliation of vo!untourists to Honduras was church/religious, totalling 65% of respondents. A distant second with I7% were those affiliated with the medical and health care fields.

*

4

* * ,*

* *

Repeat visits to a project may develop stronger links between volunteers and their hosts, increasing the benefits for both parties, Chang at al. found that 60% of voluntourists in Honduras had visited a project at least once before, and 15% had made 5 or more visits.

"

t

, *

*;

Tourism Research & Marketing

33

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

MCGehee (2007a) studied the motivations and benefits gained by 'voluntourists' and found that the main items were: Cultural Immersion

Giving Back and Making a Difference Seeking Cainaraderie

Seeking Educational and Bonding Opportunities for Children Zahara and MCIntosh (2005) conducted a qualitative study with I2 female volunteers

working with a Maori community on short-term placements in New Zealand. They found that the main motivations expressed by the volunteers were: To do volunteer work - and not to be a tourist

To experience a service project

To give something to the community To experience 'real' New Zealand people through a cultural encounter Because the volunteers had no previous experience of Maori culture, they found it to

be an experience of cultural difference as well as contemporary Maori life. The volunteers mentioned feelings of self-reflection, spiritual growth and personal

development. They also felt that they had experienced more meaningful contacts with local people and formed genuine friendships, in spite of initial difficulties in communication.

Zahara and MCIntosh concluded that volunteer tourism provides an 'alternative

experience to the conventional tourism product, and that it can be considered as a form of 'creative tourism' (Richards and Wilson 2006) in which the tourists not only learn about other cultures, but also develop their own creative skills as a result of their experience.

Kneek (2007) studied over I 00 volunteers at International Work Camps in Vojvodina (northern Serbia). International Work Camps take place in 65 countries each year. They usually last from 2 to 4 weeks, with between I O and 20 participants per group. The camps include ecological camps (eco-camps); work with disabled people; work with children; young people; elderly people; camps on art or cultural themes; womens' camps and third world solidarity camps. The work focus is decided by local NGOs who act as hosts to the volunteers.

Most of the volunteers in Serbia in 2004 were aged between 20 and 29 (73%) and the majority (53%) travelled to the area specifically to undertake voluntary work. About 22% we^e travelling to visit cultural events, I9% were on holiday and 6% came to visit friends and relatives. Again, this emphasises the mixture of motives which characterise volunteering. When we compare the motivations of volunteers with those of other 'cultural tourists' from the ATLAS surveys (Richards 2007), we can see

that volunteers place more emphasis both on learning and having fun, and the 'atmosphere' of the place is particularly important. On the other hand, volunteers are much less likely to see themselves as sightseers than other cultural tourists.

Tourism Research & Marketing

,. ,.

., *J ,,

.*

VOLUNTEER TOURISM ,

Table 7: Motive for visitin destinatibn - volunteers and other cultural tourists Other ' ' ATLAS sites 38.9 34.2 30.2 54.9 38.1 '37.5 43.4 57.2 - - . . 19.6 , 31.5

Motive for visiting the destination %

Vojvodina ' ,

.

to learn newthings to be- entertained

to find out more about'the Culture of this area

to experience-the atmosphere Of this area rimaril ~ for Si htseein

I.*

.J

,

I, I

;'

11

Source. ' Kilt5ek 2007 :

The strong interest of volunteers in intangible culture' is confirmed by the image they had of the destination. They were far more likely to associate the region with

gastronomy, customs and traditions, hospitable local people and lively atmosphere. On the other hand, they were less likely to see that Vojvodina as a 'fashionable place

,

. : .

.

to be'. I. ..

Table 8: Destination image elements of volunteers and other cultural tourists (% railn ve jin oitant

Vojvodina -.

'linegj^. elements % ' .

,

Historic architecture .

I8.9

'Festivals and'events . ' '-'

37.8

Customs and'traditions'

30.1 '

*

,

*

.-..

..

' ' 'it' bl I' 'local'people ' I'*~~ " 'I"..'' ""' -:' '.I"' ". 'Hospitable Lively atmosphet!^

Linguistic diversity. .

A fashionable lace to be' '

**

37.7 , 43.0 ' ' 38.4 23.2 6.5

' Other ATLAS sites' 31;5, ,*3.6 ' -- ,4.8 , . I 8.2 -25.6. ,8.4 ' ' -, 6;O , ..*14.6

,

I ..

.I 11

I'

..

:

Source. ' K/foek 2007

..

11 I.

11

I.

These results also seem to suggest that the volunteer tourists in Vojvodina are close

I

to being 'creative tourists' in the terms defined by Richards and Wilson (2006). They are riot so interested in traditional modes of cultural tourism consumption, which lean

heavily on the visual consumption of sites, and they are far more orientated towards the consumption of intangible culture and involvement with the 'everyday' culture of

I,

the region.

. ,. I.

r

I;

In the field of conservation, the scientific nature of the volunteer experience may also

be an attraction. Campbell and Smith (2006) found that volunteers at a sea turtle conservation project in Costa Rica did not view themselves as tourists, but as doing 'science on the beach', which gave opportunities for close interaction with their study

;I .

j;

;I .,

object.

By participating in data collection, however, volunteers received a more intense experience. Although regular tourists on the beach can witness a turtle nesting, they do so in groups, accompanied by a guide, and at a distance. Volunteer tourists interact with the turtle, touching her, measuring her, and counting her

: ,

I, .

I,

eggs. ,

'I

11

,

,,

Tourism Research & Marketing

35

I: I.

;: *;

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

5.

ETHICAL ISSUES IN VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Some organisations have begun to voice concern that the growth in volunteer

tourism may in some cases do more harm than good. Raymond (2007) has summarised the main criticisms of volunteer tourism as follows:

.

. The western volunteer tourist is frequently seen as the 'expert' on programmes in developing countries, despite often lacking relevant qualifications

. Volunteer tourism may contribute to neo-colonialism, reflecting the former

,

power relations associated with the colonial era. , Certain sending organisations have been accused of inappropriateIy justifying the 'need' for volunteer tourists by representing the host population as helpless. . Some volunteer programmes are arguably imposed on host communities in a paternalistic manner. Alleyne (2006) found that some volunteer organisations were worried about the 'neo-

colonial' aspects of some programmes. Simpson (2003) also argues that the 'Gap Year industry' tends to 'evoke a highly simplistic conceptualisation of development'. Although volunteer organisations emphasise the usefulness of participants to local communities, she argues that whilst volunteers abroad clearly produce some valuable contributions, there are also high risks. Volunteers may undertake inappropriate activities, divert resources from locals to nonlocals and even increase the cost of development aid. *

,

Some have therefore claimed that the money spent by volunteers would be better invested getting the jobs undertaken locally by local people and training them to

improve their skills so that the improvements can be sustained. As Stephen Wearing (2003) has argued: To take largely untrained vacationers and place them at schools, farms and building sites for two weeks serve no greater purpose than to stroke the volunteer's egos, These communities do not suffer from a lack of able workers, but rather a lack

of money to pay them. The money these volunteer vacationers pay to volunteer for two weeks could easily pay a native professional's salary for a year. The perpetration of TEFL courses and the universal teaching of English is a destructive homogenisation of existing cultures. Transnational tourism organisations based in developed countries package the

cultures of developing nations as commodities of difference. In the process they not only dominate the market, they also shape communities in developing nations. In fact, Western culture is such a powerful influence it threatens indigenous cultures that have changed little for centuries

In 2006, Judith Brodie, UK Director of Voluntary Service Overseas (VsO), suggested that the 'charity tourism' of many gap-year programmes was a new form of colonialism. Students who travel to developing countries risk doing more harm than good, criticising the emphasis on volunteer enjoyment rather than on how to help the communities they work in. She was criticising the booming industry in pre-packaged volunteering programmes, they are often run for profit, and the objectives may not be

Tourism Research & Marketing

36

,

,

\

J

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

5.

ETHICAL ISSUES IN VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Some organisations have begun to voice concern that the growth in volunteer tourism may in some cases do more harm than good. Raymond (2007) has summarised the main criticisms of volunteer tourism as follows:

. The western volunteer tourist is frequently seen as the 'expert' on programmes in developing countries, despite often lacking relevant qualifications . Volunteer tourism may contribute to neo-colonialism, reflecting the former power relations associated with the colonial era. . Certain sending organisations have been accused of inappropriate Iy justifying the 'need' for volunteer tourists by representing the host population as helpless. , Some volunteer programmes are arguably imposed on host communities in a paternalistic manner.

I

:

Alleyne (2006) found that some volunteer organisations were worried about the 'neocolonial' aspects of some programmes. Simpson (2003) also argues that the Gap Year industry' tends to 'evoke a highly simplistic conceptualisation of development'. Although volunteer organisations emphasise the usefulness of participants to local communities, she argues that whilst volunteers abroad clearly produce some valuable contributions, there are also high risks. Volunteers may undertake inappropriate activities, divert resources from locals to nonlocals and even increase the cost of development aid. Some have therefore claimed that the money spent by volunteers would be better invested getting the jobs undertaken locally by local people and training them to improve their skills so that the improvements can be sustained. As Stephen Wearing (2003) has argued: To take largely untrained vacationers and place them at schools, farms and building sites for two weeks serve no greater purpose than to stroke the volunteer's egos. These communities do not suffer from a lack of able workers, but rather a lack of money to pay them. The money these volunteer vacationers pay to volunteer for two weeks could easily pay a native professional's salary for a year. The perpetration of TEFL courses and the universal teaching of English is a destructive homogenisation of existing cultures.

,

Transnational tourism organisations based in developed countries package the cultures of developing nations as commodities of difference. In the process they not only dominate the market, they also shape communities in developing nations. In fact, Western culture is such a powerful influence it threatens indigenous cultures that have changed little for centuries In 2006, Judith BTOdie, UK Director of Voluntary Service Overseas (VsO), suggested that the 'charity tourism' of many gap-year programmes was a new form of colonialism. Students who travel to developing countries risk doing more harm than good, criticising the emphasis on volunteer enjoyment rather than on how to help the communities they work in. She was criticising the booming industry in pre-packaged volunteering programmes, they are often run for profit, and the objectives may not be

Tourism Research & Marketing

36

I. ..

": *.

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

to deliver the maximum benefits to the communities these young people are working In.

Some volunteers also seem to agree with this analysis. For example, Torn Nicholson, a volunteer who worked in Ecuador, said 'some of the volunteers, especially the 18 -

19 year-olds, are not really here for anything else than to go out and get drunk. Careful consideration is necessary before we jump into these places with our size 42's. These children learn that their lives are crap where they are and it makes them want to move out. '

The growth of volunteer tourism has also raised concerns about the environmental impacts that such travel may have. It seems somewhat ironic that large numbers of young people are travelling long distances to help save local environments while generating considerable carbon emissions in the process. Some companies are beginning to recognise this problem by offering 'carbon-neutral travel'. For example, Another way Travel (8) suggests to its clients that they plant trees for every flight taken. More strategic approaches to becoming carbon neutral are offered in the my'SE Travel Confederation publication Offmate Change and Youth Travel: A youth travel industry guide (2007). UK-based Tourism Concern argues that development aid should focus on the needs

of local people rather than those of the tourist. Problems arise when volunteer tourism tries to be a short-term development. Tourism Concern is now developing a Code of Conduct for volunteer tourism.

The choice of ethical organisations

Although much criticism has been levelled at the actions and motivations of volunteers, there is also growing concern about the increasing number of volunteer organisations, some of whom may not apply the same ethical standards as more established operators. There is a fear that some may simply provide holidays with a guilt free tinge. Advice therefore abounds on how to identify the 'bona fide' operators: The best organisations focus on the environmental and developmental benefits of their work rather than on providing volunteers with a 910rified holiday in the

sun. You can get a sense of an organisation's commitment to the work it supports by checking whether it tries to match your particular skills to its programmes. Often, the most worthwhile projects originate within the destination where the local people have sought out specific help from agencies to select volunteers. I

Find out where the money goes - how much does the organisation spend on internal administration costs, staff wages, your food and accommodation and

training, and how much actually goes on the projects? (Drummond, 2007). Stefano DeZerega of La Fetra suggest you should ask the following questions about a volunteer trip: . Does it benefit people outside of tourism?

. Are you coming to work together and notjust as a giver? . Are you sharing people's daily lives? . Do you share the vision of the programme? . Is there a balance of cultural eXchange and cultural preservation? . Is the people's life style validated?

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,

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

. How Long? Time is needed for a real eXchange and a real impact, and therefore the longer the better, but this may not be for everyone.

The site http://WWW. ethicalvolunteering. org/ developed by Kate Simpson offers 'advice & information for people who are interested in international volunteering and want to make sure that what they do is of value to themselves and the people they work with. '

The site recommends three steps to take:

I ) Look for an ethical organisation 2) Question the organisation

3) Question yourself and sign up to the 'volunteer charter' The volunteer charter in turn has a set of questions which volunteers are asked to pose themselves:

. Are you willing to inform yourself as much as possible about the country and community you are about to travel to?

. Do you feel ready to take on the volunteer job you are applying for? . Are you ready to travel as a learner and a guest? . Are you prepared to be professional? . Are you prepared to be flexible?

. Are you ready to take responsibility for your own health & safety? Clearly, what matters is not just the 'ethical' stance of the service organisation or

project, but also the quality of organisation. Jones' (2004) interviews indicated that

*

'overseas volunteering is more likely to have greater benefits to host communities when run as part of group structured project (such as offered by Raleigh International) than when gap year participants are placed individually or in small

\

*

groups. '

The experiences of individual volunteers, however, indicate that not all 'organised' experiences go according to plan. The following is an extract from a blog published

by an American who went to Rwanda (dated 14'' February 2007). * -.

.. J

I: ..

,

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I; ill .I J*

;;

*'

,.

;* ,,

I got to Ruhengeri without even so much as a hitch, Sadly, I have come all the way out here for nothing. A complete waste of all that money for the airplane ticket, all the planning and vaccinations. All I get to do is deliver the supplies I brought. The soldiers will not let any white people (inzungus) go to the orphanage because of security threats. Rwanda is desperately trying to get its tourism industry off of the ground here and all it takes is one North American to get in trouble and they are squashed for another few years. I am helping to build a roof today for a grandmother taking care of 4 orphans just down the street from where I am staying in Ruhengeri but that will be completed tomorrow. The volunteer organization (GVN) is going to refund my fees and I

have to leave by next Tuesday unless they can find a placement for me in another orphanage (probably in Kenya) but then I have to pay for the travel to get myself there.

\,

*. ,J. ..

\.

Catherine Hawing ton, 24, went to Costa Rica with the Inter~cultural Youth EXchange (ICYE) in 2000, when she was 18. When she arrived, she found no volunteer work had been set up and she had no host family. She claims the family she was eventually sent to received none of the money she paid to the organisation. After a

.,,

*

a 4

*

*

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38

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

fortnight she was given the task of translating UN documents - despite speaking almost no Spanish. Looking back, she concludes that she was 'not at all useful to Costa Rica'.

Obviously there are problems with volunteer tourism as well as the much trumpeted benefits to the volunteers themselves. As Jones (2007) argues, the impacts and

ethical implications of volunteering still need to be examined in more detail before any final judgment about whether it is 'good' or 'bad' can be reached: The impact of overseas gap years are poorly-understood, and that many

potential benefits are yet to be assessed. It will suggest that whilst bad practice leading to detrimental impacts certainly occurs, the gap year sector does offer the potential for stimulating positive developmental goals in less developed countries. However, it will also contend that this will rely on whether or not the

gap year providing sector engages with host community organizations in low income countries much more equally and effective Iy than currently occurs. 5. I.

Impact of volunteering on local people

The impacts on local people are usually assumed, rather than researched. A handful of studies have tried to back up assertion with empirical evidence.

A study of local perceptions of Operation Wallacea volunteers in the south east SUIawesi area of Indonesia (Sampson, 2005) indicated that the locals only had a very general idea of what the volunteers were doing, and that they did not make a distinction between 'volunteers' and 'tourists'. This will be galling for many volunteers who base their superiority to mainstream tourists on the fact that they are doing something different and form part of the local community.

For some people the economic benefits were clear, for example those who sold sarongs to Hoga however, for others economic benefits were not so easy to ascertain, A large percentage of people noted that learning some English was an important benefit for them and that volunteers coining to the island greatly improved the children's motivation for learning. Several also mentioned that seeing the 'western style' was good for young people. As a westerner, it was difficult to understand what they meant by this, however on further questioning

they revealed that this meant seeing that we 'worked hard' and it opened young peoples' minds as to the possibilities for them if they continue with education and learning. This raises some interesting inquiries as this influence can be seen as both positive and detrimenta! to the development of the area.

Among the more unexpected impacts was that Operation Wailacea's presence reduced the illegal practice of bomb fishing.

The reported negative impacts of volunteering were relatively small, with approximately 63% of people saying that there were no negative effects at all. 'At present the local people are, for the most part, enjoying the presence of the tourists. Whether or not this will remain the case in the future will require further investigation. '

A study of 'resident attitudes toward voluntourism' (MCGehee and Andereck 2007) in Tijuana, Mexico indicated that almost 80% of residents supported the idea of community planning for volunteer tourism. Respondents also supported the expansion of voluntourism, with 70% agreeing that additional volunteers would be a good thing.

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,,

VOL UN TEER To uRISM

These limited studies seem to suggest that local residents are often less concerned about the negative impacts of volunteer tourism than those based in the sending countries. 6.

VOLUME AND VALUE OF VOLUNTEER TOURISM

6. f. Estimated Market Volume

The size of the global volunteer tourism market is not easy to calculate, especially as few of the smaller organisations publish any data on their activities. Estimates of the size of the market therefore have to be derived from an analysis of the supply of volunteer opportunities, or through studies of those participating in volunteering abroad.

Rand0 (2004) reports that 'In 1999 alone more than 500,000 travellers volunteered, and after the events of 11 September 2001, there was a surge in the recognition of the value of volunteering'. Jones (2004) in his study of UK gap years analysed the availability of placements on the Worldwide Volunteering for Young People website. This offers a database of placements for young people from over t 000 volunteer organisations in over 200 countries. The organisation suggested that it had around 350,000 possible placements for young people aged 16-25 years worldwide. Looking at the actual numbers of volunteers who are placed each year, information from the websites of individual volunteer organisations (see Appendix I ) provides an indication of volume,

Table 9 sets out the numbers of volunteers reported by the 35 organisations who have published such data, Because of the sharing of job opportunities between organisations there may be some double reporting. It also needs to be recognised that many estimates of the volume of volunteering may be high because of the potential confusion between volunteer organisations, volunteer projects and volunteer placements. Although there are undoubtedly hundreds of thousands on placements offered on thousands of projects, these tend to be coordinated by a relatively small number of international servicing organisations. The annual total placements reported by these organisations amounts to 70,545, and it is estimated that about 40,000 (56%) of these volunteers come from organisations with their headquarters in the USA. If these figures are grossed up to estimate the number of volunteers served by all 300 organisations in the database, this would indicate an annual level of more than 600,000 volunteers. However, as the data

included in Table 7 are likely to cover relatively large organisations, this is likely to be a relatively high estimate. Even so, the estimates of market size derived from surveys of young travellers (see section 7.3) would support an even higher figure. Stefanie Rubin, director of the International Volunteer Programs Association, estimated that 50,000 to 75,000 Americans will travel overseas to take part in shortterm volunteer programs this year (2007), However, a 2006 survey of 1,500 tourists by the Travel Industry Association of America found that 24% percent of the respondents were interested in service-based vacations. This indicates a much higher level of potential demand, and may point to a large number of volunteers travelling outside organised programmes. ..

J,

\

*.

Tourism Research & Marketing

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.*

*. *.,

.\

*:

.,*.

*

*

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

* ,

* ;

, \

Table 9: Or anisat^^ns re othn annual volunteer a * ,

\

Organisation

ointments or lacements. No. of

Headquarters location

,

,

, * ,

*

* ,

! ,

r , ,

,

, ,

* *

*, *

volunteers AFS

USA

1,000

peace Corps

USA

7749

Peacework

USA

7500

Cactus Volunteers Abroad

UNUSA

6000

i-to-I

UruUSNAustralial!reland

5000

Service Civil International

USA

5000

United Nations Volunteers

Germany

5000

Earthwatch:Institute

UNUSAIAustralialJapan

4000

Projects. Abroad

USA

2600

Charity Challenge Coinpagnons Batisseurs

UK

2500

Mercy, ships Gap Activity'Projects

USA

Belgium UK

,

<

* . "

" , * , , *

*

* * ,

.

4750

Ja'pan. International Co-operation Agency Japan Volunteers for Peace

USA

Cross Cultural Solutions

USAIUK

Canada. World Youth *

2500 ;2000 \

1400 1200 -:. I 1000

Canada

625 \

VoluntaryService. Overseas

UK

Religious Youth Services

USA

Lunaria

Italy

Amizdde Wintocklnterndtional

USA

333

USA

* ;.*266

USA

260

USA

': '- ' '250

Catholic Nets, ork of Volunteer Service

Jesuit'Volunteer Corps

4.6 I -'400

\

USA

Unite for Sight , .

ACDIVOCA

600 .,

USA

* 250

,,*\228

I

*

\

, t

Info Nepal

\

Nepal

- '- I"200

Project Trust Students' Partnership Worldwide

UK

_200

UK

'.. ' .:"' 141

Morid6 Challenge*~;' - .. ..' " I

UK

Volunteering. Nepal Youth' Challenge International Challenge. Worldwide

Nepal

,20,

Canada

'I, ' ''117*I

;': -'\: 120 \

*

* , *

* ,

* *

UK

45

Por Un. Mejo'r HOY vi>illht66r. service. ~and sunport Nepal

USA

29

Nepal

26

New Developm^ntExp6rienCe

USA

10

The King's Children Qine

Belize

'15

t

a , ,

* *

* ,

;

Jones' (2004) review identified 'around 85 specialist gap year provider organisations in the UK spanning all types of gap year activities' and estimated that the total

number of volunteer placements offered by these organisations is probably in excess of 50,000 a year. A survey by Milkround in 2006 also indicated that a total of 200,000

UK students take a gap year annually. Of these, about a quarter undertake voluntary ,

work, and almost 20% do this abroad (Table IO).

,

.

.

Tourism Research & Marketing .,

41

?

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Table IO: Gap year activity: What will be your main activity on your gap year? (or what did you do, ifyou've already had one?) ..

4%

Travel in the. UK

,

,.* ,

~.. .

***

21%

Takenaid employment in the UK ,,^

6%

Volunteer, in the;UK. .. ... .. , .., ..

Travel abroad I' . -; - , _ -:..:.'; :., ":. .."' ' I .., I, ,, .

..

,

27%

.,,.

Take'paid. employment, abri>a. d*. .. - ":,. . .",:-. ' ' ',,. - I

19%

Volunteer, abjoad ' ' I', ' '

19%

Start a"business ' ' . . . ' ' ' . '- ". .

4%

.

-.,

.

..

..

...

..

Source: Milkround

Taken together, these figures would seem to indicate that there are at least 120,000

Us and UK volunteers on organised placements abroad every year. However, as our

market analysis shows (section 7.3) many people are also taking unorganised volunteer trips. 6.2 Estimated Market Value

On the basis of our analysis of volunteer organisations, we identified 141 who specify

a minimum donation or fee for their programmes. The average charge made by these

organisations is 5:824 ($, 640). In addition, 39 of these organisations (28%) charged a registration fee, which averaged E47 ($34).

Assuming that these charges reflect the general level of income to service

organisations, this would suggest that the value of the market ranges between 2290 million (assuming 350,000 placements) and 2500 million (assuming 600,000 placements) or $ 580 million - $ I billion.

However, the fees paid to service organisations only represent a fraction of the total cost of a volunteer trip, To this we need to add the cost of travel and accommodation, as well as additional spending in the destination by the volunteers themselves. Very

few service organisations include these items in their basic fees, which are usually used to cover the administrative costs of the project.

Based on our surveys of volunteer tourists (see section 7), we can estimate that the

average expenditure of a volunteer abroad is around E, 550 ($31 00). This would

mean that the total expenditure generated by volunteer tourism is likely to be between 2832 million ($, .66 billion) and ^:, .3 billion ($2.6 billion). 6.3

Charitable Contributions

Whilst the majority of organisations involved in promoting volunteer tourism are themselves charitable organisations, the causes that they support often benefit from the contributions of other specific and/or related charities.

Tourism Research & Marketing

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VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Most of the larger organisations solicit for donations over and above the fees and costs involved in volunteering. These donations can sometimes provide quite

significant income for hosting organisations and local communities (see section 2.5). Additionally some websites act as a retail outlet for a range of purchases that will contribute funds to various causes.

6.4 . Government and Government Agency involvement. It is almost impossible to calculate the direct and indirect input from governments and government agencies that in recent times have been passing more and more of their social responsibilities on to voluntary organisations with accompanying grants and contracts.

From the website texts offered it is clear that developing nations are taking the path already well trodden in developed nations where social services are quite often run by the volunteer sector using government grants. Government backing has also been given to volunteer tourism development and marketing initiatives, such as the SAVE programme in Honduras. The SAVE

acronym stands for Scientific, Academic, Volunteer and Educational tourists, who are defined as follows:

. Scientific Tourists - Individuals or groups that travel for the purpose of conducting specific research or observation within fields such as biology, archeology, or anthropology. . Academic Tourists Individuals or groups that travel with the intention of participating in areas of their interest while gaining credit for school. , Volunteer Tourists - Individuals or groups that travel to participate in specific activities that will contribute to the betterment of society. . Educational Tourists - Individuals or groups that travel to obtain, for personal

gratification, knowledge or experience within a wide range of activities. Based on these principles, in 2003, the Honduras Institute of Tourism (IHT) has been

developing volunteer tourism and is providing a centre to focus volunteer activities. The SAVE strategy is now the Ministry of Tourism's national policy for achieving sustainable development in rural areas.

Tourism New Zealand* is also promoting conservation-based projects with high value ,

, ,

, ,

t ,

,

packages to the South Island. Volunteers pay NZ$4800 for a two week package that includes four star accommodation, environmental conservation work in the Catlins in

South Otago, visits to the Albatross colony in Otago Harbour and many other activities. The operating company said that many volunteers had returned 'just to see

how their trees are growing'. Conservation packages are also available in AUGkland, where tourists pay NZ$1115 for a two-week package including meals and 'hosteltype' accommodation. Most of the volunteers came from the UK, USA, Australia or Ireland.

,

I

Another way that governments are becoming involved is through advising volunteers about how to find volunteer tourism opportunities. In Australia, for example, the government advises:

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VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Investigate a country in which you have an interest and try to develop your own

contacts in an area of volunteer work that appeals to you or that you are

qualified in. Try to organise your volunteer work ahead of time, but don t be

afraid to make contacts with friendly locals on arrival. However, always let

people at home know where you are and what you are doing - you will be in an impoverished area in a foreign country and you should take precautions. To register your travel plans with the Government so you can be contacted in an emergency go to WWW. smartraveller. gov. au, VOLUNTEER TOURISM MARKETS AND DESTINATIONS

7.

,

This section looks at the supply and demand for volunteer tourism, based on an

analysis of the TRAM database of global volunteer tourism suppliers and a survey of young travellers from around the world. 7. I.

Volunteer Markets

According to various market studies, the main supply of volunteer tourists would appear to come from the USA, with a further substantial number from the UK, Europe, Canada and Australia/New Zealand. The location of the headquarters of the organisations operating in the sector (Table

6) would seem to confirm this, as of the 324 organisations identified, I 00 organisations are headquartered in the USA, 59 in the UK, and 33 in the rest of Europe.

The target market for volunteers today ranges from schoolchildren to the retired. Cousins (2007) identified four main markets targeted by volunteer operators: the general public, gap year, university students/recent graduates and sixth-form students, Cousins also indicated that approximately 60% of the organisations

reported that the majority of customers are aged between I8 and 25 years' They are

often either on a gap year between school and university, studying at university or a natural science graduate gaining work experience and tend to focus their marketing on one or more of these main markets.

At least 50% of the organisations direct their marketing towards gap year students as

part of their campaign. This is not surprising, given the fact that the total global gap

year market was estimated by Minte1 (2005) to be worth around 25 billion ($1 O billion), with a total volume of I million to I. 5 million trips per year.

,

,

*

,

Jones' (2004) study of UK gap year participants indicated that they tended to be:

*

. predominantly white with few ethnic minority participants; . women out-number men;

, from relatively amuent 'middle-class' backgrounds;

*

. over representation of private and grammar school backgrounds; .

. under-representation of disabilities;

, geographical Iy, gap year participants are mainly from southern ,

English Higher Education institutions;

i

Alongside the youth and retired markets, young professionals looking for work experience and the opportunity to meet like-minded people are also contributing to

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voL UN TEER To uRisM

the growth in volunteer tourism (Gazeiey 2001). In addition, there is a growing phenomenon of 'family volunteering', in which families volunteer as a unit. Older volunteers have the advantage that they may have work experience, but do not necessarily have the responsibilities of marriage and children. They also have greater disposable income than younger volunteers and it is easier for them to raise the funds for volunteering, courses or expeditions. As volunteers, they bring more experience than students who are travelling immediately after they leave school and some organisations such as Voluntary Service Overseas have moved away from recruiting school-leavers, and are demanding specialist skills and recruits with work experience (Minte12005). There are also signs that a growing number of older people are looking for volunteer experiences. A survey of 45 to 54 year"olds, carried out by insurance firm His cox in the UK in 2007, found that over a third of respondents are considering taking a 'gap year'. Nevertheless it is interesting to note the problems of VsO as they might impact on the overall market for volunteer tourism. VsO is concerned by the sharp decline in Generation X (Those born between I 965 and 1978, or in the USA those born between 1961 to 1981) volunteering overseas. In the past five years the number of over 50s volunteering with VsO has more than doubled, from 21% in 2000, to 52% today. Yet the number of professionals volunteering overseas in their late 20s, 30s and 40s is steadily declining from nearly 79% in 2000, to 48% in 2006. This lack of Generation X' mid-career volunteers could lead to a skills gap in the developing world as volunteer placements requiring qualified professionals with a few years experience are left unfilled. 7.2.

Volunteer Destihations

It seems that nobody and nowhere shall be free from the good works of volunteer organisations whether they want them or not! More than 100 countries are listed amongst the destinations used for volunteering projects by the organisations that make up The Year Out Group, based in the UK.

Minte1 (2005) estimates that around 409", of volunteer projects take place in Asia, with India being the most commonly used destination. Africa and South America each attract around 20% of projects. While Europe is used for approximately to% of volunteering projects, a growing number are taking place in Eastern European countries such as Latvia, Romania and the Ukraine, In our database, over 50 of the identified organisations offer more than IO destination countries and 8 organisations offer more than 100 countries. 140 organisations offer a limited or wider range of different countries, but others special ise in only one country or region. The single most popular region for placements among the organisations in our database is Latin America, followed by Asia and Africa (see Table I I ). Together these regions account for almost 90% of the locations offered. This underlines the close link between levels of development and volunteering, with most flows of volunteers being from relatively rich to relatively poor regions. The dominance of Latin America stems from the position of the USA as the major source market for volunteers. Latin America is relatively close, and Spanish is a language which is gaining increasing currency in the USA.

* "

*

,

, ,

*

Tourism Research & Marketing **.

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VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Table 11: Distribution of lacements b world region Number of

Region

%

placements Latin America

179

36

Asia

,4,

28

Africa

128

25

Europe

37

7

North America.

10

2

I

8.

Oceania ,

2

,.

o

504 ,

100

Antarctica

.

However, the most popular single country is India, featured in 30 programmes, and other countries which feature in 20 or more programmes are Ecuador, Nepal, South

Africa and Thailand (Table I2). While the top three destinations are clearly prime

targets for development work, Thailand and South Africa are probably also popular because of the mix of volunteering and leisure activities that they offer. In contrast,

popular tourist destinations such as France, Spain or Italy hardly feature in the list of

destinations, emphasising the distinction between volunteer tourism and conventional tourism in location terms.

A similar pattern emerges from the Milk Run research carried out in the UK. This study indicated that in 2006 the main destinations for gap years were Asia (20%), AUStralasia (, 7%), Europe (15%), South America (, 5%), The UK (, 2%), North America 02%) and Africa (9%). 7.3

Volunteer tourism - a global demand profile

, , . ,

This analysis of patterns of volunteer tourism is based on surveys conducted for the

.

World Youth Student Educational Travel Confederation (un'SE Travel

Confederation) in 2007. The research formed part of the VVYSE Travel Confederation New Horizons 11 programme, and a report on the complete research has been published by WYSE Travel Confederation (see ill^^^ for more details). A total of over 8500 young travelers with un'SE Travel Confederation member

.

companies responded to an email elicited Internet-based survey. The surveys were

.

conducted in I6 countries across the globe, and elicited responses from 120 different nationalities. However, because these responses come from a sample of young

people using travel agents or volunteer tourism operators to book their trips, they

. I * I I

.

cannot necessarily be taken as representative of the market as a whole. The travelers were asked specific questions about their last main trip abroad during

the previous I2 months, Of those who had traveled abroad during that time, 3,5% said that the main purpose of their trip was to volunteer.

. . . . . .

.

I Tourism Research & Marketing

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,,.

,* ~

~ ****

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Table I2: Placement destihations offered by organisations promoting less than 70 destinations. India

30

Nigeria

2

Ecuador

28 27

Peru

25

Ghana

22

Kenya

21

Romania Russia\ Sierra Leone Sudan Zimbabwe

2

Nepal

South Africa Thailand

21

Afghanistan

21

Antarctic^*\-,-

Mexico

19

Bangladesh'--

Brazil

18

BOSn^;Herzegovina

Costa Rica

13

Guatemala'

13

Tanzania

13

Botswana B razil : Burkinha'Faso'

Cambodia

11

Burma

China

10

Canada

Honduras

10

2 2 2 2

\

Bolivia

9

Congo Croatia; !*:,-.\';

Nicaragua

9

Denmark

USA

9

Vietnam Belize* Sri Lanka

9

1:9y^t -, --:'. ,.:;':.'::---,

Argentina .

5

Australia Indonesia

5

Laos

5

Ireland'::::*;-

Spain Uganda

5

Italy:"'Inn. ;;';; -*\;,:, t;,;'.'

Zambia Cameroon Chile

5

.

* I. .

,-,

\

....

.,

6

Gambia. ": '.; ':..,\',:., -

6

Greec!^;

..

-..,..

.,..

~~.,.

.,

,..

'. .',.-.* ,.*....,

.Guinea .: Guyana-;.::; .,.

,

.

.--

, :.*

.-

5 ,..-

5

.

-...

.-

..

Lebanon::;:;*;'.-;'::*-,;:- '

4

,*,-. '.-.'.-.- ..

4

Maltjwi:I;.',:\*:,:';';:.-:.:~

EI Salvador

4

Germany

4

Namibia

4

UK

4

Microti!i'sig*\*'t;-:,..;-,,:,; , Mongoljei. - '.'-;I'..:".\' ~ Morobqd:* **'.-: *.-.' I-*-;. lily;, 11mar't, \

France

3

N. -Korea':-,,.

Malaysia

3

Netherlands;

3

,alestine;,::*-:..,

Uruguay Angola Azerbaija n

3

panama;.; ;'

2

.PapU;at, New:-Guinea -piirjag^. ay:.;:*;::*': ' ':'

Colombia

2

FibiilppitigS :" .. ~-' , I'

Cuba

2

Ethiopia

2

poland;*;. .;, portugal:,;;

. :

*,

...,

-

..-

..

*,

~~

Swaziland

\

2

Galapagos. Islands .. Hungary .. Israel Latvia:

\

2

.*

...-.,

,~-

.

Rwanda Sa'rawak :.

2

sunnartj

2

,,

..:.

.. Tib<;t::;::.,,*. , ,,.,

To bago. ;:.

Liberia

2

Madagascar

2

Ukraine

Mali:

2

Venezuela

Mozambique

2

Tourism Research & Marketing

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.....-*

2

.*',

47 I

,

~.

voL UN TEER To uRiSM * ,

*

Figure 3: Main purpose of trfy7 * *

Explore other countrles/cultures

*^^*,

,

**

,,

,

^4^****i

.

,

, *

Relax and ha^ fun VFR

$1** ,$***;;* \***4;*:t***,*4* *',' '

, 4*,,

.\

**;y^-* .

, ,

,***, Study abroad **t: v**'.

Work abroad

*^-** . .

Volunteering

*

, ,

, ,

Language course *

,

t

o

5

40

15

20

25

30

35

40

.

V"

, I

,

If this level of volunteer tourism participation is grossed up to world level, then we

might assume that around 3.5% of young people traveling internationally each year are doing so to volunteer. As the average number of international trips taken every

. I

.

year by this group is an average of 3.5, this indicates that the total volume of

international volunteer tourism is a maximum of I. 3 million trips a year. However,

given that the survey respondents are more likely than the average young person to be traveling and to be volunteering, it is likely that the real figure is about half this level, or around 650,000 volunteer trips a year. This roughly matches our maximum estimate of the number of volunteer placements organized by service providers.

However, the un'SE Travel Confederation data also indicate that a far larger

proportion of young travelers engage in voluntary work while abroad, even when their

primary purpose of travel is not volunteering. The total proportion of respondents undertaking some form of voluntary work was 8.5%. Those undertaking volunteer activities during their trip are often combining volunteer work with exploring other countries, or studying or doing paid work abroad.

These figures broadly match those from other surveys of young travelers. For example the Lonely Planet Travelers Pulse for 2006 indicated that about I2% of respondents indicated volunteering as a main purpose of travel. However this question allowed for

multiple responses, so it is likely that the majority of these people would normally be

:

combining volunteer experiences with other travel motives.

If we take a wider view of the voluntary travel market, therefore, we can assume that

more than twice as many young people do voluntary work as travel specifically to volunteer. This would indicate a volunteer activity market of around 1.6 million trips a year, or about 0.2% of international tourism activity, The number of volunteers also seems to be growing. When the travel motivations of young people during their last main trip is compared for 2002 and 2007, it is clear that

there has been a significant growih in the proportion of respondents traveling in order to 'help people and make a contribution to the destination'. The fact that helping

others still remains a fairly low priority even for those who do volunteer underlines the complexity of this form of tourism.

Tourism Research & Marketing

48

* A.

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Figure 4. ' Main purpose of trip for those engaging in some form of voluntary work during their travels *,:\

Volunteering **I^;I;

' ^***t4*****;*

Explore other countries/cultures ****^\^^^;* Study abroad *^t** Work abroad VFR Relax and hare fun

^; $4*, . *::,;,*^ */#

Language course * o

5

40

15

20

25

30

35

40

%

Profile of volunteers tourists

The respondents to the VVYSE Travel Confederation survey were predominantly female (71%). However those whose purpose of travel was volunteering were even more likely to be women (84%). Slightly more men participated in volunteer activities during their trip (24%). The high proportion of women in the VVYSE Travel Confederation survey also matches experience in the volunteer tourism industry, where women are reported to account for between 60 and 70% of volunteers (Cousins 2007), Volunteers tended to be younger than the survey respondents in general. Over 70% of those whose main purpose of travel was volunteering were aged between 20 and 25. The propensity to volunteer declines notably over the age of 25, and less than 3% of volunteer tourists were aged over 30.

\

Tourism Research & Marketing ,.

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,

I ,

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Figure 5: Travel Motivations Explore other cultures Increase my knowledge

Experience ereaday life Interact with local people

. .

Relax mentally .

Learn more about myself Aroid the hustle and bustle

a 2002 Ha^ a good time with friends

. 2007

Relax physically Build new friendships Be in a calm atmosphere

Test and derelop physical abilities

Help people & make a POSiti\e contribution ,

Visit friends & relati\es Meet other tTarellers

40 60

20

o

80

,

100

,

% agree

.

Figure 6: Volunteer age profile .

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in Volunteers

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^gure 7: Volunteer educational levels 80 70

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About 70% of volunteer travelers were students, and over 90% of these were studying full time. The vast majority of students were undergraduates in their first four years of study. However there were also a number of travelers who had been studying for five years or more, particularly on medical courses.

Table I3. ' Student volunteers ear of stud Total

What year of study are you in? (%) 2 23 30

Undergraduate Graduate

22

flu

42 - ', 3 26 I- ~; 20"

Postgraduate *' ,

3 4 26. 22 30 15 ,7 ..

5 3 5 I.

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26 , I' 48. .

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5.

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-6 .3

,00 100 100 100

Social sciences and professional courses such medicine or teaching made up the bulk of all volunteers. Those studying business were much less likely to volunteer, and much more likely to take up paid employment abroad.

Table 14: Student volunteer stud courses

''''' '''' ' ' ' "~ ' .. , , , , ,, .,., Social sciences'- ' ' ' ' .. ' ' ' . .* . . - : . ..-'--. ' . ;;.

Pibfes^5ioriai fan^Ity (e. g. lawj. medicine, teaching)':,- ,.....'.,*~:

27 18 8

Sciiei, Gel(e. g. .bit>logy, chemistry, physics) I ~' I. , *1, -"": .. Busint, ss I C, ^'minerce . . . I * ' "... . ' '..

,

Fine arts. (e. g; art, .theatre, drama) ..

Technical. (^. g;-'e, 19ih:eeting;, applied sciences)

.

% 33

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11

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Most of those surveyed in the un'SE Travel Confederation study were on low incomes, and self-selected themselves as either 'travellers' or 'backpackers' rather than 'tourists' (figure 8).

,

I

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Tourism Research & Marketing

51

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Figure 8: Travel style .

Other ,,%

Backpacker

^

Tourist

33%

.*,"****

159'.

At'~,~. ,.. ,,*,* *\-**~***-,,*. ^

A1

Tra\eller 41%

The leading regional destinations for volunteer tourists in 2007 were Central and Southern Africa, Latin America and South East Asia, North America and Australia also featured strongly among the top destinations, but all other regions accounted for 59'. or less of total trips. This presents a strong contrast to the pattern of youth travel in

general, which is dominated by European and North American destinations. It seems that volunteer tourism is therefore strongly influenced by the supply of volunteer

placements, which are predominantly located in Latin America, Africa and Asia (Table 11).

^gure 9: Regional destinations of volunteers Central and Southern Africa Central America!Caribbean South East Asia Soulh America

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Information sources

The key role now played by the Internet in gathering information on volunteer

programmes is confirmed by the survey data. Internet was by far the most important source of information, followed by family and friends, guidebooks and tourist information offices. Travel agents were far more important than tour operators as information sources for this sample of respondents.

Tourism Research & Marketing

52

voL UNTEER To uRisM

Figure IO: Information sources Internet

Family, friends

A, .*t. **,***\ .. ***- ',*,'*~\ t .* ,/ ~***L I. .,*' *. t. ***. J.,,*'***'

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Travel arrangements The way in which volunteers arranged their travel and volunteer programmes

emphasises the growing importance of the Internet. Volunteers were most likely to

have booked their air travel over the Internet, even though visits to travel agents still accounted for a third of all bookings. Onward surface travel was unlikely to be booked in advance, but most travelers had made a prior booking for their volunteer programme, mainly over the internet.

Table I4: Travel arran ements % :.

..

*,

Online' '

,-,-,

Air travel I Surface

**

tr, ^veil I '

..: ' " '* *' .

Volunteer

programme

42 I' "' ,. 11'15

\

49 9 ,18 24

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Ina travel'agency '~

35

Phone or fax

16 I, ~' I I, 1.6

NO 'rior bookin

10'

7 '~ '. " ' 68

Where the specific supplier channels are concerned, almost a third of travelers

booked directly with the volunteer programme or service agency. Air travel was most likely to be arranged through a specialist student or youth travel agency.

Accommodation was often booked directly with the volunteer organisation, as accommodation is usually included in the volunteer package. Table f 5: AGCommodatibn booked J J

Air travel Accommodation Volunteer ,,~..

*.

. ~*'..

,. .,. .* .* .,.

iseneral~ travel agent I- ' ... ,..^*-.. . 'Specialised*student/youth '

18 41 :.. .

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travel'agent . .j. ...-,.'.,'. . I'\,,-

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.Other. --'., I 11-., .~, . -.' I . -.

No bookin made - , - '. - I

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2

. ,*!5.

16

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, 7.

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programme

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53

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The types of accommodation used during the whole trip (not just the volunteer programme) tended to be mainly hostels and hotels. The large 'other' category refers to the wide range of different types of local accommodation often used by volunteer programmes, including family stays.

Figure f I. ' Types of accommodation used by volunteers (multi^e responses possible) .

Hostel

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Hotel

Stayed with family or friends Other

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20

40

60

80

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The tendency for large numbers of volunteers to travel without using the services of volunteer placement organisations is emphasised by research in the UK in 2006 (Milk Round 2007). This shows that gap year participants doing voluntary work were roughly evenly split in terms of whether they were using the services of a commercial or charitable gap year activity coordinator - one of the plathora of organisations which send gappers on travel or work trips and arrange details such as flights, visa and activities in eXchange for raising funds or paying a fee. A slight majority, 54%, were planning to use these services, and 46% were not. Expenditure

The average total expenditure for volunteer tourists was around $3100 per trip, Volunteers tended to have a slightly lower spend per day than other young travellers, but because of their long duration of stay their total spend was on average almost 20% higher. This underlines the economic value of volunteer tourists to the destination, particularly because these travellers tend to be visiting areas removed from the normal tourist trails.

Table I6:Avera e s end er da

Length of last main trip abroad (days)

Total

expenditure ($)

Average spend per

day ($)

Volunteers

72

3.06

43

Other travellers

53

2597

49

54

2615

49

Not surprising Iy, the biggest single item of expenditure was travel to the destination, which accounted for 40% of volunteer spending. Volunteers spent less on ,

Tourism Research & Marketing

54 *.

voL UN TEER To uRisM

accommodation and food than other travellers, which is not surprising given the noncommercial nature of most of the accommodation used.

Fig 12: Expend^^ure by 'volunteers' compared to other tourists 45 40 35

^

30 25 ~ 20 15 to 5o

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a Volunteers

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In many cases, the levels of total expenditure on the trip are higher than the stated

annual income of respondents. This indicates the important role of saving, sponsorship and working while travelling to fund volunteer trips, As one respondent in Jones' survey of gap years indicated: Gappers typically get the money to pay for a mixture of sources. Many will flip burgers for a few months to save the money to go travelling, maybe with some help from their parents as well. They might also have some sponsorship if they go on a structured project with Raleigh or something. .. (Team Manager, UK Specialist Gap Year Provider) These average levels of expenditure are considerably lower than those estimated by

Chang at a1. (2005) for voluntourists in Honduras ($97 a day). However, the respondents surveyed during this study were considerably older and wealthier, with

63% earning more than $50,000 a year. This indicates that it is important not to generalise across different types of volunteer tourists. Volunteer activities of other travellers

As well as those people travelling specifically to undertake volunteer programmes, there were also a significant number of young people doing volunteer activities as part of the their trip. These travellers tended to be slightly older than the 'hard core' volunteers, and were more likely to be male.

. I

They were also more likely to be part time students (14%) than hard-core volunteers (8%), and also more likely to be on a graduate or postgraduate course (28%),

,

,

In terms of destination regions, those undertaking volunteer activities as part of their trip were more likely to be travelling in Northern Europe, AUStralasia and South East Asia than the hard core volunteers. This indicates that many of these trips were more leisure"orientated, avoiding more remote and less developed destinations. In these destinations there may be potential to develop mixed activity tourism products.

. .

I^-~

Tourism Research & Marketing

55

~;

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Figure I3: Age profile of other travellers undertaking volunteer activities during their trip 40 35 -

I*,*:*;**:

30

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Fig 74. ' Other travellers undertaking volunteer activities by destination Northern Europe AUStralasia South East Asia CentiS. Africa North America South America Indian subcontinent

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7.4 Volunteer Tourism and Tourist Boards

There is some recognisable activity from Tourist Boards to promote volunteer tourism.

The un'SE Travel Confederation/UNWTO study of youth tourism policy (Richards 2006) indicated that a number of NTOs are now beginning to look more seriously at volunteer tourism. The Nepalese NTO commented: 'Volunteer work attracts a substantial number of youth segment to Nepal. This is basically handled by the NGOs working in the grass root level in various development programs. ' Honduras mentioned their SAVE programme (see section 6.4) while Croatia cited an increase in the number of young people coming to International Work Camps (see section 4), and neighbouring Serbia also indicated volunteer tourism as a priority. Ghana indicated

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,

*

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

that 'Inbound volunteer worldprogramme are significant in terms of numbers, for example JICA and Us Peace Corps are the well established organisations in Ghana. ' itt!

Although the number of countries mentioning specific volunteer tourism policies was small, only Poland out of almost 200 NTOs surveyed specifically indicated that it did not want to promote volunteer tourism. The overall picture seems to suggest that at present relatively few countries are taking active measures to promote volunteer tourism, perhaps because they do not see a role for themselves in the marketing of volunteer projects, However, the fact that the majority of NTOs expect youth tourism to become more important in future suggests that the relatively low profile of volunteer tourism may change.

*J

I *

;! * *

* *

Some countries that have a large number of volunteer projects are actively promoting this form of tourism. Ecuador features volunteer tourism as a specific product on its website, and provides links to a number of volunteer organisations. Interesting Iy, though, it also suggests that 'the best way to find a position that will reward Ecuador and you is simply to come to Quito and ask around. You will find something within a few days. ' This seems to be an attempt to develop the 'ad hoc' volunteer tourism noted in section 7.3.

The Jordan Tourism Board North America is also promoting the concept of voluntourism as a whole new dimension to travel experience in Jordan to the North American travel trade. 'It is a concept that we're working on promoting as a means of enriching the travel experience in Jordan, as visitors go beyond the adventures of sightseeing to more meaningful experiences of engaging with the community themselves'. What makes a venture like this feasible for Jordan is the demand for

such activities from a growing number of communities around the world. ' (Jordan Tourism Board, New York, 20.12.06) However, not all governments are so welcoming of international volunteer projects. For example, the Chinese government has apparently grown increasingly suspicious of non-profit organisations, and is undertaking much closer scrutiny of NGO activities. This would seem to explain why none of the volunteer organisations we surveyed is based in China, even thought there are a number of volunteer projects being run

,

.I

I

II

there. 7.5

Responding to crises

The Asian tsunami crisis in 2004 generated a whole new field of publicity for the volunteer tourism movement. The global TV coverage helped to generate a huge response, both in terms of cash donations and people wanting to volunteer their time I to help victims. VsO, which works through volunteers, received more than I 5,000 visitors to its website in the week following the disaster, and hundreds of phone calls from professionals wishing to travel to Asia to help the communities affected. in Thailand, people began turning up at the Tsunami Volunteer Center in Khao Lak, which was set up in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Over the course of the following year, more than 3,500 volunteers from more than 50 countries volunteered, ranging in age from 19 to 67.1n the first few months, there was an urgent need for homes, with tens of thousands of people living in tents and temporary shelters. As time has gone by, the centre has become involved in other projects, from restoring boats for local fishing communities, to teaching in schools and helping improve the local environment.

In the USA, the Generations Touring Company developed a 'New Orleans Volunteer Vacation' in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Volunteer Vacation is a six-day trip Tourism Research & Marketing

57

.

,

, * ,

^

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

that includes two mornings of community service, a tour of the areas devastated by the hurricanes, a $50 donation to the community service organization as well as free time to explore and enjoy New Orleans' French Quarter. The She raton Hotel in New

Orleans provides accommodation with rates starting at $1 669 for five nights for a family of four, very different from the normal run of volunteer accommodation. Voluntourist. org estimates that more than 50,000 people went to the Gulf Coast in late 2005 and 2006 to volunteer in the wake of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.

While the rush of volunteers in the aftermath of a disaster may be a splendid demonstration of empathy with the victims, such programmes have also caused controversy. Some volunteer organisations have warned people against travelling to disaster regions, as unorganised helpers may hamper the efforts of professional

.

disaster relief teams.

There is some evidence that the first rush to help disaster victims may eventually lead to longer-term relationships which can be beneficial for local communities. For

example, in the wake of Hurricane Mitch striking Honduras in 4988, a volunteer group - Missoula Medical Aid ~ was formed in the Us, bringing together nurses, doctors and translators. They found a town and an aid organization that needed help and headed south. This first trip centred on relief work, but the group has developed a long-term commitment to the area. The group has now made 18 trips to Honduras. They are now working with Save the Children on projects involving basic health care and disease prevention. 8.

VOLUNTEER TOURISM ON THE WEB

As the market analysis in Part 7 indicated, the Internet is now the single most important source of information on volunteer programmes. This is in turn reflected in

the large number of organisations providing information and booking facilities over the

.

web.

8. f Getting Information

The large majority of volunteer tourists are drawn from the younger segments of the population and are thus well versed and adept at the use of the web to find what they want.

Thus, it is no surprise to find that all the organisations identified had easily found websites and most of them allowed for immediate bookings or at least offer application forms in a wide range of demands for specific details. This is obviously the only way that sheep can be sorted from goats on the web. The organisations generally give a background to their origins and details of their management.

Apart from the direct websites of the organisations offering volunteer tourism opportunities, there are a number of search sites such as Portal do Voluntaria; Study & Work Abroad for All ,for those with disabilities (330);Voluntary Service International and at least one Volunteer Forum (WWW. volunteerforum. se) which allows volunteers to advertise their wish to volunteer as well as connecting to a number of volunteer opportunities. Serve Your World WWW. serveyourworld. coin is a website that introduces volunteer

opportunities and the organisations that provide them. The listing is fairly comprehensive and supports articles such as: Student Volunteering Abroad; Family Volunteering Abroad; Short vs Long Term Volunteering Abroad; Peace Corp Alternatives and Summer Volunteering in Asia.

;

,

,

Tourism Research & Marketing

58

I ** *. .

\ ,,*.

,~t, ,

.

11

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

VolunteerMatch. WWW. volunteerMatch. org Claims to be the 'largest online network of participating nonprofits Iwhichl attracts thousands of volunteers every day. ' This site is mainly for Us citizens seeking volunteer opportunities in the USA, but also offers a wider international choice.

Another Us based organisation, Idealist. org WWW. idealist. org state that: 'On Idealist, you can imagine a better world, connect with people who want to help build it, reach out to others, post and find non-profit jobs, volunteer opportunities, events, and more, and donate to support all this. ' Universal Giving WWW. universalgiving. org/volunteer/ is a social entrepreneurship nonprofit dedicated to making giving and volunteering a natural part of everyday life. The web-based service connects donors and volunteers with exceptional organizations all over the world, and promotes both giving and volunteering. The site offers the ability to search for type of volunteer work sought and by country/region. .

Green Volunteers http://greenvolunteers. coin is a world guide and information network to voluntary work in nature conservation. Joining is a one-time fee to purchase the guide, which has annual updates, Volunteer tourism is also being promoted in a number of new ways, including social networking sites and via in-flight videos. A documentary, Positive Footprints, which explores the way in which travellers can assist disadvantaged communities, is available as in-flight entertainment on various leading airlines including Qantas, Thai Ainuays and American Airlines. The documentary was produced by WorldNomads. coin, and records the experiences of a group of travellers who help renovate a Nepalese village school. This video is also available via YouTube: http://WWW. youtube. coin/watch?v=JTT21VXIZig 8.2

Voluntary Service Supporting Organisations

*

* *

, . ,

,

*

* If *

,

.-

I. .J

There are also a number of organisations which supply supporting services for volunteers or volunteer programmes, which also tend to have an important presence

I,

on the web. I-

Volunteer Abroad Daily The Internatibna/ Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA http://serveyourworld. coin) is an alliance of non-profit, non-governmental organizations based in the Americas, that are involved in international volunteer and internship exchanges. IVPA encourages excellence and responsibility in the field of international volunteerism and promotes public awareness of and greater access to international volunteer programs. IVPA offers a forum for international volunteer program representatives (staff, board members, etc. ) to share information and resources, develop new skills, and collaborate on cost-saving initiatives. Organizations that are members of IVPA are encouraged to follow IVPA's Principles and Practices as guidelines for good programming.

Association of Voluntary Service Organisations WWW, avso. org The Association of Voluntary Service Organisations (AVSO), an international nori-

governmental organisation, is a European platform of non-profit organisations offering opportunities for long-term full-time international and/or national voluntary service. Many of AVSO's member organisations are international networks and associations

Tourism Research & Marketing

59

;,

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

themselves. Including their members, AVSO represents more than I I O national organisations across Europe.

AVSO, formerly named the 'Steering Group of Voluntary Service Organisations' emerged from a conference on longer term voluntary service which took place in Bonn in December 1989. One of the aims of the conference was to define barriers to

.

transnational voluntary service at the national and international level and to work in a common effort trying to remove these obstacles. Since I 996 AVSO has been

registered under Belgian law as an international non-governmental non-profit organisation, In order to promote voluntary service on European level, the office in Brussels represents a bridge between its member organisations and the European Parliament.

AVSO promotes full-time, long-term voluntary service by advocacy activities, by lobbying governmental institutions at the European and national levels and by networking with other non-governmental and public organisations. AVSO strives to

promote trans-national voluntary service by offering support services to organisations involved directly or indirectly in volunteering, e. g. by policy monitoring, by organising training and partnership"building events and by identifying best practice and sharing expertise.

AVSO currently has 13 member organisations, which are local or national sending and hosting organisations but also international networks located in different EU member countries. EGOteer WWW. ecoteer. coin

ECoteer provides listing space to organisations, institutions, eco-lodges and charities that would like too advertise their volunteering opportunities. EGOteer requires a placement fee to be paid before the user and those providing the volunteer placement can make contact with each other. Volunteer Forum. WWW. volunteerforum. se

A Swedish website for people and organisations that are interested in volunteering. It offers a platform for those seeking volunteer jobs, and for those offering volunteer jobs. Volun To unsm

Vo!unTourism in its current iteration received a very big boost from the Peace Corps, established in 1961 during the John F. Kerinedy administration. Subsequent events include:

Service Learning, established in 1965 The Boom of StudyAbroad Programs in the 1970's ECotourism in the I 980's

Volunteer Vacations in the t 990's (Although the first volunteer vacation was operated by Earthwatch. org in I 971, the movement was not broadly recognized until the 1990's), and Corporate Social Responsibility in the I 990's There are now a number of different activities associated with the VoiunTourism movement:

Catalyst Marketing, Inc. (CM!)

In 2000, Catalyst Marketing, Inc. (CMl)claimed to be the first company in the world to dedicate resources to officially bridge the business & leisure travel segments of the tourism industry with the non-profit industry. (This approach was called VolunToursTM and has since been developed by the Parent Company' of VolunTourism International

. ,

- Los Ninos, Inc. ) Tourism Research & Marketing

60

*t

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

The VolunTourist

In March of 2005, David C!emmons began compiling information from around the

r

globe to form the first, and currently the only, newsletter on the subject of Vo!unTourism. It was aptly named The VolunTourist. As editor and publisher, he has

.I

become the global source of information on this subject and makes an effort to deliver any new developments, best practices, and research to both the travel trade and nonprofit industry.

..

..

2006 VolunTourism Forum

In February of 2006, the 3rd annual gathering of Vo!unTourism enthusiasts and practitioners was held in conjunction with the Educational Travel Conference in Ba!timore, USA. The results were consistent with the first two gatherings, except this

. I

II

time participants expressed interest in training materials, consulting for general and specific support in order to develop their own VolunTourism programs, products, and services, and to continue building momentum for the concept in the marketplace. 8.3.

Volunteer tourism research

,

r

As volunteer tourism has grown, so has the amount of research produced on this

. ;.

phenomenon. However, as MCGehee (2007b) argues: :.

Most of the research in this area has concentrated on the volunteer tourist, as

.,

opposed to people in the local community who host the volunteers. For the most part, the research to date has been primarily descriptive and uncritically POSits volunteer

tourism as a positive and often environmentally sustainable alternative to mass tourism.

However, there are signs that this is beginning to change, as more balanced and critical studies emerge. The vast amount of research now being produced is also becoming

more

accessible. For example Kate Simpson's website

(http://WWW. gapyearresearch. org/) provides resources for 'anyone doing, or interested in research on, the gap year, international volunteering & volunteer-tourism'. A new journal of International Volunteer Tourism and Social Development is also due to be launched in 2009, with Stephen Wearing as editor. The journal will be published

by Multilingual Matters (http://WWW. multilingual-matters. coin). This is a good indication

.. ..

of the growing volume of research in the field.

There is also a new Lonely Planet publication entitled Volunteer: A Traveller's Guide (Hindie at a1, 2007). This book lists I 90 organisations and reviews the travel experiences of a cross section of volunteers. 9. THE FUTURE OF VOLUNTEER TOURISM

All the indications are that volunteer tourism in its many forms will continue to grow

rapidly in future. Increasing demand is being driven by growing concern for the environment and helping other people, by the increased travel propensity of young people and the growing number of opportunities for volunteering. As governments increasingly become aware of the importance and potential of this market, there is also likely to be a boost from officially-sponsored volunteer programmes and promotional efforts as well.

I,

Tourism Research & Marketing

61

.,

*,

. t .

,

;. .

,

.

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

. .

Continuing market growth

,

,, ,

. ,

:\

Along with mainstream tourism and the youth tourism market, volunteer tourism looks set to grow in the next few years as young people take more frequent holidays and the search for experience drives demand (Richards 2007).

,.

;,

,. *-

;;

it * -.

This general market growih is also supported by a variety of studies into different

*

volunteer niche markets. In the UK, Cousins (2007) comments that the 'outbound conservation tourism industry is increasing year upon year, not only in the number of

t

organisations present but also in the quantity of holidays available and the numbers of

..

volunteers participating, and is set to increase during the next decade. ' ,,

;;

A recent survey in the UK by Direct Line Insurance indicated that about a quarter of the working population currently has the opportunity to take a sabbatical from work,

,\

A.

and that 5.5 million people are currently considering doing so, Multiple gap years are

also becoming more common - the Milk Round found that 40% of those planning a gap year had already taken one previously.

~

*

* *,

*

In 2006, Euromonitor International projected that Vo!unTourism will be one of the

fastest growing travel segments for the next 3 - 4 years, The Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) announced that in a survey of some 1100 travellers, 24% declared interest in wanting to combine voluntary service with their travel plans for 2007.

A

*-

,

Travelocity announced in a poll of its members that 15% were interested in taking either a religious or volunteer travel experience in 2007

Volunteer tourism is likely to continue gaining popularity in the future as 'new' volunteers and 'alternative' tourists seek to combine satisfaction of volunteer work with

more 'real' travel experiences (Raymond 2007). Voluntourism (2006) claims that 'Voluntourism will become one of the leading forms of consumable travel for Us

citizens by the year 2010', although what constitutes a 'leading' position in a very wide range of tourism activity is not explained There is a possibility that increased travel costs brought about by environmental concerns could inhibit the travel ambitions of the younger volunteers. *

Changing volunteer profiles

< .J

,

t. *, -

The trend towards older volunteering, late career gaps and sabbaticals is slowly

changing the profile of volunteer tourists. For example, VsO have commented: Our approach to volunteering has changed dramatically over the years' We no longer send school-leavers today the average age of a volunteer is 38 and most

placements are for two years. We are a leading development charity with almost 2,000 skilled professionals currently working in over 40 countries. We respond to requests from governments and community organisations throughout Asia and Africa. The volunteers aim to pass on their expertise to local people so that when they return home their skills remain. Volunteers can be aged between 20 and 75 years old and

must have a formal qualification and some work experience. Regular postings are for two years and volunteers are provided with accommodation and a local level allowance as well as airfares and insurance.

Tourism Research & Marketing

62

;,

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

J.

:;

We are actively recruiting volunteers all the time. The range of jobs is vast, and includes small business advisors, teachers, social workers, health professionals,

management consultants, marine biologists, accountants and farmers'

.

.

,

: ,,

New styles of volunteer tourism

.,

There is undoubtedly a growth in the number of placement agencies and organisations set up by local people and ex-volunteers in developing countries and as the number of skilled and experienced volunteers grow there will be a growih in 'local' placement that may or may not be incorporated within the offers of the major

I;

international agencies.

:I

I .

.,

As more volunteer tourism is organised by such 'skilled consumers', they may well be

capable of reaching potential volunteers directly via the Internet and social networking sites, developing a relatively 'unorganised' sector of the volunteer tourism market. Our research already indicates that there is a large potential market for such 'informal' volunteering. Increasing professionalism

As the volunteer tourism segment expands, there are also pressures towards increased professional is ation, The ethical issues raised by organisations such as VsO and Tourism Concern may force providers to pay more attention to the 'quality' of their products in terms of training and management of volunteers and selection of placements. At the same time, the youth travel industry as a whole is becoming more

.

J, *.

*.

professionalized as a result of growing scale and competition (Richards 2008). There are also developing country Government agencies that can see the benefit of volunteers and especially those with the skills required to teach or improve the quality of life of local people. They may direct some of their funds to encouraging volunteer

.

tourism activity with a more professional approach. More concern for standards

The major placement agents are already showing strong initiatives in leading the way to ensuring that volunteers are better prepared for the tasks that the will have to do and the difficulties that they will encounter. This will lead to longer placement periods and a better policing of commitment among volunteers.

I. , .

.

Certainly among the younger volunteer community the eXchange of comment and

I'

criticism through their personal blogs and other arenas for comment will have a

'policing' effect on the*way in which placement agencies and receiving organisations conduct their business.

II ,

, .

.

The danger exists that with the growing number of placement agencies arriving in the

11 11

market there will be an unfortunate move toward the 'hard sell' in order to keep them

in business. This could have a negative effect on the future of the market. I

With the probability of more government money being injected into volunteer tourism activity to make up shornalls in labour/skills availability, governments in developed or supply countries and recipient developing countries might well introduce more control and legislation to ensure the money is spent effective!y. Environmental concerns

Our analysis makes it clear that the 'classic' pattern of volunteer tourism involves long haul travel. There is an apparent contradiction in young people generating significant Tourism Research & Market!hg

63 *

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

carbon emissions to participate in conservation projects in developing countries. Even

though most long-term volunteer tourism will tend to have a relatively low carbon

footprint when measured on a daily basis, this is clearly an issue that volunteer

tourism organisations will increasingly need to take on board in future. This may well lead to more carbon offsetting, but there may also be more emphasis on sending fewer, more skilled volunteers in future.

,0. CONCLUSIONS

. The market for volunteer tourism is growing, riot only in size and value but in

terms of a broader mix of ages and motivations.

. The largest numbers of volunteers are primarily drawn from the USA and Canada, followed by Europe and Austinlasia. There are indications that more Asian

countries might be slowly joining the market as they begin to exert their influence in certain developing nations.

. Organisations are being formed and based in developing countries by both

local people and by ex-volunteers to enlarge the market opportunities. . At the same time, the market is becoming more professional as the size of volunteer service organisations grows and more commercial operators move into the market.

. Those who are critical of the ethics of volunteer tourism will drive the

organisations in the sector into ensuring that their placement volunteers are better prepared for the work and conditions. It is also likely that codes of conduct will be developed to ensure higher professional standards among operators. . To a large extent the future growth of the sector will be dependent on the prosperity of the developed nations and the propensity of people of all ages to travel. . 'Teaching English as a Foreign Language' is a major driving force in the sector

as well as particularly for Us citizens the opportunity to learn and practice Spanish

when volunteering in the Latin American countries.

. As environmental concerns are taken on board by large companies there has

been a growth in the donations and personnel participation in volunteering where it can show visible and practical results.

. Environmental concerns may also come to affect the long-haul volunteer

tourism markets in future as volunteers and providers search for more environmentally

mendly ways of helping people on the other side of the world.

Tourism Research & Marketing

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

APPENDIX I.

List of organisations

I AT. L. Ha

Italy

WWW. atIhaonlus. eu

2 ACDIVOCA

USA

WWW. acdivoca. or

3 Activity International

: Netherlands

WWW. adjvi international. nl

4 ' Adelante Abroad

USA

WWW. adelanteabroad. coin

5 . African Conservation

UK

WWW. conservation africa. net

South Africa

WWW. ro'ectafrica, coin

Experience 6 African Conservation Trust 7 Africatrust Networks

'UK '

WWW. am catrust. IISite/

USA

8. AFS

^!^= united kin doin afs. or

9 AFSAl to' AGDF

11, . AidCamps international

Italy '

^!g

Germany

WWW. friedensdienst. de

,,, , --.

Ghana , '... -

12 Aidme-Ghana

WWW. aidme- hana. or

\

\

13 Aktion Suhnezeichen Friedensdienste

WWW. aidcam sor

.. UK

.,.

.

Germany'

WWW. asf-ev. de

\

..

\

14 . Alliances Abroad Group

u^;Aji-;

45, AMAUTA

Peru

\~

,

.

WWW. alliances abroad. coin

,\

WWW. am autas an ish. coin

16 American Jewish World Service :' USAi' ,' .,

^L9

USA

WWW. amenS an. coin

18 Amigos de Ias Americas

USA

WWW. ami OSIink. or

19 Amigos Iracambi

Brazil

WWW. iracambi. coin

20 - Amizade

USA.

wvvw. amizade. or

21 ' Amurie! (Arianda Manga Relief Team Ladies)

Kenya

WWW. abhali ht. or lainurtel/amca html

22 Andean Bear Conservation

Ecuador

WWW. andeanbear, or Ivolunteer

'17. - Amenspan Unlimited I

Project

,

^!

\

123 ' Anir Foundation

Tourism Research & Marketing :**

_ .USA

WWW. an inoundation. or

65

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

24 Another Way Travel

UK

htt Wandhervva ravel. coin

25 ArtCorps

USA_

^

26 ASOciacion Nuevo Futuro de

Colombia

WWW. teachabroad. coin .

Colombia

. ,

27 Associacao Iko Poren

28. Association for Volunteer

WWW. iko oran. or

Binzil ,Lebanon

WWW. avs. or .Ib/sidebar. html

Services Lebanon 29 AVIVA

SouthAfrlCa

WWW, aViVa-sa. coin

30 Azafady

UK

^L9

31 Biosphere Expeditions

uK

WWW. bios here-ex editions. or

32 Blue Ventures

UK.

WWW. blueventures. or

33' Bretheren Volunteer Service

USA- '

WWW. brethren. or I enbd/bvsl Nolreland. him

\

34' British Conservation Volunteers

\

01<

\.

International

WWW2. btcv. or .uk?dis Ia labout btcv international

* . ..*~.. .

35' British Universities North America Club 36 Buffalo Tours

I UK-;;*,\ *..

I^^

IVietnam I

WWW. buffalotours. coin

.*,

..

37 Buffalo Trails

, 38 Burma Volunteer Programme

.*

Kenya '*Thailand - .-

WWW, ebizweb a es. coin/ buffalotrai!sthome WWW

eocities. coinlmaesotbv I

\ ,...

39 Cactus Volunteers Abroad

UK/USA

WWW. cactuslan ua e. coin

40, Camp Counsellors USA

USA

WWW. Ccusa. Coin

UK~

WWW. cain sinternational. coin

,. 41 Camps International 42 Campus Earth

China

WWWCam usearth. cn

\.

-.

.

'cm. or Ien

43- Canada World Youth

Canada

WWWC

44 ' Careforce International

C^InadalUK .

htt 11careforceinternational. cal dnn/

, I

'.**45 Gasa Ajianza Latin America

,

Guatemala

WWWCaSa-alianza. or Ienl

\. \ .

, t

*

.

46 Casa Guatemala

Guatemala

47- Catholic Network of Volunteer

USA;

WWW. Casa- uatemala. Or

.. -.,. ~

11^

*\

Service

, . .,

1.48:. CDS International

USA ' '

^

*; *.

*; ~.

Tourism Research & Marketing

66

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

49 Center for Cultural EXchange 50 ' Centre for Development in

WWW. CGi-exchan e. coin

USA

WWW. 'hocdca. or Inavbar. html

I. Nicaragua

Central America

51 Centro de Intercainbio y

EI Salvador

WWVV. CIS.

elsalvador. or Ivolunteers

Solidadariad

52 Challenge Worldwide

UK

WWWChallen esworldwide. coin

53 Changing Worlds

UK.

WWWChan in worlds. co. uk

54 Charity Challenge

UK': - '

55 Childlife

Germany

,,

WWW. chant challen e. coin WWW. kinderfoben. or

\

56 Choice Humanitarian

USA

WWW. choicehumanitarian. or

57 Citizens Development Corps

USA

^^9.9

58 01VI

France

WWW. civiweb. coin/home. as

59 Coinpagnons Batisseurs

Belgium

WWWCom a nonsbatisseurs. be

60 Concordia 61 - CONREHABIT ' 62 Conservation Africa

WWW. concordia"i e, or .uk

IIUK

Mexico

WWWConrehabit. coin

11K i, I

WWW. Conservation am canet

\

63 Conservation Volunteers Australia

AUStrdtI^;.

WWWConservationvolunteers. co

'~.~.' , ,.*. ,

\- -.,

in. au

..~'.*-,~

64. . Coral Cay Conservation

.*..... , , , ' ,t

*\

65 Cosmic Volunteers

, WWW. coralca .or

.UK ~ .- .-,

USA ;:~.::* I

WWW. cosmicVolUnteers. or

,,-

.-'..*. .*

66 Council on International

.-. USA

^E9

Cultural EXchange

-67 Courage to be You International

U SA . -.

htt 71coura etobe ou. coin/

I^^ 68 Creative Corners; The Global Arts Project

-UK

htt ://creative-corners. coin

69 CRISPAZ

EI Salvador

WWW. CFis az. or Ivol

70 Cross Cultural Solutions

UsNUK

WWWCrosscu!ruralsolutions. or

71' Cultural Restoration Tourism

USA' -

11^

Project 72 CUSO

; canada' 1-,

14^

-,

,

73 ~ Cyntax Foundation

:;USA

WWW. foundation. c ntax Tou coin

.

, * I

I

* ,

,

, , * ,

,

Tourism Research & Marketing

67

^-

,

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

74 Dakshinayan

India

WWW. dakshina an. or

75 Developing World Connections - Canada

.

WWW. develo in world

^L9 76 Development & Education

Thailand

^cg

UK -

WWW. different-travel. coin

Programme for Daughters and Communities

77. ' Different Travel Company 78 I Disaster Volunteers of Ghana

, Ghana

79 Don Quijote

WWW. estherwu. coin/ hana/ volunteer. htm!

UK:'-

WWW. don ui'ote. co. uk

. \

80 - Earthwatch Institute

" Ul
raila/Ja'pan 81 EGO Volunteer Up

Ecuador

WWWCloudforestecuador. coin

82-. ECotrackers Network

Ecuador

WWW. ecotrackers. net

UK/+Other

WWW. ecOvolUnteer, or

83 ECovolunteer

' '-**,.*' , \

,

..,.,* \

84 Ecuador Volunteer

Ecuador -

WWW. eCuadOrvOlunteer. coin

*. '.,..

,.. *851 ecuaexperiencia

USA

WWW. ecuaex eriencia. coin

Namibia

86 ' Elephant Human Relations Aid

,.,

,.. ..

WWW. abenteuerafrika. coin

\ ,\

'.'*

I87 Emmaus

Italy

WWW. emmauscuneo. itIvolonVen

.

Iwhat. htm

88'~ European Diaconal Year ,\ .

Germany

N etwo rk

WWW. diakonissen. dided n/

^D,

\

I 89 ' European Federation for 11, ; intercultural Learning

Belgium

^

I

\

90' EXchange Network International -. Ghana 91. Experiental Leafning Ecuadorian Programs *, 92 . Experiential Learning

WWW. exchan eerier. or

Ecuador~ .

' USA-,

,

14^

WWW. e!jabroad. or

International

93. -. Experiment in International Living 94. Financial Services Volunteer

Corps

USA:.,_ *.

'USA ..~

.

.:.:95 ' Foundation for Sustainable '11/1 Development

...

,

WWW. usex enment. or

,

,

.

USA ::. -.

11^ ,

WWW. fsdinternational. or

.

\

\96 - Frontier

A,

UK, .

,*. .*.

WWW. frontier. ac. uk

*,

,**.

Tourism Research & Marketing

68

,. 11 ~-~

VOLUNTEER TOURISM UK

WWW. frontier. ac. uk

98 Fund for Intercultural Education & Volunteer Service

Ecuador

WWW. ex OCentres. coin

99 Fundacion Chol-Chol

Chile

WWW. cholchol. orq

100 Fundacion Creamos

Ecuador

WWW, c;. learnos. orq/index-en. ohD

101 Fundacion Zoobreviven

Ecuador

WWW. zoobreviven. orq

102 Future Nepal/Inside Nepal

Nepal

WWW. futureneDalbloqsoot. coin

I03 Gap Activity Projects

UK

WWW, gap. Orq. uk

I04 GapGuru. coin

UK

WWW, qa!, quru. coin

105 Geek Corps

USA

WWW. eekcor s. or

106 Genesis Volunteer programme

Ecuador

WWW. bahiaci ,coin/volunteer

I07 Global Citizens Network

USA

WWW. qlobalcitizens. orq

I08 Global Crossroad

USA

WWW. lobalcrossroad. coin

109 Global ECo. Spiritual Tours

USA

WWW. lobalecos intualtours. or

110 Global Humanitarian

USA

WWW. humanitariantours. coin

It, Global Language Villages

USA

htto://clvweb. cord. edulDrweb/o1v/

112 Global Partners HIP

Nepal

WWW. oartnershipneoal. oro

1/3 Global Routes

USA

WWW. qlObalrOutes. orq

1/4 Global Service Corps

USA

WWW. qlobalservicecoros. orq

uK/usN

WWW. qvi. co. uk

97 Frontier Conservation &

Development Projects

Expeditions

I15 Global Vision International

itinerary. asp

Australia

I46 Global Volunteer Network

New Zealand

WWW. volunteer. orq, nz

I, 7 Global Volunteer Network

USA

WWW. qvnfoundation. orq

118 Global Volunteers

USA

WWW. qlobalyolunteers. orq/

Foundation

volunteerabroad. htm 1.9

Global Volunteers for Change

120 globalteer

ourism Research & Marketin

Tanzania

WWW. volunteersforchan e. or

volunteerinq UK

WWW. globalteer. coin

VOLUNTEER TOURISM USA

WWW. qlobeaware. orq

122 Go Nomad. coin

France

WWW. qonomad. coin/alternatives/ 0602/castles. html

123 Go Volunteer

Australia

WWW. govolunteer. comau

I24 Great Basin Institute

USA

WWW. qreatbasininstitute. orq

125 Greenforce Global Adventures

UK

WWW. greenforce. orq

126 H. E. L. P Travel

Senegal

WWW. helptravel. orq

127 Habitat for Humanity

Hungary

WWW. habitat. orq

128 Hands for Help Nepal

Nepal

WWW. handsforhelo. corn

129 Hands Up Holidays

UK

WWW. handsuoholidavs. co. uk

I30 Health Volunteers Overseas

USA

WWW. hvousa, oro

131 Help a School Project

Ghana

WWW. haspoq. orq

I32 Hestia - Narodni Dobrovolnicke Centrum

Czech

WWW. hest. cz/ridc e. shtml

133 Himalayan Volunteers (RCDPNepal)

Nepal

WWW. neoalvolunteer. tripod. coin

I34 Hope and Home

Nepal

WWW, hopenhome. orq

I35 IC Volunteers

Switzerland

WWW. iCVOlunteerS. Or

136 Iko Poren

Brazil

WWW. ikoDoran. orq

137 Indian Volunteers for

UK

WWW. ivcs. orq. uk

138 Info Nepal

Nepal

WWW, intonepal. orq

I39 Institut^; for Field Research

USA

WWW. ifrevolunteers. orq

USA

WWW. iicd-volunteer. or

14, Inter Cultural Youth EXchange

UK

WWW. icve. co. uk

142 International Association for Volunteer Effort

USA

WWW. Iave. orq

143 International Center for Equal

USA

WWW. iceha. orq

121

Globe Aware

Republic

Community Service

Expeditions 140 Institute for International Co-

operation & Develop

Healthcare

Tourism Research & Marketihg

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

144 International Cultural Youth

Germany

^

USA

WWW. international health

EXchange 145 International Health Volunteers

^!g 146 International Partnership for Service Learning

USA. .

^:g

147 International Student

USA

WWW. is vonline. coin

Volunteers Inc

.

448 Internationale

,

Germa^y

y!^

Australia

WWW. volunteerin .or .au

UK/USAl

WWW. I-to-i. coin

Jugendgemeinschaftsdienste e. V 449 Involvement Volunteers , 50 i-to-i

Australia/ Ireland ..

15.1 Japan International Cooperation Agency

Japan

WWW. ICa. O

152 Japan International Volunteer

Jap;in

WWW. n o-'VC. neVenlindex. html

re n I is h

Center ~ ..-... .. -

Ecuador.

153 Jatun Sacha Foundation

WWW. 'arunsacha. or Iin Ies/ volunteer

,- ,

.'- * .\

154 Jesuit Volunteer Corps

USA'

WWW. 'esuitvolunteers. or

.,

\.

155 Jifunze Project

*

Tanzania

I,

^

,.

. ~-.,

\

I56 . Joint Assistance Centre Inc

U SA, ' ; .

htt Whometown. aol. coin/'acusa ,.,

457 Journeys Within Our Community 158 Karumbe Project

I Thailand

WWW. 'ourne swithinour

^rg

Urugujay;

WWW. karumbe. or Iv012007 of

I

..*

159 KIDS Worldwide

New'Zealand

160 - Kith & Kids

WWW. kidsworldwide. or

-,,. ,, , .,.

\

*UK- .... . ., . ,..,,

WWW. kithandkids. or .uk/html/ volunteer. html

\,

t61 La Fetra Operating Foundation

USA;

^

,62 La Sabrenenque

France

WWW. sabranen ue. coin

163 Land Conservancy of British

Canada

WWWConservanc .bcca

\

Columbia , .

.

464 LANDSCOPE

Australia

, 65 Leaders Today

Canada -'

,

.. -. WWW. naturebase. net WWW. leaderstoda .coin

-. -

Tourism Research & Marketing

74

VOLUNTEER TOURISM

166 Legambiente

' WWW. !e ambiente, coin

Italy Mexico

WWW. Ii ainternational. or

468 LISLE Inc

USA

WWW. lisleinternational. or

I69 Live and Learn Travels

Swedeh

WWW. liveandlearn. coin

I70 Local Ocean Trust

Kenya

WWW. watamuturtles. coin

-., 167 . LIGA - Flying Doctors of Mercy

171 Los Medicos Voladores

I-USA

WWW, fl in docs. or

172 Lunaria

Italy

WWW. lunaria, or Ien Iindex. html

473 MadVenturer

UK

WWW. madventurer. coin

474 Mani Tese

Italy

WWW. inariitese. windex. h ?

^I^!I 175 Ma'on Sari-simon, home for

I^reel

htt 710r s taKin it lobal. or 16197

disabled 476 Mannar Medical & Relief

Society 177 Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers

,'!ridia

WWW. mandore. coin

.. : .*.-'.-, *

WWW. in a knoll. or

I. USA;'*, . \

\

178 Medecins saris Frontieres

Sviit^didhd I ,..

479 Medical Teams International

.

^

..

, USA:. I. '

WWW. medicalteams. or

\

\

180 Merazonia

Ecuador

WWW. merazonia. or Ivolunteer \

. -* ,,

, ., ,* ,

~ it^,~' Mercy Ships

*

. USA:, ,,,

WWW. merc shi s. or

... ., , .,~,.

I :-482. Mission Doctors Association

USA'

.* ,-. * .

\

,

.:;::'183 Minapaap Institute .':;1.84 Mondo Challenge

185 MOSoq Ayl!u

WWW. missiondoctors. or

,.

':Ttit^hand

htt 71vo a eforum. coin/vo a e/

;' UK* . .,

WWW. mondochallen e. or

,,, peru

WWW. in OSo -a 11u. or

.. -

e

,

* "*.

, 86. National Registration Centre for Study Abroad

USA

WWW. nrcsa. coin

I. -*

*,

\

*.*.,. ...

187 Nature Club Suret Environment 11thdie':;.;-- I

WWW. natureclubsurat. or

.~\

\

Education and Research Center

, ..

.,

WWW. ne a!reliance. or

18:8 Nepal Reliance Organization ' Ne^al. .

*'

' ,.,'* ..

.

.

..,.

t89 New Development Experience ;;. USA-':.;'-'\: \'. * ,* ,..'.. - .~.

'-190 - New Era Galapagos Foundation

Tourism Research & Marketing

Galapagos *

WWW. newdevelo merit ^ WWW. newera at a a OS. or

_.

72

. I

'I

VOLUNTEER TOURISM II

191

Oceanic Society

USA

WWW. oceanic~ I I

sodet .or jindex5. html

,

192 One! International

Canada

WWW. one-International. coin

I93 Open Mind Projects

Thailand

WWW. o enmind ro'ects. or

II

194 Operation Cross Roads Africa

USA

WWW. o erat!on crossroadsafrica

II

I I ^

II

9.9

195 - Operation Wallacea

uK/usN Canada

^DJ

USA

WWW. oran utan. or

197' ORDEX Cultural EXchange

Ecuador

^^g

t98 Original Volunteers

UK

WWW. on in alvoiunteers. co. uk

,96- Orangutan Foundation

I; , ,

II

;I II

International

199 Outreach International

' UK

WWW. outreachinternational. co. uk

200 Oyster Worldwide

UK, ..

WWW. o stervvOrldwide. coin

201 Partners of the Americas

USA. .

vin/w. artners. net/ artners/ Volunteer

202 Peace Brigades International

UK

.,

WWW. eacebri ades. or

'USA'::

203 ' Peace Corps

;I I I

,

,.

.

WWW. eaceCOr s. ov

\

\

204 Peacework

,

-~;USA;

\

...

WWW. eacework. or

.,

. .

. ..- . , ~,.~

205 Personal Overseas

WWW. the odsite. co. uk ,.

Development

,

'*\

.

' - . ... ; * . , . . \

206 Peru for You

,.,

Peru

WWW. erufo ou. coin

-.,

,,

207 Por un Mejor HOY

USA

WWW. ho coinmunit .or *

208 Porcupine Volunteers 209 Portal do Voluntarip

"south Africa - -Brazil

WWW. on aidovoluntario. or .br/

.*** ~ *

, .-.. .,, .-.

site/

,*,

240' Predator Conservation Project ;'. Uganda, ;.;:

11^

\

,.

211 - Pro World Service Corps

:;

-USA:'::' ,,'*,

.

WWW. roworldSC. or *

.,'. . * '.. ~

,~

212 ' Project OTZMA

UsIAI:::::

WWW. rO'ectOtzma. Coin

,J \

\

'. *-, \ ,

213. Project Trust

*\

, UK. -. ,--,--

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APPENDIX 11. Sources

Alleyne, Richard (2006) 'Gap year students accused of being charity tourists who do little good. Sending gap year students to Third World is a form of colonialism'. The Telegraph 16 August 2006

Callanan, M. and Thomas, S. (2005) Volunteer tourism - Deconstructing volunteer activities within a dynamic environment, in M. Novelli (ed. ) Niche Tourism Contemporary Issues, Trends and Cases, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, pp. 183-201

Lisa M. Campbe!I, L. M. and Smith, C. (2006) What Makes Them Pay? Values of Volunteer Tourists Working for Sea Turtle Conservation. Environmental Management, 38.84-98. Chang, Daniel, Jones, Simon and Rozga, Zack (2005) Voluntouiism Study for Preyecthonduras. coin: A study of the economic impact of volunteer travel on Honduras. The George Washington University

Collins, Joseph, Dezerega, Stefano, Heckscher, Zahara and Lappe. Anna. (2002) How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas. Penguin Books

Cook, P. and Jackson, N. (2006) Valuing Volunteering - a route to professional development. Chartered Management Institute

Coghlan, A. (2006) Volunteer tourism as an emerging trend or an expansion of ecotourism? A look at potential clients' perceptions of volunteer tourism organisations. Int. J. Nonprofit Volunt, Sect. Mark. 14 : 225-237.

Cousins, J. A. (2007) The role of UK-based conservation tourism operators. Tourism Management, Volume 28, I020,030.

Drummond, J. (2007) Green Travel Clinic: Voluntary tourism: how do you choose a good company? hitp://WWW. greentraveller. co. uk/node/72 Gazley, B, (2001) Volunteer vacationers and what research can tell us about them, EVolunteerism: The electronicjoumal of the volunteer community, vol. I, n0,2.

Hindle, Charlotte, Cavalieri, Nate Collinson, Rachel and Miller, Korina (2007) Volunteer: A Traveller's Guide, Melbourne: Lonely Planet. .

Hodges, P. (4998) Volunteer Work Overseas. Global EXchange Guides Jones, A, (2004) Review of Gap Year Provision. UK Department for Education and Skills Research Report RR555.

http://WWW. dfes. gov. uk/research/programmeofresearch/projectinformation. cfm?projectld=, 437 I&type=0&resultspage=131

Jones, A. (2007) Overseas Volunteering, Gap Years and Development: Making Sense of the Debate. Paper presented at the conference (Re)Minding the Gap: Young People and the Gap Year in Contemporary Society. University of Surrey, IOth January 2007 (abstract available on http://WWW. gapyearresearch. org/Reminding_the_Gap_programme. doc). Kli6ek, Tamara (2007) Creative development of cultural tourism through international voluntary

camps. In Richards, G. and Wilson, J. (2007) Changing experiences - the development of creative tourism. Am hem: ATLAS.

Leigh, D. (2006) Third cultured volunteer tourists and the process of re-assimilation into home environments. Australian Journal on Volunteering, V01.60 I , , No. 2.59-67.

Machin, J and Malmersjo, G. (2006) Promotihg Volunteering. ' Experiences of 11aising with the media on volunteering issues. Institute for Volunteering Research. Tourism Research & Marketing

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MCBride, AM. , Benitez, C. , Sherraden, M. , and Johnson, L. (2003). Civic service worldwide: A

preliminary assessment. In H. Perold, S. Stroud, & M. Sherraden (Eds. ), Service enquiry: Service in the 21 st century (pp. 3-, 9). Johannesburg: compress MCGehee, N. (2007a) Understanding The Motives and Benefits of Voluntourists: What Makes Them Tick? Voluntourist. org

MCGehee, N. (2007b) Volunteer Tourism: Sustainable Innovation in Tourism, orjust "Rettin' the Critters"? BEST EN Think Tank V!I, innovations for Sustainable Tourism

MCGehee, N. and Andereck, K. (2007) Resident attitudes toward voluntourism WWW. voluntourist. or

MCIntosh. A. J and Zahara. A, (2005) Alternative Cultural Experiences Through Volunteer Tourism, University of Waikato, NZ, Abstract from ATLAS Annual Conference 2005 MCMillion, B. (2006) Volunteer Vacations. ' Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and

Others. Chicago: Chicago Review Press Milkround (2006) Research report - gap years htt ://WWW. milkround. coin/s4/'0bseekers/news/ eneral/editorial dis Ia .as ?newsid=6887 Mints1 (2005) Gap Year Travel- International. London: Mintel

Quirk, Darren (4998) Corporate Volunteering. ' The Potential and the Way Forward, The Wellington Volunteer Centre,

Rando, D. (2004) Volunteer Tourism: A Viable Activity for Ontario?, Research Paper in Forest Conservation. Masters of Forest Conservation, University of Toronto. WWW. forestry, utoronto. calpdfs/rondo. pdf

Raymond, E. (2007) Making a Difference?: Good practice in volunteer tourism, MA Thesis, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ, March 2007.

Richards, G. (2006) Global study of NTO youth tourism policy. Am SIerdam: mySE Travel Confederation/UNWFO,

Richards, G. (2007) 'New Horizons 11' Global Study of Young Independent Travellers

Amsterdam: un'SE Travel Confederation

Richards, G. (2008) Compendium of Youth Travel Research. Madrid: UNWTONWSETC

Richards, G. and Wilson, J, (2006) Developing Creativity in Tourist Experiences: A Solution to the Serial Reproduction of Culture? Tourism Management 27,1209-1223.

Rowe, T, and Hall, C. M. (2003) Generation y: building a future through volunteer tourism? in M. Ranga and A. Chandra (eds) Tourism and Hospylality, Discovery publishing house, New Delhi, PPI70-191

Sampson, A. J. K. (2005) Operation Wallacea in Kaledupa: Exploring the problems and prospects for the implementation of a community payment strategy.

http://WWW. opwal!. coin/Library/Indonesia/Indonesia%20Marine/SOCioeconomic/Sampson %20

A. PDF

Sherraden, M. (2001). Civic service: Issues, outlook, institution build^^g, St. LOUIS: Center for Social Development, Washington University Simpson, K. (2003) Dropping Out or Signing Up? The Professionalism of Youth The Guardian Guide to Volunteering, WWW. uardianbooks. co. uk, 2007.

Stebbins, R. A. and Graham, M. (date) Volunteering as Leisure/leisure as Volunteering, An international assessment. CABl. Ref: HB 9780854997506

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Volunteers of Americanhe Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College,

(2005). Expanding the Boundaries of Corporate Volunteerism. http://WWW. volunteersofamerica. orgl Vs0 (2004) Focus for Change: VsO^s strategic plan. hip:11www. vso. org. uk/Images/sp3_tcm8593. pdf

Wearing, S. (2004 ) Volunteer Tourism: Experiences that Make a Difference. Wallingford, CABl. Wearing, S. (2003) Editorial, Tourism Recreation Research, v01.28, n0.3,3-4. WYSE Travel Confederation (2007) Climate Change and Youth Travelindustry guide. AmSIerdam: un'SE Travel Confederation.

Further Reading '^ Handbook for Creating Your Own Internshfy? in International Development". Includes a workbook to help you evaluate your skills, motivations, and learning objectives, as well as advice on financing your internship, living in a foreign country, and returning home. Available from Youth ACTion for Global JUSTice, (415) 431-4204, or email info

ustact. or .

^ World of Options: A Guide to International EXchange, Community Service and Travel for Persons with Disabilities'I (Christ a Bucks, I 996, Mobility International USA, email: info@injusa. org), Comprehensive guide to international eXchange, study abroad, volunteer service, and travel for persons with disabilities and interested others,

', tiltematives to the Peace Corps. ' A Directory of Third World and U. S. Volunteer Opportunities". (Phil Lowenthal, Stephanie Tarnoff, and Lisa David. 7th ed, I 996, Food First Books) A guide to voluntary service, study, and alternative travel overseas and in the U. S. with organizations which "address the political and economic causes of poverty. " 800-274-7826; foodfirst@19c. apc. org

'^rchaeological Fieldwork Opportunities Bulletin': (Archaeological Institute of America. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co). A comprehensive guide to excavations, field schools, and special programs with openings for volunteers, students, and staff worldwide, for academic credit or experience. Annual in January. . 800228-0810; aia@bu. edu. Backdoor Guide to Short-Term Job Adventures. ' Internships, Summer Jobs, Seasonal Work, Volunteer Vacations and Transitions Abroad; Landes, Michael. Published by Ten Speed Press.

'Beyond Safaris. ' A Guide to Building People"to"People Ties with Africa". (Kevin Danaher, Africa World Press, Inc. , 4991), Tells how to build and strengthen links between U. S. citizens and grassroots development efforts in Africa; brief chapters on volunteering and studying abroad.I Available from Global EXchange, (415) 255-7296

I

'Bridging the Global Gap: A Handbook to Linking Citizens of the First and Third Worlds" (By Medea Bentamin and Andrea Freed inari, Global EXchange), In dudes a useful resource guide listing organizations involved in various development education projects, from study tours and alternative trading networks to issue specific research and lobby groups. (800) 497-, 994 or email info@globaleXchange, org,

'Directory of Overseas Medical Facilities". (Project Concern International, OPTIONS) Includes info on 150 medical facilities around the world, for anyone interested in serving as an overseas medical volunteer. PCI's Human Resources Department also maintains a database of potential volunteers and consultants to fill volunteer positions as they come up. Health professionals should contact PCI to order the directory or to have your name added to the database. 649279-9690, postmaster@projCon, cts. coin, WWW. serve, coinlPCl . "How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas". (Penguin, 2002) by Joseph Collins, Stefano DeZerega, and Zahara Heckscher is a fact filled guide to everything you need to know about international volunteering. Based on six years of research in over 25 countries, the book includes a chapter about the pros and cons of the Peace Corps, facts and detailed evaluations Tourism Research & Marketing

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of over 80 volunteer placement organizations, critical advice on staying safe and healthy while overseas, helpful information about what to pack and interpreting State Department warnings, and special tips for women. The book provides information to make volunteering a financially viable option, and discusses a variety of strategies for becoming an effective international volunteer. For more information contact info@volunteeroverseas. org, 202-489-8908 '}.{ow to Serve and Learn Abroad EffectiveIy, ' Students Tell Students'{ (Howard A. Berry & Linda A. Chisholm, The Partnership for Service Learning, I 992), Based on the experiences and reflections of over I 000 students from 440 universities, who have participated in programs of the Partnership for Service-Learning. The book will help students choose a program that is right for them, and will be useful to those who hope to give and get the most through their community service at home or abroad "International Internshfyis and Volunteer Programs". (Will Cantrell and Francine Moddemo 1992, Worldwise Books), Well"researched information, much of it not elsewhere, on programs abroad and in the U. S. which can serve as "stepping stories" to international careers, for both students and professionals "Kibbutz Volunteer". (John Bedford, 1996, Vacation Work, Seven Hills), Lists over 200 kibbutzim at different sites in Israel; also includes information on work on a in OShav and other employment opportunities in Israel. 'Learning a Language While Volunteering Abroad". Expert and author of many books on Teaching ESL Abroad, Susan Grimth offers advice and resources for volunteer work abroad in which immersion into the native culture accelerates the language learning process, and

provides a more enriching travel experience 'Making the most of a Volunteer Vacation". Authors Doug Cutchins and Anne Geissinger

provide essential tips on how to turn your volunteer vacation abroad into a meaningful and memorable experience. "The Real Peace Corps". Matl Brown provides a realistic and honest appraisal of his a volunteer work teaching English in Africa with the Peace Corps, 'Response: Volunteer OPPortumties Directory of the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service'I

(1997) Free from CNVS, 800-543-5046 or 202-529-, I 00, cnvs@an. net; http:11www. Gnus. org Directory of lay mission opportunities in the U. S. and abroad, most of which have an activist, non-proselytizing approach. Listings include some non-Catholic religious organizations

Indexes by type of placement, location, length of time, couples, parents w/dependents, etc. "Student World Traveler". A free quarterly magazine published by and for college students on the Us West Coast, chock full of travel tips and articles from students who have done alternative travel abroad. Distributed to 65 college campuses throughout California and Washington. 888-233"0603, etiettme@uci. edu 'The Forms and Structure of International Voluntary Service Journal Voluntas". International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. Publisher: Springer Netherlands; ISSN

0957-8765 (Print) 1573-7888 (Online); Issue Volume 17, Number 2I June, 2006 Category:Original Paper; DoI I0,007/SII266-006-9044-7 Pages 156-173 'The Global Citizen: A Guide to Creating an International Life and Career' Kruempe!inarin,

Elizabeth (2002)Ten Speed Press. "The Internatibnal Directory of Voluntary Work". (Victoria Pybus, 1997, Peterson's Guides), Directory of over 500 agencies offering volunteer jobs and how to apply. A comprehensive listing of volunteer opportunities in Europe "The Peace Corps and More: I 75 Ways to Work, Study, and Travel at Home and Abroad".

Global EXchange, 1997 Edition, (415) 2557296, or email info@globaleXchange. org. "The Pros & Cons of the Peace Corps". A compilation of articles and interviews with former Peace Corps volunteers, providing insights into topics such as representing the Us

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government, qualities of a good volunteer, general development issues, and more. Available from Youth ACTion for Global JUSTice, (415) 431-4204, or email info@justact. org. "Transitions Abroad". A bimonthly Us periodical which gives extensive coverage to all varieties of education abroad, from study, working and volunteering abroad, to socially responsible

independent travel. Back issues and directories also available. 800-293-0373, info@transitionsabroad. coin; WWW. transabroad. coin,

"Volunteering for Overseas Jobs: What it takes to be a Highly Effective Vdunteer", Joseph Collins and Luke We rich, co-authors with Zahara He GKScher of How to Live Your Dream of

Volunteering Overseas, describes the necessary traits and attitude to work abroad effectiveIy. "Vdunteer!: The Comprehensive Guide to Voluntary Service in the U. S. andAbroad. (Richard Christian0, I 995, Council on International Educational EXchange), Lists nearly 200 voluntary

service organizations recruiting volunteers for work in the U. S. and abroad. Organized by short-term and long-term opportunities, with indexes by country and type of work. 888COUNCIL

"Volunteer Work in Brazil". Volker Poelzl provides an overview of the volunteer work available in Brazil in the context of current social and cultural issues.

"Volunteer in Spain'I Roy Barnes describes a unique volunteer vacation in Spain, where room and board is exchanged for enjoyable work teaching conversational English.

.

"Volunteer Teaching English in Africa'I B. Susan Bauer provides inside tips on how to go about finding volunteer work teaching English in Africa and shares her experiences. "Volunteer Vacatibns: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others". (Bill

MCMillon, 1997, Chicago Review Press) Describes more than 250 organizations sponsoring

projects in the U. S. and abroad. Indexed by cost, length of time, location, type of project, and season. Opportunities from I weekend to 6 weeks. (312) 337-0747 "What in the World is Going On? A Guide for Canadians Wishing to Work, Volunteer or Study

in Other Countries". (A1an Cumyn, I 996, Canadian Bureau for International Education), A comprehensive listing of study and work abroad possibilities. Addressed to a Canadian audience, some listings are restricted to Canadian citizens. Indexed by country and field.

"Working for Global Justice Directory". Youth ACTion for Global JUSTice, I 999. A handbook of volunteer, internship, educational travel, or career opportunities in the Us and abroad, which focus on global justice. (445) 43,4204, or email info@justact. org

"Working in Asia". (Nicki Grihault, 1996, In Print Publishing, UK), The first and only book to give an overview of all work options, from volunteer to teaching to career opportunities--from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia to Northern Asia. ), Available from Weatherhill (NY) 800557-5601 \

Exhibitions

One Life Live - Olympia, London 29 February - 2 March 2008, An event offering travel and volunteer opportunities, estimated to attract 20,000 visitors,

World Religious Travel Expo & Educatibnal Conference, Oct. 29 to Nov. I, 2008 at the Gaylord

Palms Resort and Convention Center in Or!ando. The Expo will include an international trade show and volunteer vacations.

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