Volunteer tourism goes mainstream

The volunteer tourism market has well and truly entered the mainstream travel industry, with major tour operators owning gap year volunteering companies and offering their own ethical holiday products. These vary from short visits to schools to four week skilled volunteering placements.

TUI now have a portfolio of gap year companies in their group – Inspired Breaks, Real Gap and i-to-i. Although TUI doesn’t offer volunteering projects through its mainstream brands, Thomson and First Choice, they have built a strong stake in the volunteer tourism market.

But how worthwhile are these kind of volunteer tourism options offered by commercial organisations and are they more than just holidays with a conscience? Managing Director of i-to-i, Sam Cox, says:
"Volunteering offers an extraordinary opportunity for tourists to experience more than just the confines of a mainstream hotel, and at the same time help make a difference to the lives of the locals through education and an extra pair of hands … i-to-i Volunteering only works in partnership with government, NGO and private projects which are already set up, that are driven by and for the community in which they sit and have specifically asked for volunteer assistance."

This kind of approach is key to ensuring that there is a direct impact and benefit for the local communities. One of the main benefits of volunteer projects managed by these kind of companies is that they have the infrastructure and resources to assess and monitor volunteering projects and ensure that the product they are offering is good for both the customer and the local community. They are also able to provide support to volunteers, both before they go and during their time overseas. ABTA membership and ATOL protection offer a great deal of security to a volunteer going to an unfamiliar destination, with security and emergency contingencies being a big consideration for this kind of travel experience.

Demonstrating the increasing popularity of doing something good on your holiday, companies like Kuoni, ITC Classics and Saga are all now featuring volunteering holidays.

Kuoni are offering a collection of socially and environmentally responsible holidays through their
"ananea" brand (the word ananea is derived from the Greek word for renewal). Described on their website as providing "extraordinary, respectful and authentic travel experiences", the collection  includes a mixture of luxury hotels, ethical tours and volunteering experiences. Kuoni are partnering with conservation and scientific research charity Earthwatch for most of the volunteering projects. Their customers will volunteer on Earthwatch’s expeditions for example "Saving Kenya’s Black Rhino" and "Cheetah Conservation in Namibia" and will be involved in collecting data on wildlife. No specific skills and experience are required as volunteers are given training when they arrive.

Kuoni are also offering volunteering projects in northern Thailand, working with Volunteers Without Borders. Volunteers teach English and assist with environmental work and raising awareness of conservation issues. The aim of the project is to help local communities "by providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge to develop and maintain successful and sustainable eco-tourism projects". However, for these projects, volunteers don’t need to have experience or skills in teaching or conservation as they assist project staff with the activities and the emphasis is on qualities like team work and communication skills.

The luxury operator ITC Classics recently launched their ITC Giving product. They are partnering with the organisations people and places and Andaman Discoveries to offer volunteer tourism experiences. Primarily, these are short experiential tours which include visits to communities to meet local people and learn about the issues they face. The five day trips can be tailor-made and added on to a holiday. This is an interesting way of adapting the volunteer tourism model so that it allows people to see first-hand community projects in their holiday destination, interact with local people and contribute financially.

Saga, the company with a wide range of holidays for 50-plus travellers, currently have eight volunteer travel projects in South Africa, St Lucia, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Volunteers are matched to a suitable placement depending on their skills and background and spend at least four weeks overseas, which allows time to ensure the placement is beneficial. As most of the projects involve volunteering in schools, orphanages or with vulnerable people, CRB checks are conducted. Saga have in-country project support available and they are transparent about what proportion of the volunteer’s payment goes to the local project. They emphasise that the projects are developed based on the needs of the communities and they have a long term commitment to ensure sustainability. They also have their own charitable trust which supports the projects.

Other travel companies who are also offering volunteer tourism include Virgin Holidays who are partnering with Madventurer to offer five day teaching and building projects, Sandals who offer  guests half day visits to local schools to help children with their reading as part of their literacy programme and Crystal Cruises who have a "You Care, We Care" voluntourism programme where guests and crew can get involved in worthwhile projects in destinations they visit.

These are all brands that are trusted by customers who may have been on a number of holidays with them previously and are looking for a different travel experience. In addition, travel agents are now able to access the volunteer tourism market and sell these kinds of experiences to their customers. Bringing this once alternative market to the mainstream has opened it up to a more diverse range of travellers, not just young gappers. An older market can bring much-needed skills and experience to communities in developing countries, so projects like those offered by Saga could be highly beneficial.

These kind of volunteer tourism projects also fit well with the tour operator’s CSR and responsible tourism strategies. Offering this kind of experience in their product range adds real weight to their commitments to helping destinations to develop. Some tour operators are even running their own volunteering schemes for their staff, which really demonstrates just how much the mainstream travel industry has embraced the concept of volunteering.

Natasha Stein

Natasha Stein has worked for VSO, Earthwatch and Thomson Holidays and specialises in best practice in overseas volunteering programmes and identifying the right placements for volunteers. Natasha developed an interest in responsible tourism whilst working at Thomson Holidays as a Product Manager for long-haul destinations. After 6 years with VSO’s volunteering team, she decided to combine her experience in tour operations and international development and pursue a career in responsible travel. She is currently studying for a Masters in Responsible Tourism Management at the International Centre for Responsible Tourism.

Email: [email protected]
Blog http://responsiblevolunteering.wordpress.com/

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