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Voluntourism will never be the same again
New entrant plans to turn the market on its head
This is something very, very new in travel and tourism but not from the industry.
Visit.org comes out as a direct result of NGOs (or non-profit organizations) working to help local communities be developing tourism initiatives.
Recognising that local communities actually get very little of the action that their visitors provide, and little choice in the matter, the founders of Visit.org worked from community out rather than industry in.
Their idea – to help communities create unique adventures for visitors and then help them make money out of them.
Launched last year, so far they have worked with 100 communities and have connected with just 500 visitors, but the key to potential growth is the conversion of visitors into ambassadors for the programme, which could well become a potent social media marketing tool.
Clearly the initiative is aimed at young travelers who have some time and money and want life-changing experiences to happen, both to them and the people they visit.
But also families and older people are included in Visit.org’s market.
This is not the only way it appears quite different from the mass-market voluntourism industry which has been criticized regularly for using community initiatives as simply raw material for their expensive tours.
Visit.org says that its real interest is in helping communities develop tourism with benefits and engage potential visitors in the process.
Clearly Visit.org offers something very different – maybe it’s the breath of fresh air the voluntourism industry needs.
See interview with Immersion Travel Magazine HERE
See a few of the Visit.org blogs
About local food experiences HERE
About wildlife HERE:
About Social consciousness in South Africa HERE
What the media is saying about Visit.org
In Goodnet.org:
Valere Tjolle
Valere
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