United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
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
Related News Stories:
Valere
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
Robert Terrell: A Journey Through BB King’s Influence
Rochelle Hicks: Celebrating Mississippi’s Musical Legacy
Exploring Jacksonville with Katie Mitura: The Flip Side of Florida
Tricia Handley-Hughes of Inteletravel announces the location for the TravelQuest 2025 conference
Insights from James Ferrara on Inteletravel’s Growth and Future
Tricia Handley-Hughes on Inteletravel’s Growth and Challenges
Tony from Gatto’s Pizza on Columbus’s Unique Pizza Trail
Sophia Hyder Hock on Global Social Inclusion in Tourism
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Woman dies after getting ‘entangled’ in baggage carousel
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
BA pilot dies during layover
Boy falls to death on cruise ship