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Voluntourism - Volunteer Tourism

Source: MSNBC - The Value of Voluntourism

There is a new trend arising in both the nonprofit and tourism industries. Volunteer tourism, or "voluntourism", is an emerging trend that is gaining popularity. According to a survey sponsored by MSNBC and Conde Nast Traveller, 55 percent of the participants in the survey said they were interested in volunteering on their vacation. When asked if the participant has ever taken a volunteer vacation, the survey showed that 20 percent has taken at least one. Of the 20 percent who have taken a volunteer vacation, 95 percent of them said they would likely take another.

Although this idea of voluntourism is not a new, it has seen tremendous increase of people wanting to participate, especially in this decade. Kimberly Haley-Coleman, executive director of GlobeAware.org, said, "There's been a huge upswing in the wake of September 11, Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami. For the first time, many people who were writing checks felt a real human connection with those in need."

This emerging trend may also owe thanks to local and state governments requiring students and other groups to volunteer as part of their curriculum or requirements.

As David Clemmons, founder of Voluntourism.org, has put it, "Volunteering is becoming more in tune with the mainstream. People are ready to get out there and do something."

Voluntourism is more popular today because it has become more practical since it first started, forever changing how we look at volunteering. For example, voluntourism allows for people to have fun and feel good about themselves at the same time without the full commitment of regular volunteers and can be as short as one week. Clemmons believes that "People do want to volunteer, but they also want to experience a destination."