We came across this article on development tourism, which includes voluntourism and travel philanthropy, as one way to address the pressing issues of the developing world –
The 2009 Sustainable Tourism Report predicts a dramatic rise in development tourism, particularly in Africa, as tourism operators are gaining momentum in using tourism to achieve the Millennium Development Goals — Poverty Eradication, Universal Primary Education, Environmental Sustainability, Gender Equality, and Child Mortality Reduction.
The report says “Numbers of disadvantaged countries can, at least be assisted with development tourism, which, properly instituted, can help to …

Global Xperience, U.K. gap-year travel company that places travelers on volunteer and adventure trips around the world, has gone bust – a victim of the recession. About 163 young people on placements across the globe were given the news by letter and email, The Independent revealed.

As a result of bankruptcy, Global Xperience can not fulfill its customers’ booking obligations. Richard Oliver of Year Out Group, a trade association group, said of the demise of Global Xperience: “It is not a straightforward credit crunch story but the credit crunch was the …

We hear Whole Foods Market (WFM) will offer voluntourism to customers. Its Whole Planet Foundation has teamed up with Global Vision International (GVI) to create its own Volunteer Program. Whole Foods Market founded Whole Planet Foundation (WPF) in 2005 with the mission to create economic partnerships with the poor in those developing communities that supply their stores with product.

They will offer 15 day tours to Guatemala, Costa Rica or India with costs ranging from $2,345-$2,595 (excluding airfare). The package includes local style accommodation, all meals, in-country staff, all …

There has been a lot of talk of the “R” word — Recession. There’s news of drastic drops in retail sales, job losses and higher unemployment rates everyday, the picture seems very bleak.

We’re curious how this challenging economy has affected volunteer travel abroad. Recently we asked about a dozen volunteer organizations and tour companies (1) how their businesses have been affected; and (2) how they will respond (i.e., price discounts, refocused marketing campaigns, etc). The general consensus — so far business has not been impacted. In fact, some have seen …

Recently Linda Stuart, Executive Director of Global Citizens Network, alerted us to a 2008 survey done by the Brookings Institute’s Initiative on International Volunteering and Services. The survey of 29 volunteer organizations yielded some interesting general industry statistics and trends.
Here are some of the results from the survey:
1. Volunteers going abroad are projected to increase by 55% to 85,000 in 2010 from 55,000 in 2007.
2. Top 10 destinations listed for placing volunteers were Peru, Mexico, Kenya, India, Honduras, Ecuador, Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica, and Sudan. Latin and South …