Voluntourism Stakeholder Meeting

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011, 15:30 - 17:30, Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa

Voluntourism Guidelines Project

An increasing number of travel companies around the world are adding volunteer opportunities to their tour itineraries. The growing trend, which is now commonly known as voluntourism, is an area of great interest for many organizations including tour operators, lodges, NGOs and destinations. TIES, with the support of Planeterra Foundation, is working with an international committee of voluntourism practitioners and experts, to develop Voluntourism Guidelines, a set of criteria that will help voluntourism providers plan and manage their programs in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Industry Survey

In May-June 2011, TIES, with the support of voluntourism project partner Planeterra, and in collaboration with an International Advisory Committee representing a wide range of industry fields and regions, conducted an industry survey with the aim of gathering data on current issues, challenges, and opportunities in the field of voluntourism.

Voluntourism Guidelines Survey Summary Report: Download (600mb) | View Online

*This report has been compiled and edited by Ashley Armstrong, Megan Epler Wood, Ayako Ezaki and Kelly Galaski, with guidance from the International Advisory Committee members, as part of the International Voluntourism Guidelines project.

Stakeholder Meeting Goals

TIES is organizing the Voluntourism Stakeholder Meeting at this year's ESTC in order to gather feedback from voluntourism providers and industry professionals working in related fields. This session is open to public (free).

Key issues and topics include:

• With respect to transparency in communications and reporting by voluntourism providers, what are reasonable expectations, and what is practically and realistically possible?
• What are some best practice examples of addressing the question about empowering local community members by generating employment and supporting capacity building, and the roles that volunteers play in contributing to - or inhibiting - such efforts?
• How should the guidelines presented in order for them to serve as an effective and practical tool for voluntourism providers?

Based on the feedback and recommendations collected through the Stakeholder Meeting, TIES will produce the draft International Voluntourism Guidelines for review by the Advisory Committee, with the goal of finalizing the guidelines for publication in early 2012.

Questions, Suggestions?

Please review additional information on the Voluntourism Guidelines Project on the Frequently Asked Questions page, and contact TIES project manager Ayako Ezaki at aezaki[at]ecotourism.org for any comments, questions and suggestions.

RSVP

If you are not registered for the ESTC 2011, and are interested in this session only, please RSVP by sending an email to Ayako Ezaki at aezaki[at]ecotourism.org, with the following information: Your name, job title/position, organization, and email address (Subject Line: Voluntourism Stakeholder Meeting). *RSVP is not required for this session if you are registered for the ESTC 2011.