Voluntourism Guidelines

 

Voluntourism Guidelines

International Voluntourism Guidelines for Commercial Tour Operators

Published September 2012

Developed by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) with support of Planeterra, the International Voluntourism Guidelines for Commercial Tour Operators have been developed as a practical tool that will help international voluntourism providers plan and manage their programs in a responsible and sustainable manner.

 About the Project

Planeterra Foundation and The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) have collaborated to develop a set of criteria that will help international voluntourism providers plan and manage their programs in a responsible and sustainable manner.

We have launched this project because an increasing number of travel companies are adding volunteer opportunities to their tour itineraries worldwide. The growing trend, which is now commonly known as voluntourism, is an area of great interest for many organizations. Our hope is to develop a set of criteria that will help international voluntourism providers plan and manage their programs in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Advisory Committee

To ensure that this project incorporates a diverse range of industry knowledge and experiences, we have worked with an International Advisory Committee representing a variety of industry sectors and regions:

    • Bodhi Garrett, Co-Director, Andaman Discoveries, Thailand
    • Valeria Gracia, Asociación Civil Voluntario Global, Argentina
    • Sallie Grayson, Programme Director, People and Places, U.K.
    • Nancy McGehee, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Virginia Tech University, U.S.A.
    • Leah Griffin, Product Innovation Manager, G Adventures
    • Thandi Miedema, Founder, Calabash Tours, South Africa
    • Paul Miedema, Founder, Calabash Tours, South Africa
    • Kristin Lamoureux, Ph.D., Director, International Institute of Tourism Studies, The George Washington University, U.S.A.
    • Lelei LeLaulu, President, Community Benefit Development, U.S.A.
    • Daniela Ruby Papi, Founder, PEPY Tours, Cambodia
    • Gopinath Parayil, Founder and Chief Executive, The Blue Yonder, India
    • Marnie Heim-Stafford, Owner, Voluntours, South Africa
    • Jeremy Stafford, Owner, Voluntours, South Africa
    • Andy Woods-Ballard, Director of Operations, Global Vision International, U.K.
    • Stephen Wearing, Associate Professor, University of Technology, Australia