Volunteer tourism and nepal as a case study

Submitted by – abhijeet v. tiwari

• A subset of non-traditional/non-mass tourism – alternative tourism (community involved).

• Field of tourism in which travellers visit a destination and take part in projects in the local community.

• Projects might be conservation work or development work.

What is volunteer tourism ?

“Volunteer Tourism” is the intersection of international volunteering and tourism, also called variously “voluntourism”, “volunteer holidays” and “volunteer travel”.

It is “the practice of individuals going on a working holiday, volunteering their labour for worthy causes” such as “aiding or alleviating the material poverty of some groups in society; the restoration of certain specific environments or research into aspects of society or environment”, “for various reasons”, “in an organised way”, “alongside touristic activities”.

What is volunteer tourism ?

Visitors whose work is remunerated at a destination are excluded from tourism (UNWTO, 1998), thus paid working holidays or international development volunteering differs from voluntourism. Rather, voluntourism usually involves some fee to participate. According to the UNWTO definition (1995), tourism thus voluntourism, can be domestic or international, from any originating market and up to one consecutive year.

At the crossroads of volunteering and tourism is volunteer tourism or “voluntourism”. While there is no single accepted definition of what constitutes volunteer tourism, generally it involves the inclusion of a volunteer component to a vacation experience. According to one academic, to be a voluntourist is to “volunteer in an organized way to undertake holidays that may involve aiding or alleviating the material poverty of some groups in society, the restoration of certain environments or research into aspects of society or environment.”

What is volunteer tourism ?

The idea of combining voluntary service with travel is not a new concept. In fact, it can be traced back for many thousands of years in various cultures and religious orders throughout the world.

Missionaries, healers and/or medical practitioners, sailors, explorers, and countless others have rendered service in conjunction with their travels.

2. HISTORY OF VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Significant developments in volunteering abroad occurred in the spirit of international cooperation and compassion after the Second World War, with the formation of charitable international development assistance organizations .

2. HISTORY OF VOLUNTEER TOURISM

Volunteerism, either on its own or involving travel, contributes to overall development on a global level. The United Nations has stated that “volunteerism is an important component of any strategy aimed at poverty reduction, sustainable development and social integration.”

Globally, the number of individuals participating in volunteerism continues to rise. In Britain, 73% of adults participated in at least one volunteer activity in 2007.4 In Australia, 4.5 million individuals reported participating in a volunteer activity in 2006.

3.GROWTH OF VOLUNTEER TOURISM

The two largest groups participating in voluntourism are college students (including alternative spring break activities) and Baby Boomers who were born between 1946 and 1964 and are now entering their retirement years.

Surveys and interviews show that people choose to participate in volunteer activities for a range of reasons. Tourists are motivated because of purely altruistic reasons; social desirability; career enhancement; cultural immersion; comradely; and education or bonding with children, among other reasons.

Growth of Volunteer Tourism

Volunteer tourism typically involves people traveling from developed countries to developing countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Its activities often involve a myriad of players including government, private sector and civil society. Volunteer Managing Organizations(VMO) are those organizations that are involved in managing volunteer tourism activities, either as the organization sending the volunteers (Volunteer Sending Organization, VSO) or the organization receiving the volunteers (Volunteer Receiving Organization, VRO).

STRUCTURE OF VOLUNTEER TOURISM INDUSTRY

• Conservation work : travel to varied locations in different geographic places such as Africa, Asia and South America, etc. to help environment issues 

• Development work : offer medical assistance, get involved in economic and social development, and help restore heritage/culture, etc. 

What is volunteer tourism ?

• The participation is self-motivated• The mission is self-developed• The travel/tourism components included • Pursuing a high level of self actualization

Characteristics of volunteer tourism

• Self actualization• Development of local community • Sense of making a difference .

Benefits of Volunteer Tourism

• Wedged between the high Himalaya and the steamy Indian plains, Nepal is a land of snow peaks and Sherpas, yaks and yetis, monasteries and mantras.

• Kathmandu in the capital of Nepal • The population of Nepal is 27.8 million.

Nepal as a Case Study

• Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world and relies extensively on foreign aid. The main sector of the economy is agriculture, which employs over 70 percent of the population and accounts for 33 percent of GDP(19.29 billion). As Nepal is home to the highest mountains in the world, tourism has been steadily growing in importance and is an important source of revenue. Also, the country has been working on exploiting hydroelectric power. Although Nepalese economy has been steadily growing in recent years, lack of governmental institutions, growing population and remnants of social instability are sources of concern. 

• The recent earthquake on 25th April 2015 killed almost 9000 people in Nepal and destroyed all major infrastructures

Why nepal ?

Assessment of Volunteer Tourism as a tool for developing and rebuilding of Nepal as Volunteers can play following roles

• Community Work with Orphans• Teach English at summer camp• Animal rescue • Build Homes for the Underprivileged• Cultural Preservation• Disaster Relief • Medical Assistance • Architects and Civil Engineers .

Future study