VolunTourism

1
VolunTourism

• Katie Vatterrodt
• Meghan Karschnia
• Vangshetta Her

2
Overview

• What is VolunTourism?
• What is its extent?
• Potential issues/opportunities
• Recreation mgmt application
• Who are the stakeholders?
• What are the key dates for VolunTourism?
• What are the recent trends?

3
VolunTourism

• Definition per the NPS
• VolunTourism is defined as a seamless
  integrated combination of voluntary service to a
  destination the best traditional elements of
  travel, arts, culture, geography, history in
  that destination.
• Combines nonprofit sector with tourism
• To serve learn give back to the community
  being visited
• Helps to offset the negative effects of tourism
  activities (ex. development) by working to
  improve the site

4
Extent of opportunities

• In 2005, the NPS recorded 5.2 million hours of
  service by 137,000 individuals.
• At about 17.5/hr volunteer service was valued at
  91.2 million dollars
• A poll in Time showed 45 of Americans have
  considered taking a volunteer vacation, 5
  million--- trend is on the rise

5
Potential Problems

• Parks/Hosts
• Unskilled labor
• SHORT TERM
• Difficulty making connections between all
  necessary parties
• Volunteer Management
• Finding a target market
• In the US, the National Park Service has been
  put under intense pressure due to
• Fees revenues decreasing
• Budget deficit
• Maintenance backlog

• Participants
• expenses
• work required to find plan for opportunities
• opportunity cost of working on a trip

6
..but greater OPPORTUNITIES

• Parks/Hosts
• Expand volunteer workforce
• Create ambassadors for the communities challenges
• Providing additional skill sets new ideas for
  the community
• Generates revenue/building capacity for other
  programs
• Networking
• www.nationalserviceresources.org/files/voluntouris
  m.pdf

• Participants
• -Opportunity to help the local community
• -Interacting with locals you would have never met
  otherwise
• -Networking
• -Socially responsible
• -Team-building

7
Voluntourism in Public Recreational Lands

• NPS Feasibility Study (2008) shows agency
  interest in launching a program.
• Major opportunity of untapped resources of
  volunteers for the NPS

8
Stakeholders (Govt)
9
Stakeholders (Public Private)
10
Key Dates in Voluntourism

• The earliest voluntourists are considered to be
  missionaries, healers/medical practioners,
  sailors explorers
• 1961 Founding of the US Peace Corps
• 1970s The Boom of Study Abroad Programs
• 1980s Ecotourism emerges
• 1990s Volunteer Vacations gain popularity
• 1998 Nevada Board of Tourism is the first to
• use VolunTourism in regional
  planning
• 1990s-00s Research development of
• Voluntourist
  organizations grows
• ? 2008 Study begins for NPS VolunTourism
  program

http//www.voluntourism.org/inside-history.html
11
Recent Trends

• The Travel Industry Association of America (TIA)
  highlighted this growing trend as far back as
  2005, when it spotlighted an annual National
  Public Lands Day event when 100,000 volunteers
  went to National Parks to build bridges
  trails, plant trees, remove invasive plants
• Strengthening trend
• of travelers planning to volunteer during
  vacations in 2007 increased 2x, 6 to 11
  (Forbes, 2007)
• Volunteers traveling to help clean up Hurricane
  Katrina major boost.

12
Conclusion

• Voluntourism combines the non profit sector with
  tourism
• A fairly new and a growing trend
• Many opportunities for administrative agencies
  such as NPS to expand workforce
• Stakeholder groups cover a variety of sectors

13
References

• American Hiking Society. (2007). Our Work
  Volunteer Vacations. Retrieved April 2009, from
  American Hiking Society https//americanhiking.or
  g/volunteerVacation.aspx
• Forbes. (2007, June). 10 Voluntourism Trips.
  Retrieved April 2009, from Forves Traveler
  http//www.forbestraveler.com/adventure/volunteer-
  tourism-trips-story.html
• Idaho Department of Commerce. (n.d.). Retrieved
  April 2009, from Idaho Adventures in living
  http//www.visitidaho.org/voluntourism/facts/index
  .aspx
• Marriott International, Inc. (2009). Marriott.
  Retrieved April 2009, from Our Partners
  http//www.marriott.com/marriott.mi?pagegreen_par
  tners
• National Park Service. (2009). Retrieved April
  2009, from National Park Service www.nps.gov
• Time Magazine. (n.d.). 21 Ways to Serve America
  Take a Tour. Retrieved April 2009, from Time
  http//www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article
  /0,28804,1840466_1840320_1840299,00.html
• Travelocity. (2009). Can't Afford to Take a
  Volunteer Vacation? Apply for a Change
  Amabassadors Grant. Retrieved April 2009, from
  Travelocity http//leisure.travelocity.com/Promot
  ions/0,,TRAVELOCITY3915vacations_main,00.html
• United States Government Accountability Office.
  (2006). National Park Service Major funding
  trends how selected park units responded to
  those trends for fiscal years 2001 through 2005.
  Washington DC US GAO.
• VolunTourism International. (2009).
  VolunTourism.org The Resource on all things
  VolunTourism. Retrieved April 2009, from
  http//www.voluntourism.org/