definition of volunteer tourism

A definition of volunteer tourism: What is it and where does it fit in the broad tourism industry?

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Volunteer tourism is a form of travel that has become increasingly popular in modern society and it seems the trend is growing, along with its appearance in literature discussions. But what is it and where does it fit in the broad tourism industry? In this post I will provide a comprehensive definition of volunteer tourism, explain what the term volunteer tourism means and explain how this form of tourism has become particularly popular among volunteers, travellers and academics.

What is volunteer tourism?

Volunteering is an integral part of society and with travelling becoming more accessible, volunteers have begun to appear in the tourism industry.

But what is volunteer tourism?

In brief, volunteer tourism is a type of tourism where an individual will travel abroad to a destination that is predominantly considered ‘undeveloped’ or ‘developing’ to offer their support to those in need. And when we use the phrase ‘those in need’, which is expressed a lot in volunteering, we refer to those who are surrounded by extreme poverty, do not have adequate education and healthcare facilities and frequently have little building infrastructure.

Often in academic discussions you will come across terms such as ‘voluntourism’, ‘volunteerism’, and ‘volunteer travel’. Each term is essentially referring to the same principle: the joining of both ‘volunteering and ‘tourism’.

Volunteer tourism is a specific form of tourism, designed purposely to provide a product or service to meet the needs of a particular market segment, meaning it falls under the umbrella of niche tourism.

Niche tourism is becoming more and more popular amongst tourists , who are seek ‘different’ and ‘novel’ experiences more than ever before. In fact, some academics argue that sectors such as volunteer tourism, which used to be small sectors of the industry, have grown to such an extent that they should no longer classified as ‘niche’. Others suggest that the niche market be segregated into macro (meaning big) and micro (meaning small) niches. This is an interesting debate that is addressed at length in Marina Novelli’s seminal text on niche tourism – I recommend you take a look if this is an area of interest to you.

There are many organisations, like Projects Abroad, which offer a range of different volunteer tourism projects. Volunteering opportunities are generally located in undeveloped countries such as; Nepal, Ghana, Cambodia and South Africa .

Whilst there isn’t a wealth of data on volunteer tourism projects, TRAM (Tourism Research and Marketing) found in 2008 that volunteers typically pay on average £2,000 for the privilege of volunteering.

This cost covers, housing, meals, projects, materials, administration and on-site staff support. Unfortunately, it also usually results in a hefty profit in the pockets of the volunteer tourism host organisation too. This is discussed in further detail in my post on the impacts of volunteer tourism.

You might also be interested in my post- ‘ What is ‘begpacking’ and why is it so bad?’

There is a growing body of research on volunteer tourism, however Wearing’s book, which introduced the concept back in 2001, remains the most useful in gaining an understanding of what volunteer tourism is. You can find his book on Amazon here .

Of course, there are more recent texts that I would recommend any student or person investigating the volunteer tourism industry refers to alongside Wearing’s text . This includes Angela Benson’s Volunteer Tourism (Contemporary Geographies of Leisure, Tourism and Mobility) which was published in 2015 and Wearing’s International Volunteer Tourism: Integrating Travellers and Communities published in 2010.

Volunteer tourism projects

One reason that it is suggested that volunteer tourism has become a macro niche tourism form is because there are a wide range of opportunities in volunteer tourism that does not limit one project to one activity.

There table below demonstrates the main sectors of the volunteer tourism industry and the various areas that prospective volunteer tourists can get involved with.

I argued in my PhD thesis , that these categories can be narrowed down even further, with TEFL tourism being a subset of the teaching sector. You can read more about TEFL Tourism here or Click here for Request a TEFL Brochure .

Definitions of tourism

In providing a definition of volunteer tourism, it is first important to understand the meaning of the term tourism.

Tourism is a form of travel defined by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation as “the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside of their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes.”

There are four basic forms of tourism.

Domestic tourism. Travelling to a place that is outside of their usual environment but remains in the same country.

International tourism . Opposite to domestic tourism. Travelling to a place that is outside of their usual environment but remains outside of their home country.

Outbound tourism . Travelling to a place that is outside of their usual environment, travelling outside of their home country.  

Inbound tourism . Opposite to outbound tourism. Often described when a person travels to your home country from their home country.

Volunteer tourism will typically encompass international, outbound tourism, although it is also possible for volunteer tourism to be undertaken on a domestic basis.

Definitions of volunteering

It is also important to to understand the meaning of the term volunteering when attempting to define volunteer tourism.

There is no universal definition of volunteering. Volunteering England have summarised the general view that volunteering is;

“Any activity which involves spending time, unpaid, doing something which aims to benefit someone (individuals or groups) other than or in addition to close relatives, or to benefit the environment.”

Volunteering England also provides an insightful report on various definitions of volunteering, drawn from government legislation and reports, and research articles on volunteering.

You might also be interested in my post- ‘ Different levels of tourism policy and planning’

It is important to distinguish the resemblances and distinctions in volunteering and volunteer tourism. The table below gives a generic insight, although it is important to remember that with such a varied range of volunteer tourism options available to consumers nowadays, this is a generic guide as opposed to be indicative.

Non-academic definitions of volunteer tourism

Both the academic and non-academic communities have attempted to create a widely accepted definition of volunteer tourism, although there does not appear to be one universally utilised definition to date.

Serve the World Today , define volunteer tourism as;

“Volunteering your time, skills, and energy with an organization, issue, or causes to help make a difference in communities around the world as part of your vacation package”.

The Cambridge Dictionary simplifies its definition as;

“A type of holiday in which you work as a volunteer (without being paid) to help people in the places you visit”.

Academic definitions of volunteer tourism

In his early work, Stephen Wearing defines volunteer tourism as tourists who;

“Undertake holidays that might 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”.

Stephen Wearing is a notable author of sustainable tourism, focusing on volunteer tourism and eco-tourism.

Marina Novelli , an academic writer on niche tourism, describes volunteer tourists as;

“Individuals offer their service to change some aspect of society for the better”.

Marina Novelli is a geographer who has led and advised projects funded by the United Nations and the World Bank on tourism development.

More recently, academics have begun to scrutinise the motivations behind volunteer tourism, which inevitably impacts on the definition of volunteer tourism.

You might also be interested in my post- ‘ 6 tips to write your research project FAST’

For example, Irmgard Bauer published a recent journal on volunteering doing more harm than good. And although the article is on medical volunteering, it still relates to volunteering in its broader sense of travelling abroad.

The possibility of ‘voluntourists’ doing more harm than good has not only sparked academic attention but has played a role in critical debate in one of the Worlds leading newspapers, The Guardian . This is addressed further in my post on the impacts of volunteer tourism.

How the meaning of volunteer tourism has shifted in recent years

The practice of individuals going on a ‘working type holiday’ is a relatively new form of tourism that has grown at an increasingly fast past (although it cannot be considered a working holiday as volunteers do not get paid to work). Volunteering is a long-standing activity, but the combination of volunteering and tourism is comparatively new, and we are already witnessing growing changes in the form of tourism.

Volunteering projects are predominantly organised by charities and are philanthropic in nature. The trend in volunteer tourism has shifted away from this altruistic activity into the arms of tour operators, who often charge large amounts. Tour operators are profit driven and discount the prime objective of helping those in need.

Volunteer tourism is a billion-dollar industry and undeveloped or developing countries require continuous money and support. Communities begin to exploit their potential income, which creates a cycle of dependence. Communities rely on aid to get by and without volunteer tourism, communities do not have that potential source of income. And as a result, there are growing concerns towards the volume of children being exploited to ‘allure’ tourists and their money.

UNICEF estimated around 85% of children in orphanages in Nepal have at least one living parent. A group founded by JK Rowling to end institutionalisation of children discovered an orphanage in Haiti trafficking children following the earthquake. The rise in orphanages is not the result of abandoned children requiring shelter, but from the demand in volunteer tourists willing to pay to support communities.

Early definitions of volunteer tourism define volunteers as those who undertake holidays that aid and alleviate poverty, someone who provides benefits to others and most importantly, not for themselves. In early definitions, there is a noticeable importance on the meaning of others.

However, in contemporary literature there is a notable shift in the characteristics of volunteer tourism. The philanthropy movement of tourism is described as a form of ‘moral consumption’, expressing a strong link between the tourist and their motivated reality to change the world for the better. And in many cases motivations become selfish, as opposed to selfless.  

There is also a strong commonality in the way volunteering is promoted to individuals. If we look at recent articles and online blogs, we can see volunteers are persuaded by the chances of;

1. Advancing your career.

2. Having an adventure.

3. Learning new skills. And,

4. Enhancing your CV.

I have explained this further in my post on volunteer tourism motivations.

Types of tourism linked to volunteer tourism

Volunteer tourism projects are threading through other forms of tourism, making the form of tourism more accessible and engaging to a wider pool of travellers. The table below outlines some of the various tourism segments which frequently encompass volunteer tourism.

• Alternative tourism. Opposite to mass tourism, alternative tourism involves authentic and personal travelling encouraging interaction with local people, environment and communities.
• Sustainable tourism. Visiting a destination with the purpose of making a positive impact on the economy, society and environment.
• Ecotourism. Travelling responsibly to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.
• Responsible tourism. Any form of tourism that minimises negative economic, social and environmental impacts whilst enhancing benefits for local people.
• Pro-poor tourism. Pro-poor tourism is not a specific form of tourism but an approach to the industry, that generates economic, social, environmental or cultural net benefits for the poor.
• Charity tourism. Tourism that involves alleviating material poverty, restoration of environments and research into aspects of society or environment.
• Gap year tourism. A form of tourism predominantly associated with travelling, volunteering or working abroad.
• Backpacker tourism. A typically low-cost form of travel, with more interactive experiences with local people.

Today, we have come to know volunteering and its’ notions of giving and helping – but where does it fit into the broad industry of tourism?

The accessibility and availability of international travel has led volunteers to make the most of helping those across the world that cannot help themselves. As we can see, there are associated forms of tourism linked to volunteer tourism and there are common themes that emerge from each form of tourism, and that it is an overall thoughtful travel style to reduce any possible negative impacts when travelling, whilst ensuring maximum positive impacts.

Whilst volunteer tourism becomes a growing trend in contemporary society, there are rising contestations on the potential harm the form of tourism perpetrates. Its’ relationship with sustainability remains rather unexplored and would make an interesting potential research project !

Additional reading on volunteer tourism

There are some excellent resources on this topic. Here are a few of my recommendations.

Studying or working in volunteer tourism? I recommend that you consult the following texts:

• -Volunteer Tourism: Experiences That Make a Difference by Steven Wearing
• -Volunteer Tourism (Contemporary Geographies of Leisure, Tourism and Mobility) by Angela Benson
• -Volunteer Tourism (New Directions in Tourism Analysis) by Mary Mostafanezhad
• -Volunteer Tourism in the Global South by Wandra Vrasti
• -International Volunteer Tourism: Integrating Travellers and Communities by Steven Wearing

Looking for an easy read? Here are some books that you might enjoy over a cup of tea:

• -Volunteer by Lonely Planet
• -Wandering the World Doing Good: A Senior Volunteer Saves the World by Robert Willett
• -The Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook by Shannon O’Donnell

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What Is Voluntourism? Does It Help or Harm Communities?

Are tourists' good intentions misplaced or actually effective?

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Voluntourism is a type of tourism in which travelers participate in volunteer work, usually for a charity or a non-profit. While the term sometimes applies to domestic travel, a majority of voluntourism takes place abroad. Most often, voluntourists travel for the specific purpose of volunteering in an organized way for specific causes, but others simply include volunteer aspects to a traditional vacation experience.

According to Save the Children, a charity that provides humanitarian aid for children worldwide, about 1.6 million people volunteer overseas each year. Voluntourism is considered the fastest-growing travel trend, and tourists sometimes pay up to $2,000 per week to be a part of it. All in all, the industry itself is worth an estimated $2.6 billion per year.

Many voluntourism programs positively impact their communities and help fulfill a need that will continue to benefit the destination long after the volunteers have left. However, it's becoming clear that some of these organizations could be taking advantage of both their participants and their causes for the sake of financial gain.

How to Be a Responsible Volunteer Tourist

• Before committing to an organization, reach out to past volunteers to hear their experience or read reviews.
• If you have a special skill or expertise in a specific field, look for organizations that train and empower local staff. That way, you are making a lifelong impact for an entire community rather than a temporary one.
• Research the organization's credentials.
• Avoid organizations that encourage handling of animals when it is not veterinary, research, or conservation-related.
• Highlight projects that are run or managed by the local community.
• Seek out projects that are genuinely needed in the destinations where you want to volunteer. Ask yourself if the volunteer work provides a "band-aid" fix or a long-term solution to a local issue.

Voluntourism Definition

In brief, voluntourism is a joining of "volunteering" and "tourism." Many volunteers travel to areas where there’s the most need, whether it's for time, money, medical services, or training. Most companies will set a volunteer up with lodging (oftentimes a homestay with a local family), meals, and even help organize flight itineraries and information on visa requirements or travelers insurance.

Voluntourism seems like the perfect combination of traveling and giving back, but it must be done right in order to have a positive effect. Good intentions only get you so far, it’s all about keeping an open mind and doing the research to ensure that those good intentions produce sustainably beneficial results.

Types of Voluntourism

There are hundreds of voluntourism programs out there offering legitimate ways to contribute to poverty alleviation, environmental issues, social justice, and more.

One of the most popular forms of voluntourism, which can consist of teaching English or creating educational resources in poor communities. 

Child Care 

Working in orphanages, for example, or interacting with children to enhance their well-being and development. Also working with disadvantaged youth and refugees seeking temporary asylum.

Health Care

Those in the medical field can travel to underserved communities administering vaccines or educating about diseases and how to prevent them.

Conservation

Projects can consist of both animal conservation and environmental conservation, where volunteers work at an animal sanctuary or conduct research in the field, for example, by tracking native species. Participants may also work on reforestation projects or trail maintenance to help support local ecosystems.

Community Support

Building homes, schools, libraries, or other types of infrastructure. This can also include women empowerment or working to reduce social inequalities within a specific community.

Pros and Cons

It’s safe to say that most of those who sign up to volunteer abroad do so with the best intentions; in most cases, it is the specific organization or the nature of the volunteer work that presents issues. But it begs the question, can altruism in tourism get in the way of actual impact? And if so, how can you tell if a voluntourism program is helping rather than hurting?

The media has exposed cases of orphanages in Nepal full of children who aren’t truly orphans or travelers who discover volunteer programs that exploit natural disasters for financial gain. Back in 2018, journalist Tina Rosenberg wrote a piece for the Guardian about a company in Guatemala that scouts mountain villages for sick infants , calling on volunteers to collect them instead of taking them directly to the hospital, which could purposely delay critical care.

There are even cases where travelers themselves volunteer for the wrong reasons, as demonstrated in the video below created by Radi-Aid , a Norwegian project that seeks to challenge perceptions around issues of poverty and development.

Pro: Experiencing New Cultures

Traveling helps us gain a new perspective on the world that can translate into other positives in our lives, and staying outside the typical tourist route can enhance that experience. Spending more time within a local community, for instance, will certainly provide a much more authentic experience than sitting in a resort sipping cocktails. The Center for Responsible Travel reported in 2019 that people who travel regularly are 35 times more likely to donate to nonprofits than non-travelers over their lifetimes.

Much like sustainable tourism as a whole, the legitimacy or success of a voluntourism program depends highly on how it is managed. When done the right way, it can help communities grow and truly provide benefits to a specific cause. But it’s up to the individual volunteer, too, who has the added responsibility of staying informed and setting their destinations up for success.

Pro: Some Organizations Are Honest and Effective

Voluntourism can absolutely be an effective tool for achieving positive changes in global communities that need help, but it sometimes comes down to the volunteers themselves to do the work in sorting out the good from the bad.

Ken Budd, author of the award-winning memoir The Voluntourist , argues that not all volunteer programs are created equal , and countless organizations around the world create lasting results. The writer’s experience speaks for itself (he’s volunteered in at least six countries), such as teaching English in a Costa Rican elementary school that relied on volunteers when they couldn't afford teachers, or a climate change program in Ecuador where scientists could run more research projects thanks to volunteer labor.

Con: Dishonesty Among Volunteer Companies

Perhaps one of the worst products of dishonest voluntourism comes from orphanage scams. Since they may receive additional funding with each child or rely on volunteer donations, there is an incentive to recruit more children into their system.

According to an investigation by Lumos, an NGO that fights against the institutionalization of children, total funding for orphanages in Haiti ranged upwards of $100 million per year; that’s enough to send 770,000 Haitian children to school or pay the Haitian child protection agency’s annual budget over 130 times.

The study also found that, of the 30,000 children living in the country's orphanages, an estimated 80% had at least one living parent. Lumos suggested diverting orphanage funds into programs that support families and enable them to appropriately care for their children — instead of promoting the orphanage business.

In a similar scenario, a 2015 study by UNICEF found that 79% of teenage children in Cambodian orphanages had at least one living parent.

Con: Tourists Could Take Work From Locals

A reporter for the New York Times wrote in 2016 about their experience with a group of missionaries building a school in Haiti :

“Watching those missionaries make concrete blocks that day in Port-au-Prince, I couldn’t help wondering if their good intentions were misplaced. These people knew nothing about how to construct a building. Collectively they had spent thousands of dollars to fly here to do a job that Haitian bricklayers could have done far more quickly. Imagine how many classrooms might have been built if they had donated that money rather than spending it to fly down themselves. Perhaps those Haitian masons could have found weeks of employment with a decent wage. Instead, at least for several days, they were out of a job.”

If an organization can get free labor from an unskilled volunteer, they’re not spending money hiring locals to do the same work for a fee. In a poverty-stricken economy where residents are already struggling to find jobs, funds that go towards digging a well or building a school will have more of an impact if they stay within the local economy.

Taking work from locals can also result in inferior products or prevent developing communities from self-establishment. Not to mention, volunteers who are untrained in whatever service they are providing can sometimes actually end up hindering progress. Pippa Biddle, who writes about her experiences with the global volunteer economy , has recounted building libraries in Tanzania and watching more skilled local workers come in each night to fix mistakes.

How to Identify a Legitimate Voluntourism Opportunity

• Reputable voluntourism organizations usually provide training or use specific criteria to select volunteers.
• Qualifications are required for certain roles, such as background checks if you plan to work with children or medical field experience for medical volunteer positions.
• The organization provides guidance on travel insurance, flight information, visas, and other travel requirements.
• The work doesn’t involve jobs that can take employment opportunities from residents, but instead finds ways to include or benefit them.

" The Truth About Volunteerism ." Save the Children .

" The Case for Responsible Travel: Trends and Statistics 2019 ." Center for Responsible Travel .

" Funding Haitian Orphanages at the Cost of Children's Rights ." LUMOS .

https://lumos.contentfiles.net/media/assets/file/Funding_Haiti_Orphanages_Executive_Summary_Digital_Version.pdf

" A Statistical Profile of Child Protection in Cambodia ." UNICEF .

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A Beginner’s Guide to Voluntourism

Not all volunteerism projects are created equal. But giving back when gallivanting around the globe can be one of the most rewarding experiences a traveler can hope for.

If you’ve been kicking around the idea of joining the growing ranks of travelers volunteering around the world, here are five steps to help get you started.

> What to Ask:

Some volunteer programs are well run. Others are not. “Any program that is created to get money from volunteers, or uses kids, trafficked women, or any vulnerable group as bait for that is irresponsible,” says voluntourism expert Daniela Papi.

Her Learning Service site offers a terrific free e-guide titled A Volunteer’s Charter , which lists nine questions to ask before volunteering.

Questions I often asked included the following: Do local people run the program? Does the program create dependency? How does the community benefit?   If you’re paying a program fee, ask how your money will be used (fees for most U.S.-based organizations are tax-deductible).

I also asked to speak with former volunteers: It gave me an insider’s view of everything from the living conditions to the usefulness of the project.

> Where to Look:

Sites like GoOverseas.com and GoAbroad.com offer resources on meaningful travel and let you search for volunteer opportunities around the world using a variety of criteria.

GoVoluntouring.com also includes a search function while Voluntourism.org provides advice on planning a service-oriented trip   and profiles of   interesting organizations.

Shannon O’Donnell created GrassRootsVolunteering.org to connect travelers to causes and communities.   Voluntourism resources can also be found on the website for my memoir, The Voluntourist website for my memoir, The Voluntourist .

> What to Read:

• Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others , a reference book that profiles over 150 organizations
• O’Donnell’s   Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook , which   guides travelers to an ethical volunteer experience
• The Underground Guide to International Volunteering   e-book, by Kirsty Henderson, that includes useful   comparisons of free versus paid   project placements
• Lonely Planet’s Volunteer: A Traveller’s Guide to Making a Difference Around the World

> What You Should Receive:

Good volunteer organizations will send you a skills questionnaire and help you determine the best placement for your abilities.

Before I was green-lit to work with children, I had to undergo background checks and provide character references.

If organizations don’t take steps like these, or seem more interested in your credit card than in protecting you or the community they’re claiming to serve, consider it a warning sign.

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> How to Be an Effective Volunteer:

When I assisted on a climate change project in Ecuador, one of the scientists complained about four previous volunteers who routinely overslept, which interfered with research work.

My advice: Treat volunteering with the same seriousness with which you’d treat a job. If you’re volunteering overseas, study the country and the culture before you go. Once you’re working, be humble, be gracious, work hard, do what you’re asked, and remember that you’re a guest.

If you think of yourself more like an intern who’s doing small but often necessary grunt work, and who’s learning something in the process, you’ll be on the right track.

Keep in mind that you will not change the world as a short-term volunteer and that you will likely benefit more than your hosts. But also know that the interactions that occur, and the friendships that are formed, can change how people—both you and your hosts—see each other and the world.

Ken Budd   is the author of the award-winning memoir   The Voluntourist—A Six-Country Tale of Love, Loss, Fatherhood, Fate, and Singing Bon Jovi in Bethlehem . Follow Ken on Twitter   @Ken_Budd .

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Callanan, M., and S. Thomas 2005 Volunteer Tourism. In Niche Tourism, M. Noveli, ed., pp.183-200. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

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McGehee, N., and K. Andereck 2008 “Pettin” the Critters: Exploring the Complex Relationship between Volunteers and the Voluntoured in McDowell County, WV, USA and Tijuana, Mexico. In Journeys of Discovery in Volunteer Tourism: International Case Study Perspectives, S. Wearing and K. Lyons, eds., pp.12-24. Wallingford: CABI.

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Wearing, S. 2001 Volunteer Tourism: Experiences that Make a Difference. Wallingford: CABI.

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Wearing, S., and N. McGehee 2013 Volunteer Tourism: A Review. Tourism Management 38:120-130.

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Andereck, K., McGehee, N. (2016). Volunteer tourism. In: Jafari, J., Xiao, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Tourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01384-8_217

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The Pandemic Changed The World Of 'Voluntourism.' Some Folks Like The New Way Better

Malaka Gharib

Last summer, Becca Morrison, 21, was all set to volunteer at a community arts nonprofit in Zomba, Malawi. She'd work with the marketing team as a copywriter and social media manager.

Then the pandemic hit, and the trip got canceled. "I was peeved," she says. "I was so excited to travel. I had the whole thing planned."

Still, Morrison was determined to find a volunteer gig, which she needed to graduate as an international development major at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, U.K. So she found another opportunity in Zomba, this time with a nonprofit group called the Sparkle Foundation . And it would take place virtually.

For three months last summer, Morrison helped the group — which runs a school and a medical facility for children in the community — do tasks remotely. She even personally raised $7,000 for the cause.

"I've done so much without even leaving my house, my room," she says. "I think the pandemic has changed the game completely for volunteering."

Becca Morrison, 21, at home in Norwich, U.K. She has been volunteering virtually with an arts nonprofit in Zomba, Malawi from her bedroom. Becca Morrison hide caption

Becca Morrison, 21, at home in Norwich, U.K. She has been volunteering virtually with an arts nonprofit in Zomba, Malawi from her bedroom.

The pandemic has indeed transformed the landscape of international volunteering, say researchers. A February survey of 130 volunteer organizations and 239 international volunteers by the International Forum for Volunteering in Development found that the pandemic had spurred volunteer groups to offer more remote volunteering opportunities and consider expanding national volunteer membership in the future.

Even as some groups gear for a return to the way it was, others are changing their modus operandi — and some of these new ways of working are a step in a more sustainable direction.

"The pandemic has shown us there are different innovative ways volunteers are able to provide services," says Christopher Millora , an academic based in Iloilo City, Philippines, who is leading research for the U.N.'s next State of the World's Volunteerism report. This could lead to a "paradigm shift as to what kinds of relationships international volunteer organizations have toward local communities."

That's an important move in an industry riddled with criticism. Over the past few decades, critics and activists have been urging volunteer abroad organizations to rethink their business model.

They say sending volunteers from rich nations to low-income countries perpetuates the white savior complex by portraying volunteers as superheroes who will rescue the poor from their misery.

"There's this postcolonial narrative of young, aspirational, light-skinned people from the West thinking they can go to Africa for two weeks and change the world," says Konstantinos Tomazos , a senior lecturer in international tourism management at the University of Strathclyde. "That's the main criticism of the sector that plays into the idea of the white messiah."

They say projects can be harmful and exploitative.

One of the most popular activities for volunteers, say the experts, is helping children in orphanages. That demand, as a result, has created perverse economic incentives . "In places like Kenya and Cambodia, Nepal and Tanzania, orphanages are prolific. But the children within them are not orphans and in many cases are being placed in orphanages in order for orphanage directors to profit from the [volunteer] tourism demand to engage with orphans," says Leigh Mathews , founder of Alto Global, an international development consultancy group and the co-founder of Rethink Orphanages, a group that helps volunteer groups terminate their orphanage programs and repatriate children with their families.

Volunteering Abroad? Read This Before You Post That Selfie

And some critics question the helpfulness of volunteers.

In Ours To Explore: Privilege, Power and the Paradox of Voluntourism , author Pippa Biddle writes about a shocking discovery she made while volunteering in Tanzania as a teen. She and a group of young, inexperienced volunteers were assigned to help local workers build a small library at an orphanage. Days into the project, she found out that every morning, the local workers were taking apart the volunteers' shoddy work from the day before and redoing it correctly before they woke up.

"While my intentions to be helpful and encouraging and to give back came from a good place, my time at the orphanage did not even begin to address their real needs," writes Biddle.

A major industry

Despite these criticisms, international volunteerism is a big business.

Since the mid-1800s, when trains and ships made it possible for the public to travel cheaper, faster and farther than ever before, people have strived to "voyage to less-resourced nations for pleasure and purpose," says Biddle.

The phenomenon of volunteer tourism is now a $3 billion a year industry, says Tomazos. The funds paid by participants go to the thousands of groups that coordinate the trips along with the development programs they support.

The money also benefits local economies. The volunteer organization Habitat for Humanity, for example, says their trips alone bring in an estimated $6.9 million to the drivers, hotels, restaurants and gift shops that serve international volunteers when they visit.

And while it's hard to pinpoint how many international volunteers there are in the world, the U.N. estimates that if volunteering were a full-time job, it would account for 109 million workers.

It's easy to understand the appeal of overseas service, says Biddle. There's a sense of adventure, and people feel good about helping those who are less fortunate. Studies have found that volunteers perceive the trips as a meaningful and transformative life experience . People often come away from the trips with feelings of improved well-being, purpose and happiness.

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On a more practical note, "voluntourism" is a practical way for people — like Morrison — to gain experience in international development. Maia Gedde, author of Working in International Development and Humanitarian Assistance , says people hoping to start a career in the field "volunteer as a steppingstone to build skills, knowledge and networks to put them in a much stronger position when applying for humanitarian jobs in the future."

But not all volunteer programs are the same. In the world of international volunteerism, there are two kinds of gigs. One is volunteering with development programs, such as the Peace Corps in the U.S. and Voluntary Service Overseas in the U.K. These groups, often funded with government aid, assign volunteers to long-term projects around the world — a year or two or more working at a school in Malawi, for example, or supporting helping small business owners in India. Such programs typically provide the volunteers with basic accommodation and a modest allowance for food and other living expenses.

Then there's volunteer tourism — nicknamed "voluntourism" by academics. People pay to take part in shorter-term projects abroad, which can range from tutoring kids in Nepal for a week to spending a few months conducting nutrition workshops in Thailand to traveling with a church mission group to the Philippines to dig wells. Volunteers must pay for their journey, including flights and transportation, meals and lodging as well as fees to the organizations and the programs they support.

In-person trips not required?

During the pandemic, both the development programs and volunteer tourism groups have had to recalibrate their efforts. And some groups have been surprised by how eager volunteers were to stay involved — even though their trips to the field were canceled.

One of the most well-known groups in the latter category is Habitat for Humanity . Its Global Villages program invites people — mostly from Western countries — to help out in 30 mostly low- and middle-income countries. Over the course of about two weeks, groups of 15 people, half volunteers, half local staff, build homes, hand-washing and health-care facilities as well as participate in other kinds of projects. Volunteers do not need special skills but do need cash. There's a fee of about $1,650-$2,500 per person to participate, often raised through donations from friends and family. About 12,000 volunteers participate each year. During the pandemic, that number dropped to zero.

Despite that, many of the 800 projects planned for 2020 still got done, says Jacqueline Innocent , senior vice president of integrated programs at Habitat for Humanity. Local staff and paid contractors — mason workers, for example — pitched in. It just took a little longer because there were fewer helping hands.

Innocent was also pleased to see that many of the volunteers whose trips were canceled did not ask for a refund. They let Habitat keep the funds as a donation. And many organized their own virtual workshops, events and music festivals — to raise funds.

Dave Kovac, a 20-year veteran volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, speaks to students from his international service class at Oregon State University. For 10 weeks last fall, the class conducted a virtual Habitat build. Each week, the students checked in with Habitat staff in Vietnam as they built a house for a family in need. Natalie Kovac hide caption

Some volunteers even arranged "virtual builds." Dave Kovac is a 20-year Habitat volunteer veteran and teaches courses on international service at Oregon State University. He was scheduled to go on three trips with Habitat in 2020, including one with a cohort of students. When the trips were canceled, he worked with Habitat to create an online program where students "adopted" a Habitat build in Vietnam. Over 10 weeks, Kovac and his students met weekly to fundraise, learn about Vietnamese culture, get updates from local staff about the project's progress and speak to the family whose house was being built.

The program was so successful that Kovac says he is trying it out again in August, this time with Habitat Brazil. He says he likes the model because it targets "people who are interested in some kind of experience but can't go abroad due to timing, job, personal issues, family. So maybe they can tag along virtually."

The virtual engagement made Habitat realize something, says Innocent. "We're not as dependent upon cross-border volunteers as one would have previously thought. It has been surprising how much people are willing to do [for Habitat] even though they don't get that reciprocal experience" of being there.

"I suspect," she adds, "what we're going to see when we're able to come back is more hybrid approaches" — creating opportunities like the virtual builds for international volunteers, for example.

But, she says, "I don't see a scenario at the moment where we would want to eliminate the [field] experience." The trip is what people love, she says — and local staff rely on those volunteers to help carry out the projects more quickly.

These virtual opportunities with reputable organizations offer "a wonderful alternative to on-the-ground voluntourism," says Biddle. They "bypass so many of the issues voluntourism creates and require the volunteers to show true commitment to a cause and a community — even from afar."

Greater appreciation for local volunteers

For other organizations, the pandemic has affirmed a decision they've made well before the crisis: recruiting more local volunteers instead of Westerners, says researcher Millora. And the pandemic has driven home the importance of these helpers.

Voluntary Service Overseas is a U.K.-based development organization that hires and places skilled volunteers in long-term projects in nearly 30 low- and middle-income countries.

But over the last few years, the group has been recruiting more in-country volunteers. "They're the ones who can hold the government accountable, who know the context," says Papa Diouf , who heads VSO's global work in health and is based in Kigali, Rwanda. Many of these volunteers are graduates from the School of Education at the University of Rwanda.

In the first few months of the pandemic, VSO Rwanda had to send its 50 international volunteers home. Because the group had a preexisting membership of 200 national volunteers, it was able to carry out its education program, says Diouf — training public school teachers to improve literacy and numeracy skills among primary school students.

OPINION: Volunteering Abroad Is Popular And Problematic. Let's Fix It

The international volunteers, who were brought on for their expertise in school leadership and education development, stayed involved ... virtually. Using Zoom and WhatsApp, they checked in with local volunteers, who were doing much of the in-person work — visiting schools and mentoring teachers. And when schools were shut in Rwanda due to COVID-19, it was the local volunteers who kept in touch with the schoolteachers via WhatsApp.

Diouf doesn't think VSO is going to end its practice of sending volunteers abroad anytime soon. The international volunteers have crucial expertise that the organization's projects need. In fact, now that some travel restrictions have been lifted, some of the international volunteers who were sent home from Rwanda at the start of the pandemic have returned.

But, he says, the pandemic helped him see how crucial local volunteers are, especially in times of crisis. VSO's Rwandan volunteers mobilized to spread COVID messaging in their country and track essential health services disrupted by COVID. Supporting "those local volunteers had already been a shift in our program thinking, but COVID-19 has only helped us move faster in that direction," he says.

Benjamin Lough , an associate professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a global volunteerism researcher, says VSO Rwanda's emphasis toward local service in the pandemic is "a great turn." But he has a caveat.

"The pandemic revealed both the strengths of relying on local volunteers as well as the limitations when support from abroad is lacking," he says. "We can't just pass on more responsibility to domestic volunteers without providing additional support" in the form of funds or manpower.

Booking again ... but with a difference

As vaccination rates soar in the West and more countries loosen COVID travel restrictions, volunteer groups have started offering trips again.

For many overseas service operations, those trips abroad are their bread and butter, says Tomazos, the tourism researcher from University of Strathclyde. "They have a business model. No volunteers means no money."

Volunteers also bring important knowledge into the mix, says Lough. Local staff from some volunteer abroad groups have told him: "We value the skills those volunteers are bringing into this community. We want them to come in."

And people have begun booking trips again.

But things are definitely different.

Kovac sees real promise in the virtual Habitat builds, because it may help people focus on the real reasons they're volunteering. "It's really for people who want to help because they want to help, not because they want to travel."

As for Morrison, she says she "feels lucky" that she was able to accomplish so much with the Sparkle Foundation last year even if she wasn't physically in Malawi. In fact, the group liked her work so much that they asked her back this summer as a paid intern working remotely.

In her bedroom in Norwich, she says that without the distraction of feeling "mesmerized" by an exotic location, she's been more honed in on her true purpose as a volunteer. And that's made her reevaluate the concept of overseas service.

"It's almost [discriminatory] that to make a real difference, you have to pay all this money to travel somewhere very far away," she says. "That's not how charity works."

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Volunteer tourism: what’s wrong with it and how it can be changed

Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of North Carolina – Charlotte

Disclosure statement

Andrea Freidus does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Volunteer tourism, or voluntourism, is an emerging trend of travel linked to “doing good”. Yet these efforts to help people and the environment have come under heavy criticism – I believe for good reason.

Voluntourists’ ability to change systems, alleviate poverty or provide support for vulnerable children is limited. They simply don’t have the skills. And they can inadvertently perpetuate patronising and unhelpful ideas about the places they visit.

The trend of voluntourism has come about partly through initiatives by large-scale, well established organisations such as UNICEF, Save the Children, CARE International and World Vision. They raise money for programmes they have developed for orphans and vulnerable children.

Their appeals have been effective because needy children tend to arouse compassion and because modern communication technology makes it easy to share the call to help.

But there are dangers in these appeals, which are mostly aimed at Western audiences. For example, singer Madonna, in her documentary I Am Because We Are , says Malawi is in a “state of emergency”. She says there are over a million children orphaned by AIDS in the central African country and that they are

living on the streets, in abandoned buildings, and are being abducted, kidnapped, and raped.

Madonna’s description is inaccurate. There are not a million children living on the streets of Malawi, nor are there high levels of abduction and rape .

Aside from sometimes creating an inaccurate impression, these appeals have attracted increasing numbers of student volunteers, best described as amateur humanitarian workers. They intend to serve people, especially children, but do they?

The trouble with voluntourism

Most students bring few relevant skills to their volunteer sites. They are not required to commit to long-term involvement either. Instead, volunteers take part in service projects like basic construction, painting, tutoring in English and maths, distributing food, or “just being a friend” to children perceived as alone and in need of social support.

Voluntourism with children also perpetuates the notion of a desperate Africa needing the benevolence of the West. Volunteers are led to imagine that their engagement directly addresses suffering. Many believe the children they work with don’t have any other social systems to support them materially or socially.

This is evident from the images and anecdotes they circulate of a suffering, sick Africa. The images they portray is that Africa is incapable of escaping poverty and violence without Western intervention.

The ways volunteers get involved tend not to address the causes of suffering .

The design of these programmes leads to superficial engagement for volunteers. This makes it hard for them to think about – or do anything about – the structural issues that create humanitarian crises in the first place.

These issues include the history, social, political and economic conditions that frame people’s lives.

My research suggests that students who engage in these programmes actually contribute towards the mystification of larger systems that produce inequality, poverty, particular patterns of disease distribution, and various forms of violence.

Programmes need to be reworked

The problems outlined here do not necessarily mean that volunteer work should be abandoned. In an increasingly violent and xenophobic world, these kinds of cross-cultural engagement can help people understand and appreciate each other.

But if this is to be achieved, volunteer experiences need to be reframed and programmes reworked. Any organisation taking young people to volunteer sites in Malawi ought to be preparing them with adequate information before they go as well as opportunities for critical discussion during and after their trips. Many of these programmes are associated with college campuses or organised religious groups that have the capacity to learn about, teach, and support a more sophisticated cultural exchange.

Students need to learn about the political, social, economic and cultural histories of the places they visit. They should be given the opportunity to explore systems of poverty and inequality in greater depth.

Most importantly, students need to think about these experiences as cultural exchanges meant to generate knowledge and respect about other ways of being and not as trips that “help” the poor.

If volunteers can understand the people they work with as citizens with rights rather than objects of charity, they can begin to think about long-term partnership, justice and structural change.

I believe long-term commitment is key. Doctors, engineers, computer scientists and particular types of educators have important skills and could make more enduring contributions. Doctors, for example, they could train medical personnel on new procedures to use once the volunteer leaves.

For the shorter term, volunteers should see their presence as a cultural exchange rather than as humanitarian relief.

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voluntourism

Definition of voluntourism

Examples of voluntourism in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'voluntourism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

blend of volunteer entry 3 and tourism

1991, in the meaning defined above

Dictionary Entries Near voluntourism

volunteerism

Cite this Entry

“Voluntourism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/voluntourism. Accessed 14 Apr. 2024.

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Volunteer without borders: How a Moscow expat is aiding Ukrainian refugees

Stephen Wilson: “We really need to offer refugees is moral and spiritual support and be generous with our time." Source: Oksana Chebotareva

As the conflict in the southeast of Ukraine continues to rage, many citizens from the war-torn area are continuing to flee to neighboring Russian regions, where they hope to find a job and accommodation. While Russian migration officials are facilitating procedures, dozens of volunteer organizations have emerged to help displaced people.

Along with the Rostov Region and Crimea, Moscow is also seeing an influx of refugees. The Russian capital has attraction of having the biggest network of non-government and volunteer organizations that support the thousands of people escaping the war in eastern Ukraine.

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Stephen Wilson, 53, a Scotsman who has lived in Moscow for the last 20 years with his Russian wife and a family, could be called a volunteer without borders. Wilson teaches English as a foreign language but also does some journalism to support a radical trade union newspaper in the United States.

Together with a group of four Russian human rights activists, he has set up a volunteering organization that focuses not only on donations but also on mentorship and psychological support for the distressed refugees.

“We don't have posh offices or any paid secretaries or bureaucratic structures,” Wilson said, adding that they provide some clothes, toys for children, diapers, soap, toothpaste etc.

“What we quickly discovered is that the refugees want help with applying for refugee status, getting work and of course, a place to stay if they are not at a dacha or hostel.

“What I think we really need to offer refugees is moral and spiritual support and be generous with our time. So I think it is important to offer them friendship. Some of the volunteers are Orthodox and hence we pray for them,” said Wilson.

According to the Scotsman, even if a volunteer has no resources he might be able to play with children or teach them something useful, making the organization labor-intensive as opposed to capital intensive (i.e. simply putting money into a bank account). 

“We are working on the idea of one volunteer being assigned to help the needs of one family while another volunteer would take some responsibility for another,” Wilson told RBTH.

The idea is similar to the one promoted by Big Brothers Big Sisters, an international mentoring program for children in need that has successfully provided friendship to children all over  the globe since 1904.

Wilson said that the influx of refugees to Crimea, Rostov-on-Don and Moscow has created real chaos with documents and work permits for the newcomers. 

“The Migration Service can't completely manage all the applications in Moscow, so they are encouraging refugees to move to other regions in Russia outside Moscow,” he said.

“Some refugees are currently being refused registration by some local officials and are being told they can't work without propiska (registration). There is a lot of disorder that needs to be resolved,” Wilson said, adding that his organization is working hard to settle these issues.

Opinion: The war in Ukraine: This is no time for proving your point>>>

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Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka

Discovery of the valley of geysers.

The Valley of Geysers was found in 1941 and is one of the most prominent geographic discoveries in the 20th of century which was committed by members of Kronotsky Nature Reserve, by a geomorphologist, Tatyana Ustinova and an inspector, Anisifor Krupnenin.

This event can be named as a fortunate, because initially a goal of hike itinerary involved the territory exploration was only to find the sources of the Tikhaya and Shumnaya rivers. The task was committed and it was found that the Tikhaya river is not a source of the river flowing out of the caldera of the Uzon volcano. There is a deep gorge located between Kikhpinych volcano and neighboring mountain range and from which powerful going out of hydrogen sulfide. Exploring the Shumnaya river, Tatyana Ustinova and her assistants unfold a large waterfall and thermal glade on the opposite side of the river. The first discovered geyser located a few meters away from this spot, and represented itself unexpectedly, streaming out a large spout of hot boiling water from the opposite side of the river. It was named as Pervenets (Firstborn).

Further exploration continued in the summer of that year. A lot of hot springs was discovered and explored. A telegram to Moscow was sent about this surprising discover of those years. However, Tatyana’s work was terminated due to military situation and because of lack of money for further exploration. Later, Tatyana Ustinova visited the valley of geysers again in 1944 and in 1979.

International significance of the Valley of Geysers in Russia

The Valley of Geysers located in the most eastern part of Russia and it takes a second place after geyser field in the USA. However, comparing with other fields this object in Kamchatka is the most compacted, because the territory with length of 4 kilometers has more than 50 thermal spring and 40 geysers.

Increasing of human impact on nature and especially construction of geothermal power plants is resulting in irretrievable losses of these unique nature sights. Evidence of this fact is a loss of all the geysers on the territory of Iceland and common quantity of geysers locating beyond of Yellowstone Park in the USA.

Geyser periodically erupts their depth in the gushing form is unique natural phenomena in its kind, because thermodynamic conditions which are necessary for this kind of activity are relatively rare. There are only 5 enough large geyser areas all over the world. They locate in the USA, New Zealand, Iceland, Chile and Russia.

Landscape of the Geysernaya river valley

The riverbed of the Geysernaya river is enough straight from the place of the upper reaches in the west direction and its gorge has wide of about 200-300 meters. The gorge walls have height from 100 to 500 meters above water level. Further the river changes its direction to south-west and the gorge of the valley gradually broadens to wide of 800 meters and it has depths to 250 meters.

Relief changes after confluence of two rivers: the Pravaya (Right) and Levaya (Left) Geysernaya rivers. The riverbed heads to the south and extends for 2,5 kilometers. Levaya and Pravaya river banks become steeper. The depth of gorge, running into the mountain plateau, reaches 400 meters. The Verkhne-Geysernoye thermal field locates there.

Changing its direction after thermal field the area expands to 1,5 kilometers. There we will see Troynoy waterfall, as well as Verkhny (Upper) geysers in the riverbed. The Valley of Geysers starts there.

Maximum depth of the Geysernaya river is at the place lower than Goryachaya river, near the Geysernoy lake which is one of the most southern sights located on the territory of the protected area. The last 2,5 kilometers of the Geysernaya river is the concretion of geysers and other thermal springs.

Hydrothermal system of the Valley of Geysers

The Valley of Geysers has numerous surface thermal manifestations which are connected to the Geyser hydrothermal system. Hydrothermal system presents the place of concentration of high-temperature underground water, which is located in defined geological structure and heated by thermal stream flowing from magma chamber lied closer to the water. The feature of high-temperature water is its boiling at different levels of flows. Thus, it creates hot springs on the surface, as well as hot mud pots, stream vents and geysers.

The collapse of the southeastern side of Uzon-Geysernoy depression happened about 9-12 thousand years ago and it was a result of pressure lowing and its discharge. The last of 5-6 thousand year discharge was 400-500m, and it can be a possible reason of geyser system in the valley. Such different thermal outputs were cause by the fact that the Geysernaya river, cutting the rock mass, opens the upper part of the system and creates the conditions for drainage.

Amount of common discharge of the system reaches 250 hp.

Thermal fields of the Geysernaya river valley

The river valley includes 2 thermal fields: Verkne-Geysernoye and Geysernoye.

The first one locates at the left bank on the middle course of the river and it has a length of 1,5 kilometers. There are no boiling mud pots or hot springs, but you can observe numerous stream outputs and heated soil.

The second thermal field is Geysernoye. It begins from the place where the Geysernoy river flowing in the Shumnaya river and it stretches for 4 kilometers for both banks of the river. This territory is accumulation of different manifestation of thermal regime, ranging from pulsating springs to large geysers.

As a rule, tourists visit only the central part of thermal field where there are the main geysers and safety paved paths.

Soils of the Valley of Geysers

Kronotsky Nature Reserve is the place where constant changes of elements happen. Upper impact is exerted on the territory of Nature Reserve and the Valley of Geysers by living organisms and independent factors of environment, but below, warmth of subsurface areas also exerts a large impact, especially, on the limited territories. Intensive ash falls make current soil cover more diverse.

Soils have, in their way, rare thermal regime, thanks to it they do not freeze and transformation of solid substance lasts for a whole year. In comparison with volcano, termozem has loamy composition and there are soils with different colors from yellow-red to white and ochry in its interburden. Salt with warmth goes out from the ground, so that it creates new formation not like the local landscape.

Flora and fauna

The valley of geysers is surrounded by diverse vegetation. There are mountain and tundra areas. Alder elfins covering mountain slopes and surface of watershed takes up a dominant position. Also, you will be able to see a group of birch vegetation. Erosive slopes of the valley, rocky areas and riverbed of watercourses are almost deprived of it.

Places of thermal outlets presents by thermophilic fauna communities. Depending on the concrete location of vegetation community differs with sizes, configuration and contents.

Ecological factors, investigated on the territory of the Valley of Geysers impacts on some classification of fauna. Sergey Lipshiz and Hans Trass defined three classifications of this vegetation of this place:

• vegetation, which locates only on the territory of thermal activity
• vegetation, which locates on the heat areas
• vegetation, locates as on the areas with thermal conditions, as on the areas without it.

Some scientists think that manifestation of thermal activity forwards natural formation of new species of vegetation. Distribution of such species of vegetation in the surrounding of hot springs is microbelt character. The first definition of such character was given by Hans Trass in 1963.

Some species of flora are a part of rare and vulnerable species, due to this reason they are listed in Red book of different level, such as from regional to international one.

The territory of Kronotsky Nature Reserve includes 58 rare species of fauna, 15 of these ones are in the valley of the Geysernaya river. 4 species of vegetation are listed in Red Book of Russia, juncus articulates is international importance, and another 10 species locates on the way of excursion route in the Valley of Geysers.

One of Orchid species is Chinese spiranthes which was found only within area of the Geysernaya river. Concentration of this vegetation species varies and depends on the place of its growth. It was believed that after disastrous landslide in 2007 this species was lost for Kamchatka region, but after several years it was found again on the same territory. Thanks to fimbristylis dipsacea it is possible to define high-temperature areas.

Among thermal springs you will see Erman’s birch which is a famous species there. Its age is about 300 years old. There was the field camp of discoverers of the Valley of Geysers near this tree in spring 1941. In 2011 this tree was awarded the status “Nature monument”.

Depending on location of vegetation along the territory of thermal activity changes not only its composition, but quantitative specification of coens.

Thermal areas play an important role for survival of some animal species. A whole complex of insects living there for a year was formed there and due to temperature conditions it reaches high number. Birds use thermal warmth for growing their brood and for feeding. There is a distribution of animals in certain seasons which is due to the vegetation of plants, as well as the lack of forage in other regions of the peninsula.

History of modification

Nature complex with name of the Valley of Geysers is a system which is under permanent motion. The reason is geological position, features of hydrothermal load, relief of slopes, numerous fissures, as well as distortion of surface. These changes happen permanently, and some of them are unexpectedness for scientists.

For the last 25 years the Valley of Geysers on Kamchatka went through 3 global transformations.

Typhoon Elsa brought an unprecedented amount of rainfall on the 4th of October, 1987, and was a cause of water rise in the Geysernaya river for 3 meters. Passing flow of mud and boulders washed away many springs and destroyed existence of a geyser such as Bolshaya pechka.

June 3, 2007 was marked by a large landslide, formed as a result of the collapse of the slopes at the head of the Vodopadny river. The large blocks of rock were broken, so the landslide had mudstone flow. Landslide of 2007 stretched for 1,7 kilometers and width from 200 to 400 meters. This landslide is the largest which was recorded in Russia. The result of this event was entire reformation of central part of the valley. After a few years Geysernaye lake was formed there, but the 21st geyser was lost irretrievable.

New landslide descended on the 4th of January, 2014. The reason was a collapse of the edge with lava flow on Zheltaya volcano. Size changes of Geysernoy lake and change of regime of a lot of geysers happened. A lot of geysers was covered with landslide flow passing the territory of the valley at great speed. The main scenic geyser ensemble "Vitrazh" was higher than flow, and his springs were not touched.

Scientific investigations, tourism and volunteer on the territory of the valley

The valley of geysers, as well as the entire area of the river is an open laboratory, unique system attracting specialists from different spheres every year. Research includes field of knowledge, such as fauna and flora, influence of anthropogenic factors on the nature of the area and in recent years, reveal the value of this sight to people and providing ecosystem services to humanity. For investigating the mandatory condition is non-interference into natural processes, in connection with that fact scientists use modern technological equipment.

Since the beginning of 1990 the Geysernaya river and the Valley of Geysers became open for a visit. There is an excursion route. Every year more than 3500 tourists visit this place, and every year this number increase As a rule, the excursion route along the valley lasts about 1,5 hours and on your way you will see the consequences of landslide in 2007, Geysernoye lake, geyser complex “Vitrazh” and erupting geysers Fontan, Dvoynoy, Nepostoyanny, Aver’evsky, Bolshoy, Velikan, Vrata Ada, water pots Golyboy and Krugly and many other springs. The route is available all year round and you will be accompanied by a qualified guide of nature park and an inspector of safety administration. All the sights visiting along the way of the tour are equipped with flooring trails and viewing platforms. Travelers can visit the visit- center.

Volunteering in the nature park is always welcome. People provides services for no gaining financial or social benefits and performs different kind of work, such as research or providing excursion services.

All-Union tourist route № 264

Information about discovery of the Valley of Geysers spread around the world, attracting travelers’ and scientists' attention. During the period from 1961 to 1967 Nature Park was closed and All-Union tourist route № 264 was opened on its territory in 1963. As well, in 1966 the base for travelers and camps were built. The total length of the route is about 160 kilometers. For 10 years 15 000 travelers passed this path.

In the first years it was noticed a strong change in the natural ensemble of the valley. Scientists began to understand all the scales of negative recreational impact. In 1977 the route became unavailable, because its functioning was a serious threat to natural complex. However, it did not prevent curious travelers to visit it. Later it became obvious that the forbidden measures did not help and it is necessary to find a compromise not only to eliminate the causes of degradation, but also to preserve this territory.

Since the late of the 1980s Valley of Geysers became opened for travelers again. However, this history served to solve many questions about the modern nature management of the sanctuary. Soil and vegetation cover were very vulnerable to the impacts exerted by tourists and it was decided to minimize the impact by building a flat path along the excursion route. Another important factor of recreational impact is the anxiety of local animals which left their places during All-Russian route №264. Thus, every year there is “month of silence” arranging in the sanctuary in order to eliminate noisy impact on animal life in the territory of the sanctuary.

Sannikov Land

A famous film Sannikov Land came out in 1973. This story is about search of mysterious island located behind polar circle where there is a microclimate and gold deposit in accordance with scientists’ hypothesis. In the plot characters succeeded in finding this secret place. Interesting fact is that shooting of film Sannikov land was in the valley of geysers in Kronotsky Nature Reserve. Those who did not watch this film, we recommend to watch.

For tourists

Whatch our new video from the tour "Top 5 sights of Kamchatka"

During the excursion a guide will tell you more stories about this place, and you will also visit the caldera of the Uzon volcano and take bathing in hot springs in Nalychevo.

• Vachkazhets
• Klyuchevskaya Sopka
• Vilyuchinsky Volcano
• Kronotskoye lake
• Khalaktyrsky beach
• Starichkov Island
• Russkaya Bay
• Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
• Nizhnekamchatsk
• Ust-Kamchatsk
• Valley of Geysers
• Trekking shoes
• Koryak volcano
• Ski resorts in Kamchatka
• Tours to Kamchatka in June
• Tours to Kamchatka in September
• The Uzon Volcano
• Tours to Kamchatka in July
• Tours to Kamchatka in January
• Volcano Bakening
• Tours to Kamchatka in May
• Vilyuchinsky waterfall
• Volcano Sheveluch
• Tours to Kamchatka in February
• Nikolskaya Sopka
• Tours to Kamchatka in autumn
• Kozelskiy volcano
• Tours to Kamchatka in November
• Freeride in Kamchatka
• Heli-skiing in Kamchatka
• Backcountry in Kamchatka
• Discovery of Kamchatka
• Travel and tours to Kamchatka in March
• Winter Kamchatka
• Kronotsky Volcano
• Tours to Kamchatka in August
• Death Valley
• Tours to Kamchatka in summer
• Kronotsky reserve
• Tours to Kamchatka in spring
• Tours to Kamchatka in April
• Tours to Kamchatka in October
• Surfing in Kamchatka
• Kuthiny Baty
• Native peoples in Kamchatka
• Dead forest in Kamchatka
• Beringia in Kamchatka
• Nalychevo Nature Park
• Zhirovaya Bay
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