Gap Year News Articles

Voluntourism Code of Conduct

5 Nov 2010

Gap year volunteers risk undermining local workers and hindering long-term development in impoverished countries, according to a new study published by the South Africa-based Human Sciences Research Council. Researchers from HSRC have claimed that the increasing popularity of "voluntourism" is proving detrimental to long-term development in impoverished countries. However, Christopher Hill of Hands Up Holidays claimed that this issue was being addressed through a "Voluntourism Code of Conduct" that aims to regulate the industry and help ensure that only ethical organisations that have the local peoples' interests at heart will survive - and prosper. He commented "As with many things, there are risks involved and yet these should not mean that voluntourism needs to stop, as we firmly believe that if managed properly, it can be powerfully enriching for both the participants and the host communities."

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