Nearly thirty years ago, Peru was steeped in debt and suffering from serious political and financial instability. Diseases plagued the nation and destroyed the economy, and the government turned to the tourism industry to bring in more revenue. One of the fields targeted was voluntourism.
Voluntourism is a thriving industry that brings in billions of dollars in profit annually. It is defined as a form of tourism in which the tourist primarily participates in voluntary work. They include distributing supplies, participating in hard labour, as well as raising funds or donations. These provide the less fortunate with external support and assistance.
As the most significant factor in developing and underdeveloped countries, especially in the time periods after natural disasters, voluntourism has been expanding. In recent years, voluntourism has become very popular amongst those in the West, especially among youths. By logic, voluntourism benefits everyone - people get to feel like they’re contributing to the disadvantaged in LDCs, and charity organisations get the assistance they need.
But in fact, does voluntourism really benefit the locals in improving their welfare? Or are they embodying the ‘white man’s burden’ by making it their goal to bring ‘enlightenment’ to these less fortunate people?
For one, volunteers may instigate cultural changes in the society. They may not be aware of the cultural impacts their presence might have on the native communities. Drowning a formerly secular country in Western influences may undermine the traditional customs and the heritage of the people may be neglected. The idolisation of foreign culture can hinder economic development and damage social cohesion, as well as negatively influence the natives’ views towards their own home countries.
Moreover, the possibility of volunteers introducing foreign contraband or harmful substances from the West, such as drugs or cigarettes, to the unsuspecting locals poses an additional danger to their health. For example, in Peru, citizens of Cusco were left reeling when a young local boy died after consuming a controlled substance from other South Americans visiting Cusco. The people who gave him the drugs buried him and his body was not found until ten days later. These stories are shockingly common in countries that participate in voluntourism and the ethics of certain volunteers are a basis of doubt.
The fact that most volunteers are also unskilled and untrained will also affect the quality of interaction with and care for the native people, especially children. The commitment levels of these foreign tourists may also differ, and the benefits they bring to the communities in the host countries may not be as consistent.
The tourism sector’s rapid development has also led to an increase in pollution in host countries. An increase in the flow of people visiting LDCs under the pretext of voluntourism has led to a noticeable increase in damage; such as to the natural environment and the misuse of resources of the host countries. If one visits Lake Titicaca, clear evidence of pollution can be seen from the flood of floating plastic bags to the thick, murky water with oil glazed across the top. The boom of the tourism has contributed greatly to the transformation of the water body into an ugly green mess - tourists evidently have little to no concept of environmental awareness.
The above impacts are still very relevant now and it shows the importance of charities and NGOs in inviting and ensuring voluntourists do their research and understand the importance of the projects and the activities that they will carry out during their travels. Although the more problematic areas of voluntourism has been highlighted in this article, it is to emphasize the importance of fostering awareness for the negative consequences of external intervention. Volunteerism has brought great value to poorer countries and boosted smaller economies, but it is still crucial to ensure that the quality of voluntourism is maintained at a top-notch level.
Bibliography
https://glstcapstone10fall16.atavist.com/the-dark-side-of-tourism-in-peru
SDYC Resources - UNWTO Topic Guide
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