“The travelers engaging in ‘voluntourism’ and adventure travel are very frequently the same people. It makes sense that the business people from these two sectors of the tourism industry would collaborate and share experiences, ideas and information,” Christina said.

The Building Bridges Coalition, a project of the Brookings Institution’s Initiative on International Volunteering and Service, is a consortium of leading international volunteer organizations, universities and colleges, corporations, and government agencies working collaboratively to double the number of international volunteers serving abroad by 2010. On February 4 Ms. Heyniger will join panelists from The George Washington University, Earthwatch, Cross Cultural Solutions and Lasso Communications for a plenary session titled, “Managing the Economic Downturn.”

In spite of the current economic recession, the volunteer tourism sector seems to be one of the most stable in the industry. At the GWTTRA event in March, “The Voluntourism Effect: Case Studies and Investigations,” Ms. Heyniger will speak on marketing and on best practices in the volunteer tourism industry. She will also share information from an ongoing project conducted in collaboration with PEPYride.org about the creation of a self-assessment tool for volunteer tourism organizations to use in gauging their impact in communities.

In the adventure tourism industry, Christina works with entrepreneurs and community tourism interests to develop and market niche tourism products and services. She has supported adventure travel tour operators and associations operating in Cambodia, China, Ecuador, India, Morocco, Nepal, Peru and the United States and speaks regularly at industry and academic conferences on topics ranging from small business management to humanitarian aid and international development through responsible tourism.

For more information on these events please visit the below links: Building Bridges Coalition http://www.idealist.org/if/bridges/en/Home/default 

Greater Western Chapter of the Travel & Tourism Research Association http://www.gwttra.com/symposiums.htm 

About Xola Consulting

Xola Consulting, Inc. www.xolaconsulting.com  is a consulting and research services firm assisting tour operators, tourism boards and non-profit organizations with sustainable adventure tourism destination and product development, marketing and research. Xola also supports Off the Radar www.travelofftheradar.com  a newsletter and website providing travelers with information about the best entrepreneurial adventure operators around the world – those who provide guests with a genuine, personal experience; who believe in sustainable, environmentally sensitive travel; and who believe in incorporating the local people and traditions of the places where they operate.