DEVELOPMENT:
Tourism's New Wave
By Enrique Gili
SAN DIEGO, California
(IPS) - David Aabo is en
route from Peru to New
York City after having
spent much of the last
few years in the South
American country
investigating
opportunities for
development that might
help local entrepreneurs
build a sustainable
regional economy.
Like many dedicated
surfers, Aabo views the
world through the prism
of a surfboard stoked on
visions of exotic
destinations and epic
waves. So single-minded,
this breed has sometimes
derisively been dubbed
"surf colonialists" --
following an all too
familiar pattern of
discovering a wave,
declaring ownership and
moving on, bringing
waves of tourists behind
them.
During his own travels
as a U.S. Peace Corps
worker, Aabo observed
surfers passing through
the fishing town of
Lobitos in northern Peru
without contributing
much to the local
economy other than to
stop for gas and perhaps
buy lunch. Aabo had an
epiphany: Why not create
a surf camp for surfers
with a conscience?
He believes he can
recruit them to improve
living conditions in the
hardscrabble town 17
hours driving distance
from the capital city of
Lima.
Surfers are often jaded
by more conventional
modes of travel and too
restless remain idle for
very long. "I think
surfers will get
involved for a variety
of reasons. They've
already been on that
trip where they sit by
the pool and sip
margaritas," he says.
Along with co-founders
Daniela Lima and Jeff
Clark, Aabo launched
Waves for Development, a
non-profit organisation
designed to combine the
best elements of surf
travel with volunteer
service.
In February, Waves for
Development launched the
first of what they hope
to be many surf and
volunteer service
opportunities for the
global traveler -- a
pilot programme that
brought together 38
local Lobitos youth and
12 international
volunteers to "build
personal and social
skills and learn the
value of environmental
conservation while
sharing the surf
experience".
Even providing a service
as basic as swimming
lessons can make a huge
difference in the lives
of Lobitos residents.
The ocean has been
off-limits to
generations of local
fisherman wary of the
hazards the Pacific
Ocean presents. But this
is an ideal teaching
opportunity for surfers
accustomed to reading
the water for hidden
dangers.
Their goal is to teach
English to students and
to produce a generation
of Peruvian surfers
capable of looking out
for themselves both
inside and outside of
the water. And, in the
future, enabling local
residents to better
control the destiny of
their town.
Despite the lack of
infrastructure, and
frequent power outages,
surfers keep coming to
Lobitos lured by the
promise of riding
world-class waves. "It's
a rough place to live,"
says Aabo.
He's hoping to tap into
their enthusiasm to
promote the town's
renewable natural
resource -- waves, and
lots of them. The
fishing village is part
of Peru's
2,000-kilometre
coastline, where
pristine beaches remain
unclaimed and often
empty.
Aabo believes that it in
order for the programme
to work there has to be
an element of
reciprocity. "We don't
want to be
paternalistic. You have
to give in order to
gain. You give some of
your time and give your
energy and you gain the
use of a surfboard," he
says.
This isn't charity work
per se so much as an
opportunity to
participate in Peru's
bustling tourism
economy. In recent
years, tour operators
have made concerted
efforts to promote
Peru's rich biological
diversity and cultural
legacy of empire and
conquest to adventure
travelers.
In doing so, Waves for
Development is part of a
trend towards "voluntourism"
that combines travel and
volunteering at the
destination visited. The
phenomenon has become
increasingly popular,
especially among Gen Y
college students and
Baby Boomers as they
near retirement age.
More and more people are
dedicating at least part
of their vacations to
environmental
restoration projects or
making much-need repairs
to ramshackle houses.
Call it the Al Gore
Factor, the [Hurricane]
Katrina Effect, or the
impulse to have an
authentic experience not
listed in brochure
catalogues, it's an
aspect of travel that's
being seriously
addressed at
universities and
extension programmes
such as the Centre for
Global Volunteer Service
at UC San Diego.
According to a UCSD
study, 40 percent of
U.S. citizens say
they're willing to spend
several weeks on
vacations that involve
volunteer service, with
another 13 percent
desiring to spend an
entire year.
UCSD's study indicated
people want to reclaim
their travel experience,
connect with other
people, and not seal
themselves off in a
bubble of luxury. More
than 84 percent stated
that helping school
children, families and
people in poverty were
their top interest.
"People are interested
at all life stages,
there quite a bit of
interest from early on
to retirement age," says
Bob Benson, director for
the Centre for Global
Volunteer Service.
Voluntourism isn't for
everyone. Problems can
arise when vacationers'
expectations clash with
reality. For example,
living as the locals do,
even for a brief period
of time, might involve
eating rice and beans
three times a day, no
flush toilets, or
preparing meals that
would send an animal
rights activist reeling.
However, voluntourism is
catching on among
high-minded and
well-meaning travelers.
Word over the wireless
coconut is that Waves
for Development has the
potential to become a
highly sought-after
programme that the surf
community would be wise
to invest their time and
effort into.
Feedback has been very
positive thus far.
Global Surf Industries,
a major board
distributor, has donated
400 surfboards to the
Peruvian project.
Meanwhile, Aabo and his
colleagues are fielding
calls from far-flung
corners of the surf
world inquiring about
volunteer opportunities
and thinking about
establishing surf camps
elsewhere in Latin
America and Asia.
The impulse is simple:
"To surf and do good,"
says Aabo.
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