This article from ABC News highlights the growing calls in Australia for backpackers and young people traveling abroad "to rethink volunteering in developing countries as a booming trend of 'voluntourism' exposes a darker side of the industry." The article points to evidence from Save the Children Australia that the number of orphanages in popular tourist destinations such as Thailand, Bali, and Cambodia has increased nearly 6,000% since the trend began. The article notes that orphanages have become a money-making industry, recruiting or trafficking children from poor families to meet demand. The article also mentions several travel companies that have engaged with ReThink Orphanages and Save the Children on how to move away from such unethical practices and remove orphanage trips from their offerings.
