Carnival’s Fathom Triggers Skepticism in Voluntourism Circles

Fathom, Carnival Corp.’s new “impact travel” cruise brand, is being met with a good deal of skepticism in volunteer travel and nonprofit communities. The whole notion gives him “the hyper willies,” said one nonprofit executive.

Beginning in April 2016, Fathom will operate roundtrip cruises out of Miami to the north shore of the Dominican Republic, where passengers will spend much of their time ashore engaged in voluntourism-type activities, such as teaching conversational English to youth, making clay water filters, and planting trees. (See sidebar)

Pending Cuban government approval, Fathom also plans to operate cultural exchange trips to Cuba.

Fathom is being touted as a “new category of travel,” one that will provide cruise passengers with “mindful, purpose-driven” experiences while creating “enduring social impact.”

Its cruises will sail on P&O’s 710-passenger Adonia. The Dominican Republic sailings will call in Amber Cove, the $85 million cruise center that Carnival Corp. is building on the north coast.

‘How is that sustainable?’
Alexia Nestora is among Fathom’s more-outspoken skeptics. “It’s going to be a disaster,” said Nestora, former director, North America, for the company i-to-i, which provides volunteer opportunities abroad, who currently runs a Colorado-based marketing and public relations firm for adventure and volunteer travel operators. “They’re sending 700 people into a community for three days to save the world and leave. How is that sustainable?”

Even business-oriented Bloomberg.com voiced doubts. In a June article, reporter Justin Bachman asked: “Is a shipload of well-meaning travelers making a significant contribution or just dropping into the Dominican Republic for poverty tourism?”

Cynicism has been fueled by Carnival Corp.’s less-than-stellar record in the areas of working conditions for shipboard crew, environmental impact, and ensuring significant economic benefit for its ports of call.

Critics have many questions
Within days of Carnival’s introduction of Fathom, members of volunteer and responsible travel communities aired their concerns. Among their questions:

• Is Carnival making a genuine long-term commitment to local communities?
• How much real value can a boatload of largely unskilled passengers contribute in just a few hours a day over three days?
• Is the program sustainable over the long haul?
• Are the projects locally conceived and managed?
• Will cruise passengers be taking jobs away from locals or doing work that would be performed better by skilled locals labor?
• What is being done to ensure the safety of children who come into contact with passengers?
• What portion of the cruise fare goes to the local community?

Fathom president: ‘I too was a skeptic’
Fathom president and Carnival Corp. global impact lead Tara Russell said she understands the concerns.

“I, too, was one of the skeptics. If you look at voluntourism across the world, you see a lot of good-intended efforts that often are very fragmented and scattered,” said Russell, whose background spans both the nonprofit and business worlds.

“I do believe what we’re doing is radically different,” she added. “We’re committed to real impact on the ground, and we’re going to be measuring and tracking and communicating that.”

Tomorrow, part 2: Fathom’s president responds to critics.