Carnival’s Tara Russell Responds to Skepticism Over Fathom

The skeptics are saying that Fathom is unlikely to deliver on its promise of having an “enduring social impact” on the destinations to which it sails. But Carnival Corp. says its new cruise brand will deliver a “radically different” experience for both travelers on the sea and locals on the ground.

For any voluntourism program, the question comes down to whether it is truly beneficial to the local people and the destination, said Kristin Lamoureux, director of the International Institute of Tourism Studies at George Washington University.

Lamoureux has her fingers crossed for Carnival’s new Fathom venture in the Dominican Republic. “I hope they involve the local people and allow them ownership of the project, to decide what the project is and to manage it for its long-term sustainability.”

Travel Market Report asked Tara Russell, president of Fathom and Carnival Corp. global impact lead, to address the issues that critics have raised about the program for the Dominican Republic.

Whose needs are being met?
A frequent criticism of voluntourism is that programs are set up by travel companies to meet their own needs and satisfy their customers, rather than being designed and managed by the communities they purport to help.

Russell said Fathom met extensively with community members in the Dominican Republic before developing its programs, and they all said, “The three things we care most about are education, the environment, and economic development, so we would like your help in these areas.”

Fathom has partnered with two local organizations with established programs. “We’ve come alongside those efforts and worked to amplify good things happening, so the scale and depth of what they do is more significant,” Russell said.

Is the venture sustainable for local partners?
According to Russell, the scale of Fathom’s operation, “bringing thousands of travelers each year to communities in need,” will sustain several ongoing programs. “These organizations now have a business line of ongoing revenue that is repeatable in a way they’ve never had.

“Part of the reason the northern coast of the Dominican Republic is strategic for Fathom is we have nine other [Carnival] brands that are going to visit on a regular basis, so we have an ongoing stream of travelers to sustain our efforts. There’s a nice capacity base whether Fathom is there or not.”

Fathom is “taking a long-term approach,” Russell said. The cruise brand will only consider moving on from the Dominican Republic when “we have come so far that our other brands could support things that we committed to in order to be able to pull out.”

Who’s safeguarding the children?
Voluntourism activities involving children are a lightning rod for criticism.

School visits in particular raise hackles because of their disruptive impact on the school day and the potential emotional harm to children from being exposed to different groups of strangers every week, something U.S. parents would be unlikely to allow, one critic pointed out.

“We are absolutely mindful of all the perspectives, all the research and the evidence,” Russell said.

She said that while interacting with new adults every week could be “disconnected or fragmented” for a child, it could also lead him to feel “he has friends all over the world who believe that he’s going to graduate from high school.”

According to Russell, “a Fathom facilitator is there, whether we’re there or not, so at the same time that we’re building this universe of support [for the children], there will be a sticky regular force that is that consistent attachment vessel.”

Regarding questions about child-protection policies, Russell said, “If activities on the ground engage children, those will have more requirements for a traveler and more potential background checks or training––or whatever the elements that need to happen to provide security for those kids.”