The quidelines have been developed in consultation with various organisations including NGOs, charities, academics and tour operators working in the sector.
It is hoped they will help the 800 organisations in the sector globally which organise 1.6 million trips a year.
The guidelines cover a wide range of issues, including putting adequate safeguards in place to protect the rights of children and vulnerable people, and checking there are adequate safeguards in place to protect animals and wildlife.
Abta director of destinations and sustainability Nikki White said: “Volunteer tourism can deliver fantastic benefits to local communities, and provide valuable life experiences to volunteers.
“We’ve seen hundreds of examples of this from around the world – including conserving the environment, exchanging skills with communities and providing access to education.
“These guidelines have been developed to support travel businesses in delivering programmes that make tourism a positive means for change, and I’d like to thank all the organisations who facilitated their development.
“We recognise that change will not happen overnight so we’re committed to supporting our Members and other travel businesses involved in volunteer tourism to help raise standards across the industry.”
The guidelines are available to members for free and available for non-members to purchase.
