Tour operators are capitalizing on an increasing desire by wealthy vacationers to combine luxury travel with doing good works, reports The New York Times.

Ashley Isaacs Ganz, president of Artisans of Leisure, a luxury-tour company, says that the demand for such trips has risen by 15 percent over the last two years.

Participants travel to locales such as Cambodia, Kenya, and Vietnam to visit schools, hospitals, or wildlife centers.

Travelers also go on traditional sightseeing tours and safaris that may cost $300 to $1,000 a day, not including airfare.

The increased interest for philanthropically minded trips may be inspired by celebrities like Bono and Angelina Jolie, who promote international causes, the article says.

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