Introduction
Surveys show an increase in awareness of a concept called volunteer tourism or voluntourism, which attracts travelers looking for a special tourist experience. Instead of a regular beach holiday, tourists can make a positive contribution to the society that they visit. Voluntourism takes place in all kinds of destinations and is suitable for all kinds of travelers, who are looking for ways to ‘give something back’. Students make up the majority of voluntourism travelers but also baby boomers are interested in activities that gives their life meaning. Moreover they have the freedom and particularly the income to travel.
Original article by Mark Rogers: “Voluntourism is on the Rise” (17 September 2007) (students will be a le to find the article here)
Essay by Renske Bijl
Master in Tourism Destination Management student 2008/2009
A big variety of people are showing interest in the phenomenon of voluntourism. All these people have one thing in common; they are looking for ways to ‘give something back’. Voluntourism can take place in a wide variety of destinations and exists of a diversity of projects and activities. A survey conducted by Travelocity’s found that 11% of the respondents plan to volunteer during their holiday in 2007, compared to 6% of the respondents in 2006. Voluntourists are mainly students traveling during their school breaks, and baby boomers who have the resources for this kind of experience. Companies and agencies cater to this trend and take advantage of the price people are willing to pay for the experience.
Lecturer Greg Ashworth delivered a speech about the blue-grey transition: from sand / sea to heritage tourism. Issues like environmental conservation and senses of local identity become more and more important. People want to learn about the destination and about the local culture. Tourists are looking for experiences that will not only contribute to their personal development but also positively to the social, natural and economic environment in which they participate. This argumentation gives an explanation for the increase of interest in volunteer tourism.
Students make up the majority of voluntourism travelers, they travel mainly during their holidays. Volunteering projects offered by an organization often requires a commitment of several weeks which explains the interest of students and baby boomers. A survey conducted in 2007 by Cheaptickets.com shows that 55% of the respondents would consider 1 or 2 day volunteering, which is now difficult to find. Based on my working experience for the company Andaman Discoveries, located in Thailand and offering volunteer programs from 1 day to 1 month, I can conclude that agencies are missing out many potential volunteers who can only engage themselves to a project for a few days.
Volunteer programs concerning underprivileged children and orphans or working on projects with local communities are in favor with voluntourists, and they are ready to pay for the experience. For example the one week “Community work with children in Kenya”, offered by travel provider I-to-I, costs $ 1.390, excluding flight, visa costs and insurance! For this amount the volunteer will be accommodated in a house with volunteers or with a local family, breakfast and dinner is included. At extra costs the volunteer can have a private room and some luxury. Because volunteers have to pay a lot of money for a project, the agency providing the project is often more focused on satisfying the desire of the tourist than on the volunteer project itself.
As people join a voluntourism adventure they should ensure that programs give preference to the benefits of the volunteer projects over the wants of the volunteers. People should generate concrete benefits for the community, not just an impressive addition to their resume.
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Being a travel company, i-to-i is always going to be focussed on the customer. However they also work with hundreds of established community projects to ensure that a steady flow of short-term volunteers can help them achieve their long-term objectives. The projects themselves determine the minimum time committment from the volunteers.
Hey Renske,
I found the discussion of the article you posted very interesting, as this is something I knew but never read about. Also I liked how you connected it to the guest lecture we had and the demographic theory from the chapter.
Still, somehow I have a problem with the the term Voluntourism. I think it’s weird, if you e.g. work with abused children/war victims for some weeks and then call yourself a tourist or the act itself a vacation. Do you know what I mean? Of course it is a form of travelling as you travel to a destination but do you do sightseeing, will you spend money, will you enjoy yourself as you normally do on vacations?
I had the same in the article I discussed about medical tourism: where the most extreme and discussable version of medical tourism (and where the word tourism might fit least easily) is when patients seek euthanasia (e.g. in Switzerland or the Netherlands) or go abroad for abortions.
Do you get my point? What do you think?
Greets, Eva
Hi Renske, Eva, Florian,
Just another thought, based on the outcomes of a recent (student) research on Voluntourism (nice word):
The tourists, who were interviewed, finally had to admit that they mainly visited the projects in so-called “poor” countries because it made them “feel better”/hedonism. They were, in fact, quite critical themselves and realized that they could hardly contribute to the situation at stake. THe question “why are you not involved in community projects in YOUR OWN COUNTRY?” made them realize that sightseeing was the most important part of their experience. Sightseeing poverty? Yes. Sightseeing poverty made them realise that they were lucky/happy, with their own lifes.
So yes: voluntairy tourism creates happiness….for the visitor, not so much for the host.
It makes you wonder.
Carin Rustema
Volunteer tourism seems to me like an odd and somehow problematic concept. How can one seriously believe that something meaningful can be achieved while staying at a destination for merely a week or two? In my opinion, building up trust and relations with the local people are crucial aspects that make a project credible and successful in the long term. How could this be achieved by ever changing faces on a weekly basis? It seems volunteer tourism is nothing more than a (new?) invention of the tourism sector – a concept for spoiled westerners who are in need to alter their own ego and feel good about themselves.
Hi!
Thanks for an interesting view on “voluntourism”… I’m about to write a project about the ethical dilemmas regarding voluntourism, but I’m having a hard time finding scientific literature that deal with the subject. If any of you have some good ideas I’d greatly appreciate any help…
Thanks,
Thor
Namaste!
Greetings from Kathmandu
Dear Sir/Madam
Social Journeys is a travel organization based in Nepal specializing on community, adventure and eco-tours. Basically we are focused to promote community based tourism in mid hills of Nepal and looking for committed partners to work together to market Community adventures. Having a brief look at your home page I got the impression and interested to receive more information about your organization. We are particularly interested in discussing the possibility to work together for mutually beneficial relationship, as we can help reap the benefits of the global economy and achieve success in partnerships and business synergy
Yours sincerely,
Deependra Dhital
Director
Social Journeys Travel and adventure
Kathmandu, Nepal
Email: info@socialjourneys.com
Website : http://www.socialjourneys.com
Do you have the original Travelocity research paper? I’d love to see who the respondents are