Fourth International Conference on Tourism and Leisure Studies

Abstract

Volunteer tourism has become increasingly popular, as more and more travelers seek experiences beyond seeing sights and mere sun and fun holidays. In search for the “authentic” adventure, volunteers engage in social projects in order to give back through their travels. Previous research has shown that these experiences can tremendously change the world view of the traveler and as such have impacts beyond the immediate tourism experience, as they potentially impact buying patterns and lifestyle. As more commercial tour operators offer volunteer experiences for a profit, interests of the traveler often come at a cost to the local community. Previous studies have highlighted that knowing about the expectations and motivations of the traveler can help operators to better prepare volunteers. For the traveler, it becomes increasingly important to find ethical operators which ensure child protection, do not engage in poverty marketing, and have solid local partnerships which give back. Previous research has further shown that selection and preparation of volunteers are insufficient in most commercial operators. The purpose of this study then is to examine main ethical issues in the volunteer tourism industry, and offer solutionts for a more thoughtful appproach to responsible volunteering.