Voluntourism: Once invisible, now transparent

Author: Jigna Patel University: University of Wolverhampton

Abstract:
This paper assesses the dynamic focus of what it means to be a tourist in the early 21st century, demonstrating a critical appreciation of a recently risen phenomenon, 'voluntourism' (Wearing, 2001). This paper seeks to investigate the significant impacts voluntourism has on an individual's lifestyle and the future, whilst acknowledging the different products or varieties associated with niche tourism, which fit under the umbrella term, voluntourism.

Keywords:
Volunteer tourism, volunteering, voluntourism, voluntourist, niche, mainstream



Discussion Paper:
Voluntourism: Once invisible, now transparent

'Volunteering abroad made me feel so lucky and to appreciate what I have' - how often have we heard someone say this? Everyone will agree, saving lives is remarkably important, but some believe that enriching lives is just as important (Pasternak, 2009).

Derived from a combination of volunteering and vacationing,' voluntourism' applies to those who undertake organised holidays that may involve "aiding or alleviating the material poverty of some groups in society, the restoration of certain environments or research into aspects of society or environment" (Wearing, 2001: p.1). Volunteer tourism is one of the travel and tourism industry's popular trends, where tourists can travel the world, help communities that need help and sight-see (Pasternak, 2009).

Dating as far back as the 19th century, it is clear that voluntourism has dramatically changed in comparison to its current state in the 21st century. Even Christmas' have changed with tourists eagerly putting on a hard hat instead of a party hat, just to put their backs into earnestly uplifting business of giving back (Pasternak, 2009). You can be sleeping in and ordering room service one morning, but serving breakfast at a soup kitchen the next (Villano, 2009). However, the basic principle of volunteer tourism had already been a well-established part of tourism and in fact, there is nothing new (Wearing, 2001). Charity is fast changing its form, especially with the clever combination of philanthropy and self-indulgence (Pasternak, 2009). Activities such as teaching, medical assistance and conservation projects, are becoming yet another hotel amenity in some destinations at high-end five-star resorts, like the Vabbinfaru Island in Maldives (Villano, 2009). Who knew picking up trash and pulling weeds could ever seem aristocratic and posh?

The practice was pushed as a product of niche tourism but over the course of 5 years, statistics show a dramatic growth in the market, with an estimated 5-10% in Western Europe alone (Smith, 2013). Slowly leaving behind the niche market, voluntourism attained a place within the mainstream travel industry. Virgin Holiday, Kuoni, Sandal and Crystal Cruises, to name a few, now offer ethical holiday products like volunteer holidays.

The motives of a voluntourist stems from discerning tourists who are in search for stimulating forms of travel and a need for social standing, because in their eyes, standardised package holidays have become jaded (Wearing, 2001). Rojek (1993) believes that, in general, tourists gain knowledge and self-realisation through travelling and achieve this through guidance, common-sense and diligence (Wearing, 2001). Moreover, celebrities and the media contribute heavily towards a voluntourists motives. Television programmes similar to the annually commercial Comic Relief show and The Secret Millionaire series, they endorse an image of ethical and social responsibility which partly influences a tourist's decision to volunteer (Pasternak, 2009).

A key question that people often consider is, does participation in a volunteer project make someone a better person in the future? One author believes that volunteering eliminates any negative stereotypes of the voluntourist in question as it is often seen as a selfless act. By giving something back to society, volunteering allows tourists to feel fortunate of the way in which they live, which balances out the scales. As Wearing (2001: p.3) writes, "One is able to engage in a transformation and the development of self". Travel columnist, Christopher Elliott, implies that the effort of voluntourism is aimed mainly at wealthy tourists who 'give back' to sooth their guilty conscience, with Villano (2009) labelling it as 'silver-spoon voluntourism'. In the process, there is a beneficial spiritual shift as we become increasingly aware that the fulfilments so many of us seek can be fostered from active altruism and engaging in community (Pasternak, 2009).

In conclusion, voluntourism has both advantages and disadvantages, as do many markets within the travel and tourism industry. The heart of the problem with voluntourism is that the systems and structures are never called into question. As Tourism Concern (2007) have established, if there is no concern and no regulation over the activities voluntourism organisations offer, then voluntourism becomes political (Wearing, 2001). A more theoretical approach needs to be developed in order to lessen these harsh impacts in developing countries (Wearing, 2001). On top of this, in its current structure, voluntourism doesn't address real need, with tourists shaping it to what they want. Overall however, voluntourism organisers need to truly acknowledge the intricacy of making the experience positive and successful, and only then it can certainly be beneficial.



References:

Pasternak, A. (2009). Voluntourism is fast becoming the holiday of choice for those keen to give something back. Available: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1235568/Give-break-Fed-job-money-worries-ruling-life-The-answer-little-back.html. Last accessed 5th May 2013.

Smith, V. (2013). What is the size of the voluntourism market?. Available: http://volunteertourismviews.wordpress.com/. Last accessed 5th May 2013.

Villano, M. (2009). Room Service and a Shovel: The Rise of Voluntourism. Available: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1935103,00.html. Last accessed 5th May 2013.

Wearing, S (2001). Volunteer Tourism. Oxfordshire: CABI Publishing.

The title of this discussion paper had caught my eye as I had done research on the theme of volunteerism for my dissertation and that is partially why I have decided to comment on this particular paper. However, main reason for choosing to comment on this summary is because the author makes very lucid points in an organised manner, likewise the body of the discussion paper appears to be well researched, with key areas covered that also fit exceptionally well with the theme and strand of this conference.

The author has investigated the impacts that volunteer tourism has on person's lifestyle and their future development as an individual. In her discussion Patel acknowledges a number of products associated with this rapidly developing niche segment of volunteer tourism and by reflecting on its developments over centuries she sets the scene for the paper.

A variety of theoretical models have been used in the academic field of research of volunteer tourism to examine the diverse phenomena (Tomazos and Butler 2012). After evaluating the summary of the discussion paper it seems that the author focuses on two theories in her paper, including social movement (McGehee, 2002) and social exchange theory (McGehee & Andereck 2009).

Author critically explains how the volunteer tourism sector has combined social, cultural and humanitarian issues with the intention to benefit not only the locals (the volunteer element), but also the participants (the tourists element).

Patel has noted that people often consider whether does participation in a volunteer project makes someone a better person in the future? The author refers to different authors' opinions to answer the posed question; it would be interesting to find out what Patel thinks of this matter herself.

This actual question raised is difficult to measure and answer. Framework created by Callanan & Thomas (2005) may assist in foreseeing whether the touristic activity may lead to change of character of an individual in the future.

According to Callanan & Thomas (2005) volunteers can be organized in to different categories (pp.196-197):
"Shallow volunteer tourist" - the focus of this volunteer is primarily on self-development, which can also be later used for academic credit, 'ego-enhancement' (MacCannell 1976) and enrichment of curriculum vitae.

"Intermediate volunteer tourist" - focuses on both self-development and altruistic motives. This type of tourist may treat voluntary project as both holiday and work trying to find the middle ground.

"Deep volunteer tourists" - for this type of volunteer altruistic motives are key drivers behind the participation, leaving the self-interest in secondary place. They play key roles in contributing to the welfare of local communities and their environments.

Towards the end of the paper author makes a good point by stating that tourists are shaping the experience 'to what they want'. I do agree with this and this interlinks with the framework mentioned above which shows that individuals that fall under the different categories have own needs, see the experience in a different light and all have distinct objectives to achieve, hence why they end up being in control, steering the experience towards achieving those objectives. The fact that they offer their skills and time with no financial gain also justifies why they tend to govern aspects of the experience.

To conclude, the author suggests that voluntourism organisers need to concentrate on making the experience positive and successful. I agree with the statement and to add to that I think that it is important for organisers to act as guides to successfully achieve set goals. By assisting the tourists (volunteers) in finding that balance between hedonistic activities and obligations the benefits will be equally distributed between both parties.


Callanan, M., Thomas, S. (2005). Volunteer Tourism: Deconstructing volunteer activities within a dynamic environment. In: Novelli, MNiche Tourism: contemporary issues, trends and cases. Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. pp. 194-197

McGehee, N. G. (2009). Volunteer tourism and the voluntoured: the case study of
Tijuana, Mexico. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 17(1), pp.39-51.

Tomazos, K., Butler, R. (2012). Volunteer tourists in the field: A question of balance?. Tourism Management. 33 (1), pp. 177-187.

I chose to comment on this paper as I have looked into this topic for my dissertation which was on people's motivations for participating in slum tours which is closely linked to voluntourism. I have also participated in voluntourism so I believe I have first-hand insight into what voluntourism involves.

Having volunteered myself I believe there is much more to voluntourism than "feeling good" the author states that it is a selfless act which is correct because most people participate to see benefits it brings to communities and wanting to give something back, however Clemmons (2012) states that voluntourism is curiosity which is deemed to be selfish as you are only taking part for personal reasons. People participate in volunteer projects for many reasons such as education, wanting to give something back and to experience something new.

The author correctly defines voluntourism and suggests that it is not a new form of tourism and it is now becoming widely recognised. More people are taking the opportunity to volunteer and therefore it is expected to become a fast growing market that is set to expand significantly in the future (McGray, 2004).

The author states that "You can be sleeping in and ordering room service one morning, but serving breakfast at a soup kitchen the next "this is more of a stereotype and a general assumption, this is not the case for most, if not all of the volunteer projects I have looked into. Accommodation ranges from tents to home stay and have basic amenities which is part of the experience (Real gap, 2013).

Voluntourism is not a new phenomenon but has only really become recognised which is due to people wanting to experience something new, in 2010 500,000 Britons undertook a volunteer working holiday abroad (telegraph, 2010) this is something the author could have explored further and further researched into why it has become more popular and peoples motivations for taking part in this form of tourism. Organisations are also bringing benefits to communities through this type of tourism such as Volunteer Africa who give all the money from the volunteers who participate in the projects back into the communities for further development (Volunteer Africa, 2013).

The author makes reference to voluntourism being "silver spoon" and more for the higher class. I believe this is not the case, myself and people that I know have been on this type of tourism and are certainly not rich or even middle class, we work hard and want to give something back. We wanted to experience something new and work with various people and even educate ourselves. Yes it can be seen as selfish as of course you get satisfaction from helping animals or teaching children, however you can also see first-hand the benefits this type of tourism brings especially to developing countries.

Yes there are negatives to this type of tourism however there is with all types of tourism, is voluntourism not seen as a holiday which brings benefits to many people? Surely this is therefore better than a package holiday?

It would have been nice to see the author make reference to a particular case study such as a company offering this type of tourism and what types of voluntourism is out there as it is not clear where the author is referring to, is it volunteer projects abroad or in the UK? It would have been interesting to have focused on one particular area and research in depth. The author has chosen an interesting subject and has made a lot of useful points, my suggestion would be to have more of a focus of what you are trying to find out.

References:
McGray, D. (2004) The rise in voluntourism [online] Available from: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/going-the-distance-february-2004 [Accessed: 16/05/13]

Clemmons, D. (2012) Voluntourism [online] Available from: www.voluntourism.org [Accessed: 16/05/13]

Hawkins, D. Lamoureux, K and Clemmons, D. (2005) Voluntourism as a catalyst for developing the potential of tourism destinations, Tedqual 1 (7) 13-17

I chose to comment on this paper because I am familiar with voluntourism and it is associated with my discussion paper which is dark tourism. When dark tourism refer to travel to a place that natural disaster happed, it is a kind of voluntourism.

This article has a clear structure. It can be divided into five parts. First of all, the author give a specific definition about voluntourism. It is a combination of volunteering and vacationing and is one of the travel and tourism industry's popular trends. Secondly, the author explain the changing face of voluntourism. It compare voluntourism nowadays to 5 years ago. Voluntourism was a niche market 5 years ago, however, now it has ready become on of the mainstream travel trend in travel industry. In the third part, the article talk about motives of voluntourists. On one hand, people can gain knowledge and self-relisation in voluntourism. This is the main motivation that people choose voluntourism. On the other hand, the author also mentioned that celebrities and the media contribute to voluntourism motives. As far as I am concerned, there are other 3 main motivations in voluntourism: cultural motives, career development and personal interest. Cultural motives are more dealt with the destination rather than socio-psychological. Most of the time this is one of the prime motives to travel.According to Crompton (1979), most respondents received satisfaction from cultural benefits instead of socio-psychological. Cultural motives are related to the destinational pull, due to the attractiveness of the destination. Cultural motives includes novelty and education. Novelty is linked with the concepts curiosity, new and different (Crompton, 1979). People seek for new experiences however it does not mean they know nothing about it. They just want to experience it with their own eyes Volunteer tourists might feel the need for education, which is aroused by the destination. Volunteering abroad might be seen by some volunteer tourists as a cheap way to travel and also to be part of an authentic culture (Broad & Jenkins cited in Lyons & Wearing, 2008). Some volunteer tourists perceive their volunteering as part of their study or linked interest. In the study of Broad & Jenkins (cited in Lyons & Wearing, 2008), most of the volunteer tourists were already studying in a field relevant to their volunteering such as for example animal management. So it seems they participate in this particular volunteering in order to gain experience for among others their future career. What's more, according to Broad & Jenkins (cited in Lyons & Wearing, 2008, p. 81), 'more than half of the volunteers expressed a motivation that could be related to a personal interest or a desire to develop personally as a result of volunteering'.

In the fourth party, this article pointed out a key question: does participation in a volunteer project make someone a better person in the future? The author talked about some disadvantage which make voluntourism controversial. I do agree with this because Commoditisation and commercialisation make voluntourism ethically unacceptable. In the final party, the author made a good conclusion. in this part, we can see that if voluntourism wants to be develop in a correct way, more attention must be paid on regulation and system.

In a word, this article has nice stricture and reference which make the discussion paper more reliable. However, I have a advice for this article. In my opinion, it would be better that talk about the difference between pro-poor tourism and voluntourism. On one hand, these two kinds of tourism have more common trait. On the other hand, combine them together may help to develop voluntourism.

Reference:
Crompton, J.L. (1979) Motivations for Pleasure Vacation. Annals of Tourism Research, 6, 4, pp. 408-424.
Wearing, S. (2001) Volunteer Tourism: Experiences That Make A Difference. OXON, CABI publishing
Wearing, S and B. Wearing (2001) Conceptualizing the selves of tourism. Leisure Studies, 20, pp. 143-159.
Lyons, K.D. and S. Wearing (2008) Journeys of Discovery in Volunteer Tourism, OXON, CABI Publishing.