Empowering the Community or Escape Daily Routine—A Voluntourism Perspective

José Abreu, Marisa R. Ferreira and Beatriz Casais
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José Abreu: The Center for Innovation and Research in Business Sciences and Information Systems, Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão, Politécnico do Porto, 4610-156 Felgueiras, Portugal
Marisa R. Ferreira: The Center for Innovation and Research in Business Sciences and Information Systems, Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão, Politécnico do Porto, 4610-156 Felgueiras, Portugal
Beatriz Casais: School of Economics and Management and CICS.NOVA.UMinho, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-14

Abstract: On the edges of tourism, volunteering, and travel, we find voluntourism with tourists, mainly from high-income countries, looking for an alternative form of travel that promises sustainable development of destinations. The aim of the paper is to explore voluntourism through motivations and impacts, as well as aggregate different volunteers in categories, in order to better understand this phenomenon. The results of a questionnaire answered by 65 international volunteers show seven motivations and a lack of attention on the local projects. More than half of the volunteers are considered to have short participations in projects, considering the destination as a very important aspect, have minimal skills, and have a passive participation, as a minimal direct contribution. Generically, our research may help to highlight and boost the voluntourism experience, creating positive and transformative changes.

Keywords: voluntourism; international volunteers; non-profit organizations; motivations; impacts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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