Volunteer Tourism Network: Authenticity in Voltourism

Volunteer Tourism Network: Authenticity in Voltourism: "Theoretical and practical hegemony characterize varied forms of tourism. Tourism, the service-based product, has various commoditised sub..."

Volunteers Bank: Mass tourism and alternative tourism: motivations ...

Volunteers Bank: Mass tourism and alternative tourism: motivations ...: "Mass tourism, the traditional package of tourism, has fewer responsibilities than alternative forms of tourism toward the environment an..."

Mass tourism and alternative tourism: motivations and experiences

Mass tourism, the traditional package of tourism, has fewer responsibilities than alternative forms of tourism toward the environment and the socio-cultural concerns. Nowadays, people realize the long term impacts of the tourism industry; it takes a while to distinguish the privilege from the poor impacts on tourism destinations. Travelers started searching for better and practices forms of tourism. In short, the need for alternative tourism is popular these days. A very accepted growing alternative form of tourism is voltourism, where people achieve enjoyment and noble goals (Wearing and Neil, 2000)

Mass tourism, the group packaging style of experience of tourism activities, in general started to develop after the industrial revolution, although it existed before that for the aristocratic classes of urbanized European countries. Mass tourism was facilitated by the development of transportation and technology along with extra leisure time in those countries, generally Mediterranean coastal areas in destinations like France and Italy. Certainly, mass tourism was directed to destination sites which had the “three Ss” (Sun, Sea and Sand) It was also less concerned about the environmental and the cultural impacts on destinations. 

On the other hand, many people realized the need for other travelling options equivalent with more sustainable forms and practises. Alternative forms of tourism came out after the emergence of the negative impacts of the mass tourism (figure 2).  According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO/ 2010), around 1 billion travelers is the estimated number of tourists for 2010 and 1.6 billion for 2020. This mixture (mass and alternative) expansion indicates a huge growth rate, exceeding 4% yearly growth. Although there are no separate statistical indicators for alternative tourism, it looks like the awareness level of tourists toward sustainable travel and tourism is increasing. Many countries are working on developing varied alternative forms of tourism to sustain their share of the tourism market, since there is more demand on the friendly forms of tourism like voltourism.

Social Sustainability and Voltourism

Social Sustainability in Volunteer Tourism

As one of the booming subsidiaries of the tourism sector, volunteer tourism (voltourism) offer tourists, NGOs, and host communities an alternative experience in terms of authentically based destinations. By definition, such a relation should benefit destinations more in terms of cultural preservation and have less unpleasant tourism impacts. The possibilities for these destinations to develop, grow, and produce by promoting their cultural resources without, at the same time, spoiling them is the goal of sustainable tourism. However, without sufficient consideration of primary factors and careful destination resources management, voltourism may lead to less sustainable tourism development. The purpose of this study is to examine whether voltourism contributes to socio-cultural sustainability by looking at and measuring the level of control over cultural resources in the host/guest relationship. Thus, the goal of this research is to examine voltourism and if it leads to cultural disturbance like mass tourism or to enhanced tourism practices through its relationship to socio-cultural sustainability. The proposed research also will examine what are the central motivations and experiences of voltourism and if they focus on self entertainment or helping the other, and how that adds more social sustainability to the host/guest relationship. Qualitative research methods using in depth-interviews, participant observation, an online survey and a case study on a voltourism destination with the First Nations people on the Eden Valley reserve, Alberta, as well as a comparative case from the Middle East region (Jordan) will be conducted in order to examine these questions. Key problems identified thus far are: lack of voltourism stakeholder’s participation opportunities, social justice, and equality of wealth distribution.

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