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.