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Empowering the Community or Escape Daily Routine—A Voluntourism Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • 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)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • José Abreu & Marisa R. Ferreira & Beatriz Casais, 2021. "Empowering the Community or Escape Daily Routine—A Voluntourism Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-14, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:21:p:12032-:d:669276
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Abdul Hafaz Ngah & Abdul Halim Mohd Rahimi & Serge Gabarre & Luis Araya-Castillo & Antonio Ariza-Montes & Heesup Han, 2021. "Fostering Voluntourism Satisfaction and Future Behaviour in Island Destinations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-17, March.
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    4. Coghlan, Alexandra, 2015. "Prosocial behaviour in volunteer tourism," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 46-60.
    5. Aileen Shaw & Bernadine Brady & Brian McGrath & Mark A. Brennan & Pat Dolan, 2014. "Understanding youth civic engagement: debates, discourses, and lessons from practice," Community Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(4), pages 300-316, October.
    6. Carpenter, Kathie, 2015. "Childhood studies and orphanage tourism in Cambodia," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 15-27.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ali Essa A. Alshammari & Murad Thomran & Ali Saleh Alshebami, 2023. "Integration of Service-Learning Theory and Social Capital Theory in Volunteering Work for Sustainable Development: A Study of the Role of Education Curricula in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-26, September.
    2. Karina A. Rus & Ștefan Dezsi & Ovidiu R. Ciascai & Florin Pop, 2022. "Calibrating Evolution of Transformative Tourism: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-40, September.

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