Sustainable Tourism
Behind The Scenes Of Voluntourism: The Perspective Unbeknownst To Volunteers
Longform
May 26, 2019
Behind The Scenes Of Voluntourism: The Perspective Unbeknownst To Volunteers
Is volunteer tourism a boon or bane? It is a much-needed debate on an emerging trend – one that many turn a blind eye to. Volunteer tourism, also known as voluntourism, is tourism with an emphasis on work contribution and helping out at local organisations. Volunteers say voluntourism is about a sense of moral duty and attaining a transformative experience for themselves, but research by experts in the field of sustainable tourism – such as Donald Brightsmith and Eliza Raymond – shows that it may be doing more harm than good. Like everything else, voluntourism is becoming increasingly industrialised; with…