volunteering

Meet sibling duo Hazel and Derek, whose journey as volunteers adds a special touch to Chingay 2024’s theme of Blossom.

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…