Positive Aspects Of Voluntourism

Voluntourism is defined as “a form of tourism in which travelers participate in voluntary work, typically for a charity”. This type of tourism is extremely popular today and has done a fantastic job in expanding its market. Whether you’ve read about it in a pamphlet or book, have travelled with an organization whose vision correlates with that of voluntourism, or know of someone who has, in some way we have all been affected by this new phenomenon. At first glance, these types of organizations are seen as valuable, generous and resourceful to countries around the world including South Africa, Mexico and India. However throughout my own experience, education and research, I believe advocates are too quick to praise these associations that combine vacation with charity work. They give a false representation of role models, take jobs away within the local community, glorify the West and give short term solutions for long term problems. Because of this, voluntourism is an exploitative and selfish act that benefits the volunteer more so than the communities in which aid is most needed.

The benefits of voluntourism are most seen by the volunteers themselves. They include; travel opportunities, providing invaluable education, field experience, acquiring vital skills, and network ties (Smith 2015). Some of these volunteer experiences may lead to future involvement in the field of social movements on a global scale (McLennan 2014). Likewise, the marketable skills that voluntourists develop such as self-sufficiency and cultivating emotional skills are pivotal for the neoliberal markets (Germann 2017). The institutions through which voluntourist volunteer at, whether it be a hospital or orphanage, became a place where local and international populations connect, which allows one to make a global network of connections (Smith

Voluntourism is when you're traveling and also volunteering at least developed countries such as Africa, and etc. Voluntourism is a good way to get hands on experiences and learn what you are interesting to it. voluntourism is a people-to-people experience, in which both the helper and the helped become acquainted with one another. Volunteers take their experiences home with them, and the majority of host organisations/projects confirm that volunteers tend to stay in touch when they finish the placement and return home, even actively fundraising on their behalf. However, unskilled workers just graduate from high school are in the operation room. Without any post-secondary education and training the voluntourism are considers as doctors because

There are numerous aspects of voluntourism that are positive in nature. For example, short-term volunteer trips (1-3 weeks) can be quite beneficial in the case of dealing with the aftermath of a natural disaster. In the case of a serious catastrophe like that, it can take years to rebuild the community that it occurred in. With a continuous stream of fresh volunteer recruits, the momentum will remain at a constant pace. A short-term time frame for this type of scenario will result in more efficient progress being made. On another topic, volunteers have been proven, through extensive research on the subject, to be able to provide locals with some things that very few other aid workers can. The volunteers can be an effective link between the locals of the community and the humanitarian organizations. As an example, they can help locals fill out the forms required to apply for funding for certain projects. Volunteers can also help the locals understand ways in which they can effectively communicate with their government, and potentially receive more aid from them. Voluntourism agencies often emphasize the emotional connections that tourists can make with the locals, but rarely speak about this kind of connection that I have just mentioned. In other words, tourists can be a great resource for the locals, and that is a very positive aspect of the voluntourism industry. Another positive aspect is that the experiences that a voluntourist goes through while taking part in a

It is not uncommon to see on Facebook selfies taken by youths with village children-some half naked some fully naked. Teaching English in Schools, building a basketball court, painting beautiful murals on the walls of new schools and distributing food and healthcare packs to the villages are some activities that are commonly included in the itinerary of such Voluntourism trips. In the recent years, there are a growing number of youths who take a gap year to volunteer overseas. Voluntourism can be defined as ‘a form of tourism in which travelers participate in voluntary work to help communities or the environment in the places they are visiting’ (dictionary.com). In the context of Singapore, such trips are normally termed as Overseas Service Learning Trips (OSLP). They are usually organized by schools to bring students abroad to ‘broaden the students’ world view’ (Poh, 2014) and serve the community there. I have chosen three articles on the effects on Voluntourism. In this essay, I will be taking a closer look at the arguments presented and critic and improve on the current system of Voluntourism.

Since Voluntourism has evolved into volunteer travel and volunteer vacations for the leisure travel market. For the meetings, incentive, convention, and event (MICE) industry, it has become a mechanism for expanding social responsibility, delivering purpose-filled teambuilding activities for attendees, and providing spouses with a much needed alternative to

As many individuals benefit from their holidays, the tourist industry continues to grow rapidly. Many more people are beginning to find vacations a necessity to their lifestyles, therefore causing many more people overall to pay large amounts for their holidays.

Brown (2008) states that volunteer tourism includes different aspects and environmental protection is a kind of volunteer tourism. According to Brown (2008), volunteer tourism, or voluntourism, refers to the tours which provide travelers opportunities to participate in voluntary activities and enable them to communicate with local people. The participants have different mindsets on voluntourism (Brown, 2008), some of them is volunteer-minded while the others are vacation-minded. The main reasons for the participants to participate in this type of tourism are cultural immersion, to help the less privileged and seeking friendship and educational opportunity for children. It is generally accepted that voluntourism brings some benefits to the participants

Some of the definitions of ecotourism have proved popular in recent years. Although any number of principles of ecotourism can be devised, an analysis of definitions such as these indicates that three dimensions can represent the main essence of the concept. According to this interpretation, ecotourism is:

In Life and Dept (2001), work for the individuals that were the tourist, seemed like it was a strenuous activity that they did only to be able to afford this tour where they can finally enjoy their lives. With this said,

awareness. It means tourism should be responsible to the natural areas and resources so that

Goeldner and Ritchie (1995) define tourism as a short term movement of people to places other than their normal place of residence and work, including the activities of persons travelling to and staying in locations outside their places of residence and work for not more than twelve months for the purpose of: leisure (recreation, vacation, health, study, religion and sport); and business family, mission and meetings.

Organizing an overseas community service trip (Shanghai) for 20 - 24 students to connect with the Shanghainese community for 13 days within a $75000 budget.

Researchers have different definitions for tourism. According to (Jafari,J.,2000)." "tourism is traveling to natural areas untouched and uncontaminated by human factor, with the specific purpose of studying, admiring and enjoying the scenery, wild animals and plants in it, as well as any cultural events (past and present) found in these areas.

Tourism can be defined as the set of activities of persons traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year and whose main purpose of travel is other than the exercise of an activity renumerated from within the place visited.