Volunteer Tourism: Theory Framework to Practical Applications

Volunteer Tourisms is one of the major growth areas in contemporary tourism, where tourists for various reasons seek alternative goodwill experiences and activities. To meet this demand there has been a surge in volunteer programmes offered in a range of destinations organised by a variety of charities and tour operators, which is predicted to continue to grow in the future.

Volunteer Tourism provides an in-depth analysis of the complex issues associated with traditional and contemporary volunteer tourism. Reflecting the growth in this phenomenon, this book provides a cohesive collection of chapters written from a range of international scholars. The theoretically rich, practically applied and empirically grounded contributions are based on current and diverse research in the area. This groundbreaking volume explores topics which have not been addressed in the literature before, such as the impact on host communities, introducing new areas and ideas to the field. The diverse range of themes are identified and addressed, including volunteer tourism and sustainability to, uniquely, the examination of volunteer tourism stakeholders - volunteers themselves, the host-to-quest exchange, and the organisations and management of volunteers. These themes are emamined in a range of international case studies, demonstrating the wide range of issues, associated with volunteer tourism.

This volume is a timely addition offering an innovative approach to the area. Volunteer Tourism will be of interest to both undergraduate and postgraduate students and researchers interested in tourism, as well as non-academics, practitioners, NGOs government officals at all levels.

Angela M. Benson is Divisional Leader for Tourism at the University of Brighton, Adjuncl Associate Professor, University of Canberra, and Founding Chair of the ATLAS Volunteer Tourism Research Group.