The Positive and Negative Impacts of Volunteer Tourism - Essay Example

?Analysis an evaluation of the impact of volunteer tourism on host communities (Insert (Insert of college Voluntary tourism has in the past few years become increasingly popular as a way of travel. Glances at the already produced studies on volunteer tourism indicate that the main focus has been on the encounters and effects on volunteer tourists and not on the host-communities. This research will cover the background of volunteer tourism ,the various types of volunteer tourism in existence, the various methods and ways that have been used to carry out this practice as well as its impact on the host communities; both positive and negative impacts. Introduction Volunteer tourism refers to the travel to destinations not only for leisure but also to participate in charitable projects, in which the traveler is interested, on a voluntary basis. This is therefore a form of tourism that poses both the tourist and the host to vast social interaction, leading to cultural exchanges and understanding of each others’ ways of living. These interactions are bound to result to modifications in the host environment (destination) depending on the types of projects participated in and their levels of intensity (Guttentag, 2009). Besides social interaction, this type of tourism has a range of impacts both beneficial and detrimental to the local community. Positive impacts include cultural identity, cross cultural awareness and appreciation, economic development of the local community (depending on the kind of activities participated in), global interactions, job creation which finally eliminates the problems of unemployment and poverty in the destination area (Guttentag, 2009). However, this type of tourism also exposes the hosts to a number of negative consequences, occurring from the close levels of interactions experienced, including the effects of demonstration effect as they try to emulate the tourists’ behavior, dressing, way of life and high expenditure. These culminate into corruption of cultures (acculturation), drug abuse and involvement into burglary activities such as smuggling and robbery so as to afford the luxurious, high standards of living as observed from the tourists. The destination area is also exposed to higher levels of environmental pollution owing to the tourists way of life that encourages plenty of garbage disposal from packed and carry-away foods, the containers of which if not well disposed leads to increased pollution. This paper seeks to analyze the possible positive and negative impacts of volunteer tourism to the host community in a wider detail while at the same time evaluating them in a sustainable approach that will provide an attainable balance of tourism and its activities/projects. Background of Volunteer Tourism In the 19th century, voluntary activities had their emergence from the altruistic and missionary movements so as to curb the very specific and clear class divisions that existed in the society. Many institutions created to curb these divisions relied on volunteer workers. In the second half of the 20th century, volunteer sector and international tourism growth as a social phenomenon changed. Mass tourism growth exposed tourist to international cultures in an uncontrolled and exploitative manner. With the emergence of concepts like eco-tourism, responsible tourism and sustainable tourism as the alternatives to mass tourism, the media played a key role in exposing the exploitation of resources and communities on a global scale and the very clear divisions between the poor and the rich. The success of international initiatives to provide promotional outlets for the voluntary and charity contributions saw the growing attention to goodwill activities. (Michelle Callanan, 2009) In the recent past charities have teamed up with tour operators to create combined fundraising and adventure holidays with an aim to promote an image of ethical and social responsibility. The motive for tourists to engage in voluntary tourism originates from discerning tourists who want travel types that offer a range of experiences and opportunities for experimental travel. Categories of Volunteer Tourism 1. Social tourism 2. Charity tourism 3. Serious tourism 4. Cultural tourism 5. Alternative v 6. Eco- tourism 7. Moral tourism 8. Responsible tourism(Michelle Callanan, 2009) Method of Volunteer Tourism Volunteer tourism is multi-dimensional and can take the form of many projects. A study to try and ascertain and examine these projects around the world has yielded results that can be clustered as below: Community welfare This entails and not limited to care for children, elderly and refugees, offering social services, legal assistance and counseling, organizing youth-work and non-violent conflict, supporting the disabled and peace actions and AIDS education. Teaching Involves teaching a foreign language, in-class instruction, vocational training and indigenous issues Business Developments Involves farming business, IT/finance projects and local businesses Environmental regeneration Involves conservation work/enhancement, Wildlife (breeding programmers), plants (forest conservation), gardening and landscaping Building projects Involves constructing new buildings (e.g. hospitals and schools), renovating buildings and architecture Cultural developments Involves personal development programs, cultural work exchange programmes, indigenous programmes and art programmes Environmental research and education Involves interpretation trails, animal and plant research, learning about looking after the environment and land mapping for zoning Environmental protection Preservation i.e. maintaining the current form of land care and wildlife monitoring and rehab care and ranger work Medical Working in a hospital/ doctor’s practice and working with AIDS patients Journalism Entails working with local press, development of language/ communication (Michelle Callanan, 2009) Impacts of Volunteer Tourism Positive Impacts 1. Since many volunteer tourism destinations are quite poor, volunteer tourism directs tourism money to destinations that would not normally profit from tourism (Galley G, 2004) 2. Volunteer tourism offers tourists ‘direct contact’ with locals which is perceived as more meaningful and beneficial than typical tourist–host interactions (Wearing, 2001) 3. The personal growth that volunteers may experience and the intercultural interaction between volunteers and hosts that can lead to greater understanding and compassion for others (Soderman N, 2008). For example, Wearing (2001) states, the most important development that may occur in the volunteer tourist experience is that of a personal nature and that of a greater awareness of self (Brown S, 2003). 4. Volunteer tourism organizations provide opportunities to encourage or intensify social movement participation and activism support, either through the establishment of network ties or via various consciousness-raising experiences 5. With volunteer tourism, more intense rather than superficial social interaction can occur; a new narrative between host and guest is created, a narrative that is engaging, genuine, creative and mutually beneficial Negative impacts 1. A neglect of locals’ desires The numerous studies that have researched volunteer tourists’ motivations have often found that participants are not simply motivated by altruism, but also largely by personal reasons (Wearing, 2001) (Galley G, 2004)Some studies by Soderman and Snead, on the motivations of gap-year volunteer tourists in Latin America, concluded that, ‘Altruism was often part of the motivation, although usually in combination with benefits for oneself, and thus more in line with “reciprocal altruism” ’ (Soderman N, 2008) (p.124). 2. A hindering of work progress and the completion of unsatisfactory work Many volunteer tourism projects have minimal or non-existent requirements regarding the skills one needs to participate (Guttentag, 2009). The only skill that is required by many of these organizations is the desire to help others. Unskilled volunteers actually have the potential to impede work progress, (Brown S, 2003). 3. A decreased labor demand and promotion of dependency The presence of volunteer laborers may have the effect of shrinking labor demand or promote dependency. The problem when volunteer tourists perform work that could be performed by local community members is that volunteer tourists naturally work for free (and actually pay for the opportunity to perform the work) so they may undercut the competing local laborers. The presence of free volunteer labor may also disrupt local economies in a broader sense by promoting a cycle of dependency, (Wearing, 2001). 4. Conceptualizations of the ‘other’ and poverty rationalizations Volunteer tourism participation may reinforce stereotypes as some volunteers emphasize difference and establish a dichotomy of “them and us” as opposed to finding commonality between the developed and developing world. Many of the organizations actually promote simplified imagery of destinations and local cultures in order to appeal to potential volunteers’ imaginations.(Simpson K, 2004). 5. Cultural change: the demonstration effect and short-term mission trips The contact between volunteer tourists and a host community, which in some cases may be poor and have little previous experience with tourists, may in fact function to negatively impact the host culture. The ‘demonstration effect’ is a term denoting the process by which a host culture is impacted when tourists draw attention to their lifestyles and items of wealth(Wall G, 2006) Conclusion After going through this paper, one may ask is volunteer tourism good for host-communities? The answer here is really dependent or relative to what one would be talking about. On one hand, it does provide some aid that is better than nothing at all. If volunteer tourism is promoted for its potential positive impacts while overlooking its potential negative impacts, the sector might make communities embrace it without realizing its possible consequences. Fortunately, the negative impacts associated with volunteer tourism are not necessarily inevitable, and can likely be mitigated when projects are properly planned and managed.(Guttentag, 2009) Bibliography Brown S, M. A. (2003). Expanding volunteer vacation participation: an exploratory study on the mini-mission concept. Tourism Recreation Research, 73-82. Galley G, C. J. (2004). The motivational and demographic characteristics of research ecotourists: Operation Wallacea volunteers in Southeast Suulawesi, Indonesia. Journal of Ecotourism, 69-82. Guttentag, D. A. (2009). The Possible Negative Impacts of Volunteer Tourism. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH, 538-551. Michelle Callanan, S. T. (2009). Volunteer Tourism. In S. T. Michelle Callanan, Niche Tourism (pp. 186-188). Ulster: Queens University Press. Simpson K. (2004). Doing Development:the gap year, volunteer-tourists and a popular practice of development. Journal of International Development, 681-692. Soderman N, S. S. (2008). Opening the gap: the motivation of gap year travellers to volunteer in Latin America. In W. S. Lyon K, Journeys of Discovery in Volunteer Tourism (pp. 118-129). Cambridge: CABI Publishing. Wall G, M. A. (2006). Tourism: Change, Impacts and Opportunities. Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall:. Wearing. (2001). Volunteer Tourism: Experiences that make a difference. New York: CABI Publishing. Read More