Volunteer Tourism Issues - Case Study Example

Volunteer tourism Name Date Course Executive summary Volunteer tourism is increasingly becoming common in most parts of the world including Australia. The main aim of volunteer tourism is to ensure that the tourists are able to contribute positively to the development of the host countries in the developing nations. The tourists usually participate in the volunteering work in different sector in the developing countries. The area of wildlife protection and environmental protection is common in most of the countries. The tourists also benefit the host nations economically during their recreational activities. The concepts of volunteer tourism started in the 1960 and have experienced a lot of changes. In Australia, most of the volunteers are usually students in high schools or colleges and universities. Speciessaver is an organization in Australia that intends to recruit tourists in order to save the endangered species of reptiles, mammals and birds. In order to achieve its aims and objectives, segmentation, targeting and positioning is required. According to the segmentation process, the organization should divide its segments according to the administrative boundaries which include the states and territories. This is for the purpose of ensuring that the process is carried out effectively. The targeted segments for the organization include Sydney which has a high number of students willing to participate in the process. A competitor analysis is also required in order to ensure that it developers its strategies. Financial resources are also required by the organization for the purposes of carrying out its activities. Positioning is also an important process important and it will be carried out by the company in the identified segments. The positioning process will also involve developing a positive image of the organization. Volunteer Tourism Introduction Volunteer tourism involves travelling for charitable causes. It is increasingly becoming popular in most of the countries including Australia. Volunteer tourism varies in scope as it is usually carried out for different purposes. The volunteer vacations vary from the low skill work to high skill work. Various international organizations usually support volunteer tourism including the World Wildlife Fund. This is usually for the purposes of promoting wildlife in different countries. The protection of endangered wildlife species is common among most of the volunteers. Some of the volunteers usually travel to provide medical services to the local people. In most cases, the volunteer tourists are usually diverse as they are from different countries. However, they always share the same goals and objectives. Other volunteer tourists usually travel for the purposes of carrying out scientific research and education. The promotion of different services in the developing continues has impacted positively on the local people (Raymond, 2008). The participants are usually required to pay some amount of money in order to cover the expenses. No money is usually paid to the volunteer as all their services are entirely charitable. The volunteer tourists also have an advantage as they are able to make new friends in different countries and also visit the different tourist attraction sites. The paper thus discusses the concepts of volunteer tourism in relation to species saver which is a volunteer recruiting tourism agency in Australia. Literature review In the past, the volunteers were linked to certain organizations and they had to be linked to a particular cause like animal protection. The processes involved intensive volunteer activities as compared to the vacations that the volunteers were undertaking. On the other hand, the tourist had to spend more time on the volunteer activities as compared to their vacations. The organizations also considered them short term volunteers and they were placed under the community projects that they were actively engaged in. The volunteer graduate scheme which is currently referred to as Australian Volunteers International is one of the earliest scheme that contributed to the modern era volunteer tourism. The college students in Australia used to be actively involved in volunteer tourism during their vacations. This was for the purposes of promoting the conservation activities as well as the community development in the developing countries. Earth-watch is also an important organization that played an essential role in the development of volunteer travel in the 1970s. The aim of the organization was to bring together the scientific professional from different parts of the world (Cohan, 2010). On the other hand, the organization was actively involved in the process of educating the members of the public on the concepts of science and technology. Volunteer tourism has since evolved over the last sixty years and more people can be involved in it currently. The revolution has seen the volunteers participating in worthy cause and hence impacting positively on the society. The increasing number of volunteers has impacted positively on the environmental conservation efforts and wildlife protection. This is due to the efforts of the non-profitable organizations which have continuously promoted the practice. The travel industry in the 1990s also developed niche products that enabled the provision of volunteer vacations to the people. Currently anyone is free to link up with the organizations and provide their volunteer services. The focus of volunteer tourism is on the protection of the endangered species. This includes some species of reptiles and birds that are found in the developing countries. Many non-profitable organizations are also involved in facilitating volunteer tourism. This is usually for the purposes of ensuring that the Australian has an opportunity to visit the developing countries and offer their services. Most of the volunteer tourists from Australia are usually high school and college students. A part from carrying out the volunteering activities, most of the students usually uses the opportunity for the purpose of making new friends and boosting their resumes. The volunteer activities are also important in giving the students a meaning in their lives. This is considering that the process is for a worthy cause. Young people in Australia are actively involved in the volunteer activities and they have made positive achievements in the conservation efforts. The volunteers have made a positive change to the world through their activities and hence impacting positively on the development in the developing countries. International awareness regarding poverty and wildlife protection has been raised through the activities of the volunteers. Over the last few years, vacations have been impacted negatively by the recession. This has seen the reduction in the number of tourists. However, despite the recession, volunteer tourism is still stable and it continues to attract most of the people in Australia and other parts of the world. The host countries usually benefit economically from the volunteer tourism. This is because the volunteers usually spend their money during their stay in the countries and hence impacting positively on the economy of the hoist countries. On the other hand, it is also important to note that the people from different backgrounds and culture usually come together during the process and hence uniting the people. The tourism volunteers usually benefit from interacting with the members of diverse groups within the different countries that they work with. On the other hand, it is also important to note that the experience of the volunteers is important in ensuring that people appreciate the cultures of the others. It is however important to ensure that the volunteers have adequate information regarding the countries that they will be offering their volunteer services. This is for the purposes of avoiding any misunderstandings with the local people. Volunteer tourism has however been met by some criticism as some of the tourist have ended up exploiting the local people. There have been reports of abuse of orphans and the vulnerable by the volunteers. However, such incidences have been few although it has impacted negatively on the public image of the activities. STP plans for the Australian Tourist market Segmentation Segmentation is the process of dividing the market according to its characteristics and customer requirements (Kotler, 2011). Species saver can use the concepts of segmentation for the purpose of recruiting the tourists in its project to save the endangered species. Determining the potential customers of the company is an important step during segmentation. The potential customers for the organization included the high school and college student as they are actively involved in volunteer tourism. The other members of the society and interest groups in the wildlife conservancy efforts are also potential customers of the organization and they can be recruited. The organization should use the administrative boundaries for the purposes of segmentation. The segmentation can be done according to the different states and Territories in Australia. Other organizations also recruit tourists in Australia which means that the organization will experience some competition. Australian volunteers international is one of the competitors for the organization. The organization is actively involved in the recruitment of students and other members of the society. The intensity of the completion is also high in some of the seasons. However, most of the students are searching for volunteer opportunities which may be beneficial to the organization. In some of the states, mores students are need of volunteer opportunities for different purposes. The organization should consider recruiting most of the tourists in Sydney. This is because the region has a lot of students who are interested in participating in volunteer tourism The organization should also ensure that it has put in place measures that will ensure that it attracts the students. Gaining a competitive advantage in this segment is important as it will determine the number of people who will be recruited. On the other hand, it is important for the organization to work closely with the schools, colleges and universities in the different segments. This is for the purposes of ensuring that it creates awareness regarding its operations. Exploring the different segments in the market will enhance the recruitment process of the organization. Targeting The targeting process is important for an organization after the segments have been identified (McDonald, 2011). The organization should define its abilities and resources in recruiting the tourists from different segments that have been selected. Although the process is purely for volunteering, it will still require the finances. The financial situation of the organization will determine its ability to work in the different segments. The amount of resources available in the organization will play an essential role in ensuring that the company is able to move from one segment to the other when carrying out the recruitment of the tourists. The analysis of the competitors in the market is also important during targeting. This will however be based on the resources of the competitors. The competitors in the country have a lot of resources considering that some of the companies began their operations in the 1970s. This includes Australians Volunteers International. In order for the company to compete effectively, it will require means of financing its activities in the different segments that it has identified. Comparing the abilities of the company to that of the competitors is important to the organization during the targeting process. The company will require means of financing its recruitment activities in order to recruit more tourists. As compared to the other competitors in the market, the other organizations have more resources which are important in enhancing their competitive advantage. The organization should also ensure that it carries out an analysis of the market by determining the strengths and weaknesses of each of the segments. This will provide the organization with a guidance that will ensure that it makes the right investment decisions. On the other hand, the organizations should only venture in the market after the targeting process has been completed. The organization should decide the actual target markets after it has clearly analyzed the market situation. The company should however consider Sidney as an important area that the recruitment will be carried out. Positioning The positioning process of the organization should be carried out after all the targeted segments have been identified (Ronkainen, 2012). This should also be carried out after the organization has enough resources to begin the targeting process. On the other hand, it is also important for the organization to clearly identify the targeted customers who will be recruited as volunteer tourists. A marketing mix should also be put in place during the positioning process. The marketing mix plays an essential role in ensuring that the organization is able to attract the tourists. The marketing mix of the organization should be used for the purposes of creating an identity of the organization. This will also be important to the organization in ensuring that its brand image is enhanced in the market. Promoting the brand image is important for the organization as it ensure that more people in Australia will have confidence in its operations. It is also important for the organization to note that each segment is different from the other. This is because of the different ideas and requirements of the customers. The organization should also ensure that it uses different positioning concepts in each of the segments. This is for the purposes of ensuring that it captures all the targeted segments. On the other hand, the organization should also ensure that it uses the correct approach when dealing with the students and the other members of the public. The analysis of the company should also be carried out for the purposes of coming up with a positioning statement. A positioning statement is useful in guiding the operations of the organization. The positioning statement should also be a reflection of the activities of the organization. A positioning model should also be developed by the organization based on the competition in the market and the requirements of the customers. The marketing mix should also be used for the purpose of guiding the positioning process of the organization. The organization should also provide unique servi8ces to the tourist in order to compete effectively in the different segments. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that volunteer tourism plays an essential role in ensuring that the developing countries benefit from the efforts of the tourists. This is through carrying out charitable activities in different sectors. Volunteer tourism started in the 1960s and it has since developed and many countries are participating in the process. It is evident that Australia is actively involved in the volunteer tourism for the purpose of benefiting the local people. Several organizations have been established for the purpose of enabling the tourists to participate in the volunteering process. It is also evident that the process has been met with some challenges where cases of abuse have been reported. However, the cases are isolated and have not affected the process. It is also evident that the process requires the segmentation, positioning and targeting for Speciessaver which intends to recruit the tourists. The concepts will also enable the organization to gain competitive advantage and hence recruiting more tourists to participate in the volunteering process. List of References Raymond, El, 2008, "The Development of Cross-Cultural (Mis) Understanding Through Volunteer Tourism", Journal of Sustainable Tourism 16 (5): 530–543. Cohan, A, 2010, "Volunteerism: The Human Side of Sustainable Tourism", HVS International Journal: 1–7. Kotler, P, 2011, Reinventing marketing to manage the environmental imperative, Journal of Marketing, 75(4), 132-135. McDonald, M, 2011, Marketing plans: How to prepare them, how to use them, John Wiley & Sons. Ronkainen, I, 2012, International marketing, Hampshire, United Kingdom: Cengage Learning. Read More