Voluntourism - Give a little, gain a lot

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“When you do volunteer work, when you come back, you have something more in your heart.” Voluntourism Give a little Gain a lot Stephen CheungMerriah MichelDan MillerGeorgian CollegeResearch Analyst ProgramApril 19, 2010` - Current Voluntourist, Italy

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Our partners Our partners

Agenda : 

Agenda Background What we know from previous research Our purpose and our objectives Our approach What we found Who were they? What motivates them? What were their expectations? How would they choose a travel company? How satisfied were they? What it all means Our suggestions Just the beginning

Background : 

Background Relatively new concept Participation has grown exponentially projects in the top-ten countries grew 780% from 2003 to 2007 There are 146 voluntourism organizations worldwide(Tomazos & Butler, 2009)

What we know from previous research : 

What we know from previous research Lack of quantitative research Motivations to volunteer abroad are mixed Current voluntourists’ expectations are formed from an organization’s promotional advertisements Lack of research on prospective voluntourists

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To examine the attitudes and perceptions of current and prospective voluntourists Our purpose

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1. Examine the 2. Analyze current and prospective voluntourists‘ 3. Explore current voluntourists’ 4. Determine how current and prospective voluntourists current and prospective voluntourists. Our objectives motivations expectations. satisfaction choose a travel organization. Profile with their past experiences. that people have for volunteering abroad. 5.

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Our approach

How it was done : 

Designed with LimeSurvey Two emails to members: 2,801 Planeterra, 3,389 Gap Adventures, 17,570 TIES (response rate: 7%, 5% and 3% respectively) Promotion on Facebook and Twitter Survey launched: February 18th, Closed: March 6th Request for participation from online survey respondents Age 20-29 5 current, 3 prospective 6 female, 2 male How it was done Online Survey Individual In-depth Interviews (IDI’s)

What we found : 

What we found

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Who were they?

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Who were they? Current: 36% Prospective:64% Female: 62% Male: 38% University/College Educated: 85% Married: 34% Single: 39%

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Where did they want to go? “I would go to any region that is safe” - IDI, Current, Canada While respondents in Canada and Europe did not want to volunteer in their region (p<.05) Respondents in Africa and Asia primarily wanted to volunteer in their region (p<.05)

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What did they want to do? “The most ideal...I worked at a rural health unit as a nurse’s assistant. It was at an orphanage where I lived, and so I hung out with the kids...then I worked with a conservation project in the jungle” - IDI, Current, Canada

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What motivates them? “It is a really good way to meet local people, and immerse yourself even more than a situation where you’d be sightseeing. It’s also a good way to learn different skills, learning different things that you’re interested in” - IDI, Current, Brazil

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Ongoing debate within the literature The four types of voluntourists “It is not possible to state whether the behaviour of an individual volunteer is motivated by altruistic motives or ego-centric motives.” - Mustonen (2007) “Volunteer tourists can be divided into two groups, volunteer-minded and vacation-minded tourists.” - Brown & Morrison (2003) Mustonen, P. (2007). Volunteer tourism - altruism or mere tourism. An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research, 18(1), 97-115. Brown, S., & Morrison A, M. (2003). Expanding Volunteer Vacation Participation: An Exploratory Study on the Mini-Mission Concept. Tourism Recreation Research, 28(3), 73-82. So who’s right?

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Interaction with locals Helping others Cultural immersion Education Environmental sustainability The Local Volunteer "In order to lend a hand you have to get in touch with the local people and I think voluntourism is one way to do that.” - IDI, Prospect, China The DefinitiveVoluntourist The Adventure Tourist The Altruistic Volunteer The Altruistic Volunteer

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The Altruistic Volunteer Interaction with locals Helping others Cultural immersion Education Environmental sustainability "In order to lend a hand you have to get in touch with the local people and I think voluntourism is one way to do that.” - IDI, Prospect, China Internship opportunity Family volunteer options Organized activity Physical activity Developing friends "You don’t need to travel far to volunteer. Even people here, in a city like Rome, need help sometimes.” - IDI, Current, Italy The Local Volunteer

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"You don’t need to travel far to volunteer. Even people here, in a city like Rome, need help sometimes.” - IDI, Current, Italy The Local Volunteer Internship opportunity Family volunteer options Organized activity Physical activity Developing friends The DefinitiveVoluntourist Project location Type of volunteer work "I hate heat and humidity. Everywhere the temperature is reasonable, I would go there...I wouldn't go somewhere to build a house or anything...I would go to do medicine." - IDI, Prospect, Croatia

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"I hate heat and humidity. Everywhere the temperature is reasonable, I would go there...I wouldn't go somewhere to build a house or anything...I would go to do medicine." - IDI, Prospect, Croatia Project location Type of volunteer work The Adventure Tourist The DefinitiveVoluntourist Adventure International travel Physical activity "Africa, the place I volunteered, was cool because it was a total different experience...At the end of the trip we got to go on a two-day safari. We were so close to lions and [my sister] got kissed by a giraffe." - IDI, Current, Canada

Demographics of the 4 typologies : 

Demographics of the 4 typologies The Altruistic Volunteer Europe Australia/South Pacific The Local Volunteer Prospective Males Africa and Asia The Definitive Voluntourist Current Males Not with children The Adventure Tourist Canada United States of America Not couples with children Not married couples (ANOVA, p < 0.05; t-test, p < 0.06)

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What were their expectations? "I don't believe in volunteer work for only one week" - IDI, Current, Italy indicated that they wanted to travel for over a week 98% 46% of current voluntourists want to travel for over a month Only 29% of prospective voluntourists want to travel for over a month (p<.01)

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What were their expectations? of respondents from Australia/South Pacific, Africa and Europe were willing to travel for over a month of respondents from the United States, Asia and Canada would travel for over a month (p<.01) Over 1/2 Less than 1/3

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How long do they want to volunteer? Respondents wanted to devote 40-80% of their trip to volunteering Current voluntourists wanted to devote a higher percentage of time to volunteering in relation to prospective voluntourists (χ2, p<.01) “I would go either in the morning or afternoon and volunteer for them [local residents] until lunchtime. If there’s still work to do in the afternoon then I will work with them...whatever they need” - IDI, Prospective, China 70% of respondents wanted to volunteer between 4 to 8 hours a day

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Cost and accommodation 70% indicated that they wanted to spend less than $1500 on their voluntourism experience. 56% of voluntourists do not have a preference in the number of volunteers they work with Accommodation was similar with 43% of respondents indicating they did not have a preference

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Choosing a travel company “I look at companies everyone knows” - IDI, Prospective, Croatia “I liked that we saw where all our money was going” - IDI, Current, Canada

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How satisfied were they? The large majority (87%) indicated that they would likely go again Only 2% indicated that they were not very likely to go on another volunteer vacation "When you do volunteer work, when you come back, you have something more in your heart" - IDI, Current, Italy Over ¾ of respondents (82%) stated they would likely recommend a volunteer vacation to a friend.

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Not everyone is motivated by the same ideas or interests The four types: the altruistic volunteer, the local volunteer, the definitive voluntourist and the adventure tourist What it all means The Four Types of Voluntourists

What it all means : 

They are willing to work in almost every region of the world and share a common interest for environmental conservation, community tourism projects and community development Current voluntourists are willing to travel for longer, devote more of their trip to volunteering, and volunteer more hours per day than prospective voluntourists 87% of current voluntourists indicated an interest in going on another volunteer vacation 51% of current volunteers indicated an interest in talking about their previous experiences in an interview scenario What it all means Engagement

What it all means : 

Majority younger in age (20-39) From over 70 countries around the world Highly educated (university/college education or higher) Avid travellers (1/3 of respondents have been on 5+ international vacations in the last five years) Majority were either single or married What it all means Respondent Profile

Our suggestions : 

Our suggestions Provide a range of volunteering options and packages that target the four types of voluntourists The four types of voluntourists were defined by their different motivations Designing a variety of volunteer vacations would satisfy those differences The Altruistic Volunteer The Local Volunteer The Definitive Voluntourist The Adventure Tourist

Our suggestions : 

Our suggestions One size does not fit all Respondents in different age groups and different regions had different motivations and expectations in terms of duration of experiences, types of projects, regions to volunteer in. Providing a variety of types of volunteer vacations that satisfy these differences will ensure there is a trip for every voluntourist.

Our suggestions : 

Our suggestions Utilizing voluntourists’ engagement Voluntourists are very engaged and keen to talk about their experiences Finding ways to capture these voluntourists’ personal experiences as marketing strategies could be very effective and efficient due to their positive reflections of their vacations and willingness to talk about it

Our suggestions : 

Our suggestions Clarity of where voluntourists’ money is going Respondents stated that one of the most important factors for choosing a travel company was knowing where their money was going The breakdown of the trip cost should be clear so voluntourists feel comfortable and willing to spend the necessary money to embark on a volunteer vacation

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Seek to understand baby boomers Further qualitative analysis needed across additional age cohorts Analysis of online forums Understanding the similarities and differences of the four types of voluntourists This is just the beginning

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Thank you! Any questions?