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Abstract

Voluntourism is recognised as an alternative form of tourism that devotes a proportion of time to volunteering. These trips are typically promoted as a beneficial exchange, where both the host community and voluntourist gain in their respective ways. However, with voluntourism growing in popularity, the industry has developed into a commercialised and competitive business. The application of commercial strategies attempting to fulfil consumer demands has led to the questionable ethics and efficacy of the industry- the effects of which have not been investigated sufficiently in existing literature. As a response, this paper aims to explore the link between the voluntourism industry and the propagation of neo-colonial structures and the white saviour mentality. This literature review-based thesis focuses on the categories of people, organisations and impacts. Through the application of a framework based on the key concepts of neo-colonialism and the white saviour complex, it can be gauged to what extent these factors frame the industry. Interpreting the data, it was concluded that the industry is centred around personal gain and self-interest- the participants pursue it, the organisations promote it, and the impacts prove it. Additional themes of dependency, ‘othering’ and cultural imperialism were common. This paper concluded that there was insufficient analysis to prove that the practice is exclusively neo-colonial, but it does promote neo-colonial structures and promote the white saviour complex. Further research is deemed necessary, with the paper calling for further integration into the ethics of organisations, appropriate pre-trip education and a transparency of funds and impacts. 

Course: International Development - BA - C28415

Date Deposited: 2022-02-17

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13807.html