Modern Australian

Power to the hosts: how to fix volunteer tourism

  • Written by Pascal Scherrer, Senior Lecturer, School of Business and Tourism, Southern Cross University
Power to the hosts: how to fix volunteer tourismVolunteer tourism should be subject to checks and balances, with host communities firmly in the driver's seat.Shutterstock

Volunteer tourism, or voluntourism, is no stranger to criticism. Media reports regularly support claims that profits and visitor experience are trumping the needs of host communities.

Volunteer tourism is the intersection...