Uganda’s tourism industry is a major source of foreign exchange income, creating much-needed employment and development opportunities. This study provided an overview of motivations and characteristics of non-resident visitors to Uganda. This exploratory research was conducted in Uganda during July and August 2011. Information obtained includes the popular activities and places visited, visitor expenditures, demographic information, motivation for visiting Uganda, and motivation for traveling and volunteering in general. This study concluded that the majority of non-resident visitors leaving Uganda were volunteers, with a majority being religious volunteers who did not represent a sustainable tourism market within Uganda. Data provided in this study can allow tourism stakeholders to draw conclusions on what is needed in Uganda to help the tourism sector to continue growing more sustainably and to remain competitive amongst other East African tourist destinations.

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Uganda’s tourism industry is a major source of foreign exchange income, creating much-needed employment and development opportunities. This study provided an overview of motivations and characteristics of non-resident visitors to Uganda. This exploratory research was conducted in Uganda during July and August 2011. Information obtained includes the popular activities and places visited, visitor expenditures, demographic information, motivation for visiting Uganda, and motivation for traveling and volunteering in general. This study concluded that the majority of non-resident visitors leaving Uganda were volunteers, with a majority being religious volunteers who did not represent a sustainable tourism market within Uganda. Data provided in this study can allow tourism stakeholders to draw conclusions on what is needed in Uganda to help the tourism sector to continue growing more sustainably and to remain competitive amongst other East African tourist destinations.

Denna uppsats uppmärksammar fenomenet volontärturism som anses vara mer utav en välgörande form av resa, där volontärer anmäler sig frivilligt att arbeta ideellt med olika projekt runt om i världen, en turismform som är ömsesidigt fördelaktig för båda parter. Volontärer reser själva eller med en organisation till olika länder för att erbjuda sin tid och hjälp i olika projekt, bland annat för att få erfarenhet och en upplevelse i retur. Syftet med denna studie är att begreppsliggöra vad volontärturism är och dess innebörd, samt undersöka hur en volontärturists vardag ser ut, innefattande deras arbetsuppgifter, förpliktelser och upplevelser i Kenya. Sedermera undersöker vi även volontärturisternas förväntningar kontra den faktiska upplevelsen på deras resa till värdnationen.  För att få svar på vårt syfte och frågeställningar har vi genomfört intervjuer med åtta volontärer, varav två skedde på plats i Nairobi, Kenya, samt sex intervjuer per mail. Vidare genomfördes intervjuer med två olika volontärorganisationer, nationella samt internationella. Organisationerna som intervjuades var ICYE och PeaceWorks. Det finns både ideella- och kommersiella organisationer som förmedlar volontärer till olika projekt runt om i världen. Vi har valt att rikta in oss på ideella organisationer, dessa två nämnda ovan.   De resultat som framkom av intervjuerna var bland annat huruvida volontärturism anses vara en turismform eller ej går att diskuteras. Vissa likheter i definitionerna av turist samt volontärturist framkom, dock såg inte volontärerna sig själva som turister. Vidare framkom det att det kulturella utbytet som sker vid volontärresor var något som lockade samt något volontärerna saknade vid hemkomsten.   På plats i värdnationen arbetade informanterna inom mikrofinans samt på barnhem där lek med barnen och vardagssysslor präglade dagarna. Projekten som erbjuds varierar men de mest vanliga är att arbeta på barnhem, utbildning, miljö- och naturfrågor och medicinsk hjälp. På fritiden valde majoriteten att upptäcka landet samt kringliggande länder, så som Zanzibar och Uganda. Genom intervjuerna fick vi även veta vem den typiska volontären var, innefattande målgrupp, kön samt ålder. Utifrån informationen vi mottog, analyserade vi resultatet för att senare dra slutsatser. / This paper draws attention to the phenomenon of volunteer tourism that is considered to be more of a beneficial form of travel, where volunteers sign up voluntarily to volunteer with various projects around the world, a form of tourism that is mutually beneficial to both parties. The projects vary but the most common is to work in orphanages, education, environmental and natural issues and medical assistance. The purpose of this study is to conceptualize what volunteer tourism is and its implications, and examine how a volunteer tourist everyday looks, including their duties, responsibilities and experiences in Kenya. Later on, we also investigate the volunteer tourists' expectations versus the actual experience on their journey to the host nation. To get answers to our purpose and research questions, we conducted interviews with eight volunteers, two of which took place in Nairobi, Kenya, and six interviews by email. Furthermore, interviews were conducted with two different volunteer organizations, national and international. The organizations interviewed were ICYE and PeaceWorks. There are both non-profit- and commercial organizations that supply volunteers for various projects around the world. We have chosen to target the non-profit organizations, those two mentioned above. The results that emerged from the interviews were that whether volunteer tourism is considered a form of tourism or not can be discussed. Some similarities in the definitions of tourism and volunteer tourism emerged, however, did not the volunteers see themselves as tourists. It was also found that the cultural exchange that takes place at the volunteer travel was something that attracted and some volunteers were missing when they returned back home. On location in the host nation informants worked in microfinance and in orphanages where playing with the kids and everyday tasks characterized the days. The projects that offered vary, but the most common is to work in orphanages, education, environmental and natural issues and medical assistance. During leisure, the majority chose to discover the country and the surrounding countries, such as Zanzibar and Uganda. Through the interviews we also found out who the typical volunteer was, including target group, gender and age. Based on the information we received, we analyzed the results and later draw conclusions.

While the study of volunteer tourism has been growing over the past decade, there is limited literature that takes a global approach, whereby one explores the perspective of a number of stakeholder groups in such experiences. The aim of this project was to fill this gap by looking at the volunteer tourism experience from four perspectives, namely the volunteer, the organization, the host family, and the community at large. The focus in this case was on the experiences and expectations of these groups. The research was qualitative; based primarily upon interviews. The research for this project took place in Ghana. It was found that the three local stakeholders (the organization members, the host family members and people from the broader community) generally viewed the experience similarly. Volunteers often expressed views that set them apart from the other groups. Main themes for the groups generally revolved around cultural differences, communication and progression through stages of the experience. The stages of the experience showed three main stages, those referring to the time before the volunteer, during the volunteer???s stay and the time after the volunteer???s departure. Cultural differences included discussions of culture shock, stereotypes, and mis-communications in cross-cultural dialogue. Communication was a major issue, and was to be found lacking between all groups. In regards to communication there was also a suggestion for continuing contact and relationships between the locals and volunteers beyond the volunteer???s time in the community.

Volunteer tourism, a sub-sector of the tourism industry, is growing at an accelerated pace subsequently creating socio-cultural, political, cultural, and environmental impacts. Current tourism literature suggests volunteer tourism provides opportunities for participants to facilitate building relationships with like-minded volunteers and encourages consciousness-raising experiences (McGehee & Santos, 2005). Furthermore, volunteer tourism has been shown to foster cross-cultural understanding between participants and hosts (Raymond & Hall, 2008; McIntosh & Zahra, 2008). However, researchers question the laudable aims of volunteer tourism; indicating the presence of this type of tourism creates social and power struggles within local destination communities (Guttentag, 2009, Sin, 2010). Higgins-Desbiolles (2006) claims the transformative capacities of tourism are overshadowed by industry attributes of tourism. To use tourism as a positive engine for social, cultural, environmental, and political change, it would be necessary to promote touristic experiences that encompass a transformative ethos. My exploration of organic volunteering within this thesis illuminates the transformative capacities of these touristic experiences and contributes to the expanding horizons of volunteer tourism literature. This hermeneutic phenomenological study explores experiences of organic volunteering and what these experiences mean to the volunteers. Gadamer’s (2004) hermeneutic phenomenology provided me the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of the meaning of organic volunteering experiences studied in Argentina. Using interviews and participation observation, I explored meanings of organic volunteering, while I also considered volunteers’ historicity, or pre-understandings, of these experiences. Data analysis revealed the emergent essential structure of “Opening to living in interconnectedness.” Interconnectedness within organic volunteering is embodied in six essences of reconnecting, exchanging knowledge, being in nature, bonding with others, consciousness-raising, and transforming. My research reinforces what many organizations’ claim; volunteer experiences improve global citizenship and participants desire to become more involved in future activism upon their return home.

Using social positioning theory and the concept of the liminoid, the objectives of this qualitative research project were three-fold: 1) investigate how social positioning affects the information behaviour of volunteer tourists; 2) determine what effects cultural confusion (aka culture shock), physical location, gender, technical skill, and previous intercultural education and/or experiences have on the information behaviour of volunteer tourists; and finally, 3) suggest how non-governmental organizations can use the research findings to assist volunteer tourists to successfully undertake their placements. These questions were explored through observation and semi-structured interviews with fifteen volunteer tourists in Thailand. Previous travel experience proved to be a significant predictor of participants information behaviour. Volunteer tourists reported more consciousness of the embodiment of information and the concept of face than they did at home. The results emphasize the importance of developing a theory of liminoidal information behaviour, in order to explore how people in the liminoid a place between cultures where identities are often suspended interact with information.

abstract: This phenomenological qualitative study examines the experiences of volunteer tourism on host communities using social representations theory. The experiences of three stakeholder-groups (community residents, volunteers, and nongovernmental organizations) are considered. Overall objectives of this project are to investigate the following questions: a) what are the effects of volunteer tourism on a community as perceived by different stakeholders; b) what effects do volunteer tourists have on the community compared to other forms of tourism as perceived by different stakeholders; c) how do the various stakeholders perceive the different forms of tourism in communities in which they live or work; and d) why and how do nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) use volunteer tourism as a strategy for their projects. This study attempts to describe and interpret these meanings with a high degree of depth and richness using interviews, observation, and document analysis. Each chapter is written as a stand-alone paper to be published in a journal and describes the perspectives of the three groups interviewed with the final chapter a summary and comparison from all three groups. Findings show that there are both positive and negative impacts of volunteer tourism in favela communities, with the majority of the three groups expressing its positives and its importance to the community. All groups mentioned similar positive and negative elements of volunteer tourism with some elements that were unique to each group. This study also attempted to compare and contrast the differences between volunteer tourism and favela tours. The findings show that volunteer tourism helps recreate the social representations of the favela thereby improving self-esteem in the community, helps breakdown preconceptions, and helps create community pride. The community feels as equals with the volunteers and describes the interactions as friendships, sharing cultural experiences, and exchanging of knowledge. Conversely, all three groups described favela tours as dehumanizing using words like `safari tour' or `zoo tour' and felt that their community was being sold as a commodity. However, the interviews showed that all three groups, although had strong opinions about the ethical implications of favela tours, still felt conflicted when comparing it with some of the potential social and economic benefits that it may bring. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Community Resources and Development 2013

Nunavut Inuit youths exhibit cultural resilience and leadership. However, researchers frequently neglect such assets and instead emphasize these youths’ challenges or perceived inadequacies. I conducted an intrinsic case study regarding Nunavut Inuit youths’ experiences with an experiential learning program, Northern Youth Abroad (NYA), in order to investigate participants’ growth in cross-cultural awareness, individual career goals, leadership, and global citizenship. Drawing on post-colonial theory, semi-structured interviews, archival research, and participant observation, I argue that NYA’s Nunavut Inuit participants reported significant personal growth in these four objectives. I also provide an in-depth analysis of how NYA’s Nunavut Inuit participants described and developed distinct and rich leadership styles that draw on Inuit and Euro-Canadian influences.

The diploma thesis deals with short-term volunteering called volunteer tourism (VT) or also known as "voluntourism". This type of volunteering has gained its popularity but has also been criticized by experts on volunteering. The aim of this work is to introduce the issue of VT to examine critical views from the side of experts to analyze the perception of VT by Czech volunteers who have completed the VT project and compare these reflections with expert criticism. The theoretical part is focused on the introduction of VT and analysis of scientific texts, dealing with criticism of VT. The empirical part is focused on the statements of volunteers themselves and their subsequent comparison with professional criticism. In conclusion of the diploma thesis there is a summary of research results and discussion of the differences in the reflection of two levels of participants. Keywords: volunteering, volunteer tourism, short-term volunteering, voluntourism.