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Despite the growth of the volunteer tourism market, and
the coverage afforded it by the popular press, volunteer
tourism has received little academic attention. This paper
is based on an ethnographic case study of volunteering at
the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project (GRP) in Thailand. The
study explored the relationship between volunteers, their
volunteering experiences and the outcomes that eventuated.
The study findings revealed that volunteers were provided
with substantial opportunities to make positive contributions
to wildlife conservation. However, the findings also demonstrated
that the volunteering experience was much more than just
the work duties carried out at the project. Volunteers also
engaged in local village life and undertook tourist activities,
and the current paper focuses on these aspects of the volunteering
experience. Living in shared accommodation at the project
headquarters, in a small village on the island of Phuket,
volunteers' free time was spent socialising and sightseeing
with other volunteers and local Thais. Thus, volunteers
were able to go beyond the superficial interactions that
travel is often restricted to. Indeed, many volunteers discussed
how living in this way enabled them to become immersed in
the Thai culture and way of life. These experiences contributed
to ‘personal growth’ and a ‘changed view
of the world’ being frequently identified benefits
of volunteering. |
