Voluntourism still a 'neo-colonial practice' despite new focus on cultural exchange

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-06-30 10:10

New Zealand; Pacific; International

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Voluntourism is a controversial mix of overseas volunteer work and more traditional tourist experiences that before the Covid-19 pandemic some estimated to be a US$2 billion industry annually. One option that’s been proposed is to promote voluntourism as a “cultural exchange” and move away from a focus on “doing good.” Two NZ researchers looked at case studies in Fiji and Peru to see how voluntourism works as a cultural exchange. In the case of Fiji, some volunteers expected certain standards of hospitality from their host, effectively turning the host into a service provider. While it may help promote mutual understanding and respect, the author team says reframing volunteer tourism as a "cultural exchange" might simply mask existing inequalities and injustices.