Abstract
Volunteers are indispensable in tourism workforce and considered central in the realisation of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. While volunteer tourism has been associated with sustainable tourism, the growth of the segment has left scars: It has increasingly been commodified and the volunteer tourists’ altruistic motives are questioned. A truly sustainable contribution requires a positive transformation towards volunteer tourism 2.0. This means that sustainable consumption and production practices align. Questions arose who ‘volunteer tourists 2.0’ are and whether they eventually engage in more sustainable travel. A large-scale representative online survey was conducted in Germany, Austria and Switzerland to address these knowledge gaps. Results show similarities, such as a tendency towards higher interest among the younger population, but also differences, such as diverting linear relationships regarding interest potential. Results also lend evidence to more sustainability awareness among volunteer tourists and raise hope for a sustainability transformation towards ‘volunteer tourism 2.0’.
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Seeler, S., Böhling, E., Koch, A. (2023). In Search for Volunteer Tourists Who Truly Leave a Positive Impact: A Description of German, Austrian and Swiss Volunteer Tourists. In: Köchling, A., Seeler, S., van der Merwe, P., Postma, A. (eds) Towards Sustainable and Resilient Tourism Futures. Schriftenreihe des Deutschen Instituts für Tourismusforschung, vol 1. Erich Schmidt Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin. https://doi.org/10.37307/b.978-3-503-21195-1.03
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