Internet representations of voluntourism fail to effectively integrate tourism and volunteering

Abstract

Voluntourism as a form of philanthropic tourism has become an increasingly popular research topic but there is a paucity of literature on the complex interplay between voluntourism and the internet. Specifically, there is sparse evidence on how the internet mediates ideas and representations of voluntourism. Building on prior research in the information search field, we examine the online representation of voluntourism in South Africaa popular destination for voluntourists. Querying a popular search engine using a combination of keywords, we retrieved 600 web pages, which were stored and analysed using a predefined codebook. We employ social representation theory as an analytical tool for interpreting the retrieved search engine content. Results indicate three distinct clusters: the first is related to the volunteering experience itself, the second focuses on the touristic experience, and the third encompasses the voluntourism journey as a whole. These clusters reveal a misleading representation of voluntourism in the online space: voluntourism is predominantly represented as a cultural experience, with a strong presence of its key components (i.e. tourism and volunteering) and only a weak holistic view that integrates the two. In light of these findings, we conclude that internet representations of voluntourism do not integrate tourism and volunteering impactfully, which counteracts effective marketing of the industry. These results help voluntourist organisations in South Africa and internationally to improve their online targeting mechanisms to promote their services more accurately.

Progress in volunteer tourism research: From niche tourism curiosity to experience-based improvements

“…The online imaginaries of volunteer tourism created by organisations are crucial for the influence they wield. Inversini et al (2019) applied the social representation theory to analyse the content of websites managed by volunteer tourism organisations in South Africa. The study revealed that tourism and volunteering are cast as key elements of what is broadcasted as a cultural experience.…”

Improving the Response Time of Online Letter Management Application Users: an Application of Social Representation Theory of Shame

“…Defines social representation as an approach that describes how a concept or idea is understood, believed, and implemented by a social group [24] [25]. In simple terms, social representation is how a concept is understood, believed, and carried out by a group of people [26]. Social representation theory believes that individuals and society influence and interact with each other in constructing meaning and reality in society.…”

“…Social representation is a collective phenomenon related to the community coordinated by individuals in their daily speech and actions. Social representation is the unity of thoughts and feelings expressed in actors' verbal and open behavior objects for social groups [26]. Social representation theory is a valuable tool in community-based health research [27].…”

Electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM) e escolha do destino turístico por pessoa com deficiência ou mobilidade reduzida (PcDMr)

“…O número de pessoas com acesso à internet no mundo corresponde a aproximadamente 4 bilhões de pessoas, ou seja, mais da metade da população mundial (Kemp, 2018), sendo o uso desta na busca de informações para a escolha do destino turístico cada vez mais frequente a fim de obter informações corretas e relevantes sobre a viagem (Inversini, Rega, & Zyl, 2019), melhorando a experiência turística (Adeola & Evans, 2019).…”