Eefting, Kiomy (2025) The operations of volunteering agencies in voluntourism: A decolonial review. Master thesis, Cultural Geography - Sustainable Tourism and Society (STS).
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Abstract
The voluntourism industry has received numerous criticisms, arguing that its practices perpetuate colonial hierarchies through epistemological domination, lack of local involvement, and inability to provide sustainable solutions. It aims to identify the harmful practices of voluntourism while exploring possibilities for more mutually beneficial voluntourism. This study utilises interviews with volunteering agencies and volunteers to explore the operations of the agencies and their interactions with the host communities. The incorporated decolonial lens assesses existing practices and provides strategies to decolonise the industry. Findings indicate that the commercial nature of volunteering agencies results in the prioritisation of the experience of volunteers rather than the contribution to host community contexts. Through short-term placements, feel-good activities, and commodified structural problems, agencies appeal to volunteers’ expectations, leaving little room for the needs and knowledge of the host community, denying them agency over their development. The less commercial agencies have made steps towards a decolonised industry by ensuring appropriate volunteer placement, cultural training, eradication of belittling narratives, and increased involvement in projects, while remaining the dominant actors. The operations of volunteering agencies thus interact with host communities in various ways, generally, the industry should aim to discard its focus on volunteer experiences and integrate local knowledge, needs, and agency to make its interactions more beneficial for local communities.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Name supervisor: | Yousefzadeh Faal Daghati, S. |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Sep 2025 15:03 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Sep 2025 15:03 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/737 |
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