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Voluntourism Best Practices: Promoting Inclusive Community-Based Sustainable Tourism Initiatives (Final Report)

Cover_218_TWG_Voluntourism Best Practices in the APEC Region_Final Report
Published Date May 2018
Type of Publication Reports
Publication Under SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation (SCE), Tourism Working Group (TWG)
Accessed 12429
Pages 71
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Description

This report focuses on the current trends, issues, challenges and opportunities facing voluntourism across the APEC region. It is informed by a review of relevant literature and secondary data. The report also draws on 73 surveys and 28 interviews conducted with those involved in the supply, governance and research of voluntourism. It further incorporates inputs gathered from a one-day workshop conducted in Penang, Malaysia with key APEC tourism working group members and stakeholders.

The report shows that voluntourism enhances people-to-people connectivity via the sharing of skills and cultures; however this cross-cultural exchange must be actively facilitated to ensure positive inter-cultural understandings. In order to enable local communities to derive benefit from voluntourism, the report presents a series of recommendations that focus on: planning well, evaluating impacts, and regulating high-risk activities.