Volunteer tourism products meeting the needs of the Millennial traveler

Abstract

Volunteer tourism is an emerging trend growing fast among Millennials around the world. This project involves an insight of what volunteer tourism is, which are their main typologies as well as the main implications. Furthermore, the main characteristics of the Millennial volunteer travelers are identified likewise their travel behavior. Besides, through the literature and two data collection techniques, which are interviews and surveys, the needs and travel motivations of the Millennial tourists involved in volunteer tourism are studied and the role played by NGOs in volunteer tourism. The aim of this research is to determine whether the volunteer tourism products that are currently in the market are designed taking into account the needs and travel motivations of the Millennial traveler. The results of this study suggest that there is no such approach but it has been observed that the actual volunteer tourism offer is aligned with the travel requirements of the Milennial traveler.