The Motivations of Paying for Volunteer Experience
Rosenholm, Maria (2015)
Rosenholm, Maria
HAAGA-HELIA ammattikorkeakoulu
2015
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201505066439
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201505066439
Tiivistelmä
The concept of voluntourism, and motivations behind paying organisation or company for one’s volunteer experience is studied in this research. Voluntourism is categorised under alternative tourism. Voluntourism is a form of tourism where the voluntourists seek experience, which is mutually beneficial for them as well as the community in the destination country. Volunteer tourism product is very good example of experience product, it immerses the customer to the experience, teaches and leaves permanent mark on the person.
The motivations of purchasing tourism product depends on many various factors. An individual customer is influenced by their personality, lifestyle, past experiences, perceptions and image. When circumstances change over time they influence one’s motivations.
For this explanatory research qualitative research method was chosen where eight volunteer- tourists were interviewed in-depth. The interviews were semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The collected data was analysed using categorization and unitization. The results from this study are useful when considering marketing volunteer experience products as well as creating new ones.
The results indicates that the companies and organisations, which are offering volunteer experience products should emphasize the safety factor what the product brings when travelling to another country. The safety was the most important reason why the volunteertourists paid the companies and organisations for arranging their volunteer experience.
The low price and if there are many factors included to the experience attracts voluntourists. Voluntourists are willing to pay large amounts of money for their experience as well, if It is clear how the money they have paid is used for benefit the project where they are travelling to. It is very important for the companies and organisations to be transparent with their finances as well as draw attention to the company’s or organisation’s reliability and trustworthiness and good connections.
The motivations of purchasing tourism product depends on many various factors. An individual customer is influenced by their personality, lifestyle, past experiences, perceptions and image. When circumstances change over time they influence one’s motivations.
For this explanatory research qualitative research method was chosen where eight volunteer- tourists were interviewed in-depth. The interviews were semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The collected data was analysed using categorization and unitization. The results from this study are useful when considering marketing volunteer experience products as well as creating new ones.
The results indicates that the companies and organisations, which are offering volunteer experience products should emphasize the safety factor what the product brings when travelling to another country. The safety was the most important reason why the volunteertourists paid the companies and organisations for arranging their volunteer experience.
The low price and if there are many factors included to the experience attracts voluntourists. Voluntourists are willing to pay large amounts of money for their experience as well, if It is clear how the money they have paid is used for benefit the project where they are travelling to. It is very important for the companies and organisations to be transparent with their finances as well as draw attention to the company’s or organisation’s reliability and trustworthiness and good connections.