The roles of Chinese advisors in pre-, in-, and post-trips phases of volunteer tourism

The volunteer tourism sector has received extensive attention in recent years, yet those working in it remain understudied in the growing body of literature. This paper uses a multiphasic approach to explore Chinese advisors' roles in volunteer tourism sending organisations. Semi-structured interviews with advisors showed that they held various roles in different phases of volunteer tourism, and four overarching roles, namely, professional, supporter, influencer, and self-actualiser, were also changed in the process. Through a multiphasic analysis, this study will contribute to understanding advisor roles both in volunteer tourism and Chinese contexts. This study can also help advisors understand their roles and responsibilities to further develop their roles and formulate their career beliefs and paths.