Development, power and culture: Volunteer tourism in the Cook Islands

Volunteer tourism is a significant feature of the tourism industry. The phenomenon can be described as a practice where people (typically from ‘developed’ countries) participate in working holidays, generally to assist areas of need. Specifically focusing on Global Volunteers in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, this study examined the development implications of volunteer tourism with particular emphasis on the relationship between Global Volunteers and development outcomes, the role of culture and the nature of power within the Global Volunteer programme in Rarotonga.  The study took a qualitative approach to gain an insight into the experiences, stories and understandings of the volunteers, hosts and country managers involved in Global Volunteers in Rarotonga. Semi-structured and unstructured interviews and participant observation were carried out.  The study questioned the notion that volunteer tourism could be linked to development. Despite the positive outcomes and valuable contribution that volunteers made, there was not a strong correlation between the practice and development outcomes. The nature of power was regarded as a significant and complex aspect of volunteer tourism. Power was revealed in both strong and subtle ways and the relationship between those involved was not merely the powerful verses the powerless. Culture was expressed as an authentic and everyday process which led to instances of cultural clashes and opportunities for cultural collaboration. However, deep cultural understanding was not easily obtained through participation in the volunteer programme.  The study argued that volunteer tourism was neither good nor bad. However, the key feature of the volunteer programme involved the agency and ownership possessed by the host organisations to actively work with volunteer tourism organisations to define the type of assistance that the volunteers carried out.