Come and make a real difference: online marketing of the volunteering experience to Zimbabwe
This paper explores the manner in which organizations that facilitate volunteering experiences (hereinafter, facilitators) to Zimbabwe frame, package and promote voluntourism. Through an analysis of the facilitators' websites, this study establishes inter alia, the forms, cost and duration of v...
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| Language: | English |
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2016
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| Online Access: | https://www.infona.pl/resource/bwmeta1.element.elsevier-93bba26d-27d3-3850-abcc-d37758dbb46e https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257743481_Come_and_make_a_real_difference_Online_marketing_of_the_volunteering_experience_to_Zimbabwe http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1334 |
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| author | Nyahunzvi, Dzingai K. |
| author_facet | Nyahunzvi, Dzingai K. |
| author_sort | Nyahunzvi, Dzingai K. |
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| description | This paper explores the manner in which organizations that facilitate volunteering experiences (hereinafter, facilitators) to Zimbabwe frame, package and promote voluntourism. Through an analysis of the facilitators' websites, this study establishes inter alia, the forms, cost and duration of voluntourism experiences including the nature of organizations involved. In doing so, this study shifts attention to an important but oft-neglected aspect of voluntourism in the international tourism literature, that is, facilitators. Much more importantly, the paper documents and critically examines the narratives deployed by facilitators to entice potential volunteers. A common thread that runs through the facilitators' online representations is that voluntourism makes a ‘real difference’ to poverty-stricken ‘others’ and to animal welfare. Voluntourism is also presented as a ‘win–win’ phenomenon to a range of stakeholders including facilitators, volunteers, poor communities and wildlife. However, it was observed that this dominant framing of volunteerism may be challenged by, for example, travel bloggers' narratives and experiences and independent information searches by potential voluntourists. It is on this basis that this paper argues that facilitators need to present accurate, balanced and realistic descriptions as potential voluntourists have several online tools at their disposal to interrogate ‘dominant’ representations. Furthermore, it is important to realize that any mismatch between facilitators' representations and ‘coal-face’ experiences of volunteering will lead to post-purchase dissonance, bad ‘electronic word of mouth’ recommendations and other adverse ‘bottom-line’ effects. The paper further identifies several other managerial implications and future research priorities. |
| format | Article |
| id | ir-11408-1334 |
| institution | My University |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ir-11408-13342022-06-27T13:49:06Z Come and make a real difference: online marketing of the volunteering experience to Zimbabwe Nyahunzvi, Dzingai K. Voluntourism, Narratives, Zimbabwe Online marketing, Blogs, Facilitators This paper explores the manner in which organizations that facilitate volunteering experiences (hereinafter, facilitators) to Zimbabwe frame, package and promote voluntourism. Through an analysis of the facilitators' websites, this study establishes inter alia, the forms, cost and duration of voluntourism experiences including the nature of organizations involved. In doing so, this study shifts attention to an important but oft-neglected aspect of voluntourism in the international tourism literature, that is, facilitators. Much more importantly, the paper documents and critically examines the narratives deployed by facilitators to entice potential volunteers. A common thread that runs through the facilitators' online representations is that voluntourism makes a ‘real difference’ to poverty-stricken ‘others’ and to animal welfare. Voluntourism is also presented as a ‘win–win’ phenomenon to a range of stakeholders including facilitators, volunteers, poor communities and wildlife. However, it was observed that this dominant framing of volunteerism may be challenged by, for example, travel bloggers' narratives and experiences and independent information searches by potential voluntourists. It is on this basis that this paper argues that facilitators need to present accurate, balanced and realistic descriptions as potential voluntourists have several online tools at their disposal to interrogate ‘dominant’ representations. Furthermore, it is important to realize that any mismatch between facilitators' representations and ‘coal-face’ experiences of volunteering will lead to post-purchase dissonance, bad ‘electronic word of mouth’ recommendations and other adverse ‘bottom-line’ effects. The paper further identifies several other managerial implications and future research priorities. 2016-05-16T15:11:28Z 2016-05-16T15:11:28Z 2013 Article 2211-9736 https://www.infona.pl/resource/bwmeta1.element.elsevier-93bba26d-27d3-3850-abcc-d37758dbb46e https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257743481_Come_and_make_a_real_difference_Online_marketing_of_the_volunteering_experience_to_Zimbabwe http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1334 en Tourism Management Perspectives;Vol. 7; p. 83-88 none |
| spellingShingle | Voluntourism, Narratives, Zimbabwe Online marketing, Blogs, Facilitators Nyahunzvi, Dzingai K. Come and make a real difference: online marketing of the volunteering experience to Zimbabwe |
| title | Come and make a real difference: online marketing of the volunteering experience to Zimbabwe |
| title_full | Come and make a real difference: online marketing of the volunteering experience to Zimbabwe |
| title_fullStr | Come and make a real difference: online marketing of the volunteering experience to Zimbabwe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Come and make a real difference: online marketing of the volunteering experience to Zimbabwe |
| title_short | Come and make a real difference: online marketing of the volunteering experience to Zimbabwe |
| title_sort | come and make a real difference: online marketing of the volunteering experience to zimbabwe |
| topic | Voluntourism, Narratives, Zimbabwe Online marketing, Blogs, Facilitators |
| url | https://www.infona.pl/resource/bwmeta1.element.elsevier-93bba26d-27d3-3850-abcc-d37758dbb46e https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257743481_Come_and_make_a_real_difference_Online_marketing_of_the_volunteering_experience_to_Zimbabwe http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1334 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nyahunzvidzingaik comeandmakearealdifferenceonlinemarketingofthevolunteeringexperiencetozimbabwe |