Voluntourism : serving your Instagram, your CV, or people in need?

Abstract

When a Maltese travel agency started advertising opportunities for tourists to cuddle Kenyan children with disabilities on the way to their safari (not in these words, but you get the gist), the for-profit sector ventured into territory which was previously solely populated by charitable organisations. Around the world, there is a whole industry of volunteer tourism, asking young people to pay for — in the advertisers’ words — a life-changing experience that will also look good on their CV.