A critical analysis of volunteer tourism in post-socialist China

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study delves into post-trip transformations among Chinese volunteer tourists, challenging the conventional Western-centric lens. Traditionally, research has focused on international examples in the Western context, but this study explores the less-investigated intra-country practices in China. It employs a simplified transformative learning framework, adopting a collective autoethnographic inquiry that involves the first author’s participation as a volunteer tourist in 2011, followed by an extended advisory role and authors’ cross-cultural reflexivity. The study scrutinizes psychological, convictional, and behavioural shifts while emphasizing the interconnection of transformations with pre-trip motivations, onsite host–guest interactions, post-trip actions, and the pivotal role of local organizations including long-neglected authorities. Significantly, it uncovers the mediating influence of China’s distinct socio-political landscape, contending that volunteer tourism in China serves as a top-down response to counter Western cultural dominance. This research underscores the need for a decolonized and context-specific approach to investigating volunteer tourism practices in non-Western contexts. It highlights the dynamic interplay between tourism experiences and the intricate socio-political environment in China, offering a fresh perspective on the transformative effects of local tourism practices in this unique context.