Is certification the answer to creating a more sustainable volunteer tourism sector?

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to provide a background and offer insights of the use of ecolabels and certifications within the tourism industry and their applicability within the volunteer tourism sector.

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilizes a comprehensive literature review on tourism ecolabels and certification and presents a discussion about volunteer tourism certification.

Findings

The paper finds that it is apparent that changes need to be made in the overall practices of operators within the volunteer tourism sector. Guidelines and evaluation techniques are useful, but are not guaranteed in their applicability. However, neither is certification, unless it is monitored and accountable to its stakeholders. Creating a certification that has real world and tangible aspects for its consumers and subscribers would be more useful than one that is very theoretically dense. It is evident that certification can be used as a powerful tool in the quest to attain sustainability, and should not be ignored as a possible solution for the volunteer tourism sector.

Originality/value

This paper provides a comprehensive discussion on volunteer tourism certification and the extent to which a certification scheme would aid in alleviating current criticisms of the volunteer tourism sector and increase its social responsibility.

Citation

Rattan, J.K. (2015), "Is certification the answer to creating a more sustainable volunteer tourism sector?", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 107-126. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-12-2014-0047