Managing volunteers in tourism : attractions, destinations and events

Recent years have seen an explosion in research on tourism volunteering. Volunteers are an essential part of tourism, whether they are volunteering in their local museum, at a sporting mega-event, as an airport ambassador, or travelling the global as a volunteer tourist. Managing Volunteers in Tourism reviews the latest research to highlight the key management issues and relate them to the tourism volunteering context. It includes previously under-researched forms of tourism volunteering such as meet-and-greeters, surf life-savers, conservation, festival, and information centre volunteers and volunTourists. The book develops through three distinct sections: Part A begins by introducing the concept of volunteering and considering the variety of volunteer forms and settings within tourism. Part B picks up the organisational approach and examines volunteer program design and planning, volunteer motivation, recruitment and selection, training and development, reward and retention, and diversity management. Part C consists of ten case studies from leading international researchers and practitioners identifying best practice and key management challenges. Real-life examples and case studies throughout this book provide an in-depth examination of the challenges facing those managing tourism volunteers, making this book indispensible for current and future managers in the tourism industry. Kirsten Holmes completed her PhD on museum volunteers at the University of Leeds and has since lectured in leisure and tourism at the Universities of Sheffield and Surrey in the UK. She is currently a research fellow at Curtin University, Western Australia. Karen Smith is a Senior Lecturer in Tourism Management at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She completed her PhD on the management of volunteers in literary heritage attractions at Nottingham Trent University, UK, and has published on volunteer management in tourism and event organisations. * The first text to present an overview of voluntary activity across the broad spectrum of the tourism industry, looking at volunteer work in museums, cultural festivals, sports events, national parks and many more..* Packed with international case studies highlighting best practice on how to manage volunteers. * Looks at the future of volunteering including the economic, social and policy issues involved. Copyright Page......Page 5 Dedications......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 List of Boxed Examples......Page 16 List of Figures......Page 17 List of Tables......Page 18 List of Further Examples......Page 19 Currency Converter......Page 22 Contributors......Page 23 Introduction......Page 26 Introduction......Page 28 What is Volunteering?......Page 29 The Language of Tourism Volunteering: A Note on Terminology......Page 31 Global Participation in Volunteering......Page 32 Trends in Volunteering......Page 35 International, transnational or cross-national volunteering......Page 36 Volunteer tourism......Page 37 VolunTourism......Page 38 Gap year volunteering......Page 39 Episodic volunteering......Page 40 Family and intergenerational volunteering......Page 41 Corporate, workplace, employee or employer-supported volunteering......Page 42 Conclusion......Page 43 International volunteering......Page 44 Corporate or employee volunteering......Page 45 Introduction......Page 46 Tourism Volunteers As Hosts And Guests......Page 47 Natural attractions......Page 50 Involvement of volunteers at attractions......Page 51 Host volunteers: destination service organizations......Page 53 Host volunteers: events......Page 54 Major events......Page 55 Involvement of volunteers at events......Page 56 Guests: volunteer tourism......Page 57 Shallow VolunTourism and short-term volunteer vacations......Page 60 Intermediate tourism volunteering – volunteer vacations......Page 61 Paying to volunteer as a tourist......Page 62 The Volunteer Contribution......Page 64 Model Of Tourism Volunteer Engagements......Page 65 Researching Tourism Volunteering......Page 67 Conclusion......Page 69 Further Examples......Page 70 INTRODUCTION......Page 72 OUTCOMES FOR THE VOLUNTEER......Page 73 OUTCOMES FOR THE ORGANIZATION......Page 77 Visitors and spectators......Page 80 Communities......Page 82 OUTCOMES FOR SOCIETY......Page 85 CONCLUSION......Page 86 RESOURCES......Page 88 INTRODUCTION......Page 90 INTRODUCTION......Page 94 Organization: how does the volunteer program relate to the wider organization?......Page 95 Role specification: what will volunteers do?......Page 97 Review: how will the program be evaluated?......Page 99 HOST VOLUNTEERS: DESTINATION SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS......Page 100 GUESTS: VOLUNTEER TOURISM......Page 101 REFLECTIONS ON VOLUNTEER PROGRAM DESIGN......Page 104 PRINCIPLES FOR GOOD PRACTICE......Page 105 FURTHER EXAMPLE......Page 106 INTRODUCTION......Page 108 HOST VOLUNTEERS: ATTRACTIONS......Page 109 HOST VOLUNTEERS: DESTINATION SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS......Page 111 HOST VOLUNTEERS: EVENTS......Page 112 GUESTS: VOLUNTEER TOURISM......Page 114 REFLECTIONS ON MOTIVATING VOLUNTEERS......Page 116 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 118 RESOURCE......Page 119 INTRODUCTION......Page 120 HOST VOLUNTEERS: ATTRACTIONS......Page 122 HOST VOLUNTEERS: DESTINATION SERVICEORGANIZATIONS......Page 123 HOST VOLUNTEERS: EVENTS......Page 125 GUESTS: VOLUNTEER TOURISM......Page 128 REFLECTIONS ON RECRUITING AND SELECTINGVOLUNTEERS......Page 131 FURTHER EXAMPLE......Page 132 RESOURCES......Page 133 Introduction......Page 134 HOST VOLUNTEERS: ATTRACTIONS......Page 135 HOST VOLUNTEERS: DESTINATION SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS......Page 138 HOST VOLUNTEERS: EVENTS......Page 139 GUESTS: VOLUNTEER TOURISM......Page 140 REFLECTIONS ON TRAINING AND DEVELOPING VOLUNTEERS......Page 142 PRINCIPLES FOR GOOD PRACTICE......Page 143 RESOURCES......Page 144 INTRODUCTION......Page 146 HOST VOLUNTEERS: ATTRACTIONS......Page 150 HOST VOLUNTEERS: DESTINATION SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS......Page 152 HOST VOLUNTEERS: EVENTS......Page 153 GUESTS: VOLUNTEER TOURISM......Page 155 REFLECTIONS ON REWARDING AND RETAINING VOLUNTEERS......Page 158 RESOURCES......Page 160 INTRODUCTION......Page 162 VOLUNTEER HOSTS: ATTRACTIONS......Page 165 VOLUNTEER HOSTS: DESTINATION SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS......Page 167 GUESTS: VOLUNTEER TOURISM......Page 168 REFLECTIONS ON MANAGING DIVERSITY......Page 170 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 172 RESOURCES......Page 173 TOURISM VOLUNTEERING IN ALL ITS FORMS......Page 174 TRENDS IN VOLUNTEERING AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR TOURISM VOLUNTEERING......Page 175 Demographic change......Page 176 Increased choice and time pressures......Page 177 Corporate or employee volunteering......Page 178 AN ORGANIZATIONAL APPROACH TO TOURISM VOLUNTEERING......Page 179 ETHICAL ISSUES......Page 181 CONCLUDING COMMENTS......Page 182 Introduction......Page 184 KEY POINTS......Page 186 Australian War Memorial......Page 187 Australian War Memorial......Page 188 Australian Museum......Page 190 Art Gallery of New South Wales......Page 191 KEY ISSUES FOR VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT......Page 193 Integration of the volunteer program into the wider organization......Page 194 A model for volunteer management......Page 195 CONCLUSION......Page 197 FURTHER INFORMATION......Page 198 KEY POINTS......Page 200 OVERVIEW OF THE NATIONAL TRUSTS......Page 201 OVERVIEW OF DR KOMAI’S RESIDENCE AND SMALLHYTHE PLACE......Page 202 OVERVIEW OF THE VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS......Page 203 Cultural volunteers in two countries......Page 204 Recruitment......Page 205 Induction and training......Page 206 The volunteer–manager relationship......Page 207 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 208 FURTHER INFORMATION......Page 209 KEY POINTS......Page 210 OVERVIEW OF THE St. JOHN RIVER SOCIETY......Page 211 OVERVIEW OF THE SJRS VOLUNTEER PROGRAM......Page 212 KEY ISSUES FOR VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT......Page 213 Lack of human and financial resources......Page 214 Board absenteeism and inactivity......Page 215 Tensions between board subsections......Page 216 The role of changing processes and mechanisms for management......Page 217 CONCLUSION......Page 218 FURTHER INFORMATION......Page 219 KEY POINTS......Page 220 OVERVIEW OF THE VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAM......Page 221 Volunteer roles, allocation and choice......Page 222 Continuity of planning and management......Page 224 The key volunteers......Page 225 Style of leadership......Page 226 CONCLUSION......Page 227 FURTHER INFORMATION......Page 228 Key Points......Page 230 OVERVIEW OF THE KONGSBERG JAZZ FESTIVAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAM......Page 231 Recruitment......Page 232 Volunteer motivation......Page 234 Continuance commitment......Page 235 Volunteering as a context for generation of general skills......Page 237 CONCLUSION......Page 238 FURTHER INFORMATION......Page 239 OVERVIEW OF THE 2006 MELBOURNE COMMONWEALTH GAMES......Page 240 OVERVIEW OF THE 2006 MELBOURNE COMMONWEALTH GAMES VOLUNTEER PROGRAM......Page 243 Managing demand for volunteer opportunities......Page 244 Allocating roles and responsibilities......Page 245 Managing the legacy of the Commonwealth Games volunteer program......Page 246 CONCLUSION......Page 247 FURTHER INFORMATION......Page 248 KEY POINTS......Page 250 OVERVIEW OF NEWHAM VOLUNTEERS......Page 251 Meeting the needs of both episodic and long-term volunteers......Page 253 Giving volunteers clear expectations......Page 254 Giving event managers clear expectations and encouraging good practice......Page 256 Management style – ‘program management’ or developing volunteers through the program?......Page 257 CONCLUSION......Page 259 FURTHER INFORMATION......Page 260 KEY POINTS......Page 262 OVERVIEW OF BTCV......Page 263 OVERVIEW OF BTCV’S INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION HOLIDAY PROGRAM......Page 264 OVERVIEW OF BTCV VOLUNTEER CONSERVATION HOLIDAYS IN LESOTHO......Page 266 The politics of development work......Page 267 Volunteer leader skill and responsibility levels......Page 268 Managing volunteer expectations......Page 270 Continuing the relationship......Page 273 FURTHER INFORMATION......Page 274 Key points......Page 276 OVERVIEW OF GREENFORCE......Page 277 OVERVIEW OF GREENFORCE’S VOLUNTEER PROGRAM......Page 278 OVERVIEW OF ANDROS MARINE CONSERVATION PROJECT, THE BAHAMAS......Page 279 Changing market for gap year volunteering......Page 280 Negative press for gap year programs......Page 281 Keeping volunteers motivated throughout the project......Page 284 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 286 FURTHER INFORMATION......Page 287 KEY POINTS......Page 288 OVERVIEW OF THE WWOOF NETWORK......Page 289 OVERVIEW OF THE WWOOF VOLUNTEER PROGRAM IN NEW ZEALAND......Page 291 The need for mutual cooperation between hosts and volunteers......Page 293 Matching the motivations of hosts and volunteers......Page 294 The importance of good communication between hosts and volunteers......Page 295 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS......Page 296 FURTHER INFORMATION......Page 297 References......Page 298 C......Page 316 E......Page 317 I......Page 318 N......Page 319 P......Page 320 S......Page 321 V......Page 322 W......Page 323 Z......Page 324 Recent years have seen an explosion in research on tourism volunteering. Volunteers are an essential part of tourism, whether they are volunteering in their local museum, at a sporting mega-event, as an airport ambassador, or travelling the global as a volunteer tourist. Managing Volunteers in Tourism reviews the latest research to highlight the key management issues and relate them to the tourism volunteering context. It includes previously under-researched forms of tourism volunteering such as meet-and-greeters, surf life-savers, conservation, festival, and information centre volunteers and volunTourists. The book develops through three distinct sections, the first of which begins by introducing the concept of volunteering and considering the variety of volunteer forms and settings within tourism. The next part picks up the organisational approach and examines volunteer program design and planning, volunteer motivation, recruitment and selection, training and development, reward and retention, and diversity management. The final part consists of ten case studies from leading international researchers and practitioners identifying best practice and key management challenges. Real-life examples and case studies throughout this book provide an in-depth examination of the challenges facing those managing tourism volunteers, making this book indispensible for current and future managers in the tourism industry.