"Surf Voluntourism" - Ethical Considerations, Motives and Barriers for Students to Volunteer in the Organisation "Waves for Development": A Pragmatic Multi Method Case Study
Author
Draegert, Patrick Julian
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2014
Submitted on
2014-06-02
Abstract
This thesis examines the emerging phenomenon of surf voluntourism within the ethical debate on the costs and benefits of volunteer tourism. It aims to show how surf tourism can be integrated into volunteer tourism in a developing-country context in ways that benefit both volunteers and host communities, focusing on the organization Waves for Development in Lobitos, Peru. The study adopts a pragmatic, qualitative multi-method case design combining unstructured expert interviews with five cross-cultural studies students and analysis of the organization’s digital materials (e.g., the Waves Info Pack 2014). It addresses how the tension between altruistic and self-interest motives in volunteer tourism is reflected in surf voluntourism, the role of surfing itself, and the motivations and barriers influencing students’ participation (e.g., during a gap year). Findings suggest that Waves’ approach targets aspects of sustainable tourism, that surfing can link altruistic and self-oriented motivations and foster cultural understanding, and that prior travel and work experience aligns with interest in participating, while the surf component can be a barrier for students without surfing experience.
Dette speciale undersøger det nye fænomen surf-voluntourisme i lyset af den etiske debat om frivilligturismes omkostninger og gevinster. Formålet er at belyse, hvordan surf-turisme kan integreres i frivilligturisme i et udviklingsland på en måde, der både gavner frivillige og lokalsamfund, med udgangspunkt i organisationen Waves for Development i Lobitos, Peru. Studiet anvender et pragmatisk, kvalitativt multi-metode casestudie bestående af ustrukturerede ekspertinterviews med fem studerende inden for tværkulturelle studier samt analyse af organisationens digitale materialer (fx Waves Info Pack 2014). De centrale spørgsmål er, hvordan spændet mellem altruistiske og egeninteresse-baserede motiver i frivilligturisme afspejles i surf-voluntourisme, hvilken rolle selve surf-aktiviteten spiller, samt hvilke motiver og barrierer der påvirker studerendes deltagelse (fx i et gap year). Analysen indikerer, at Waves’ tilgang søger at adressere aspekter af bæredygtig turisme, at surfing kan fungere som bro mellem altruistiske og selvorienterede motiver og fremme kulturforståelse, og at tidligere rejse- og arbejdserfaringer hænger sammen med interesse i deltagelse, mens selve surf-komponenten kan udgøre en barriere for studerende uden erfaring med sporten.
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