Definition of Volunteer Tourism“Volunteer tourism” applies to those who, for various reasons, volunteer in an organized manner to undertake holidays which may involve helping or alleviating material poverty of certain groups in society, the restoration of certain environments or research into aspects of society or the environment. (Wearing, 2001) Introduction to Volunteer Tourism Volunteer tourism is a combination of travel and volunteering. The motivation for volunteer tourism is that people want to help others, to make a difference in other people's lives. There are thousands of volunteer tourism opportunities around the world. From volunteer tourism you can learn the lifestyle through direct experience, parts of the culture and many other skills needed for survival. From the survey conducted by Tourism Research and Marketing (2008), the results show that there are 1.6 million volunteers per year and an estimated $1.7 -2.6 billion is spent on volunteer tourism. Volunteer tourism has been a worldwide interest and has grown over the last 20 years. Characteristics of volunteer tourism Volunteer tourism involves the participation of free people, mostly students who are on school holidays or adults who do not work. These target markets join volunteer tourism to experience the hardships, as well as learn the ins and outs of tourism. Part of these experiences can teach them more about the country's culture and help the local community build a house or even a school. Furthermore, volunteer tourism can be organized anywhere. It can be in jungles, rainforests or Sahara deserts for wildlife conservation, in the Pacific Ocean or Amazon River for marine conservation, and in rural areas with...... middle of paper... ... ey Morning Herald Special Supplement , SydneyHolmes, K & Smith, K. (2009) Volunteer Management in Tourism: Attractions, Destinations and Events, Nutterworth-Heinenmann, BurlingtonMcGehee, NG & Andereck, K.(2008). 'Pettin' the critters': Exploring the complex volunteer-volunteer relationship in McDowell Country, West Virginia, USA and Tijuana, Mexico. In: Wearing, S. & Lyons, K. (eds) Journeys of discovery in volunteer tourism: international case study perspectives. CAB International, Wallingford.Tourism Research and Marketing (TRAM)(2008). Volunteer tourism: a global analysis. ATLAS Publication, ArnhemWearing, S. (2001). Volunteer tourism: experiences that make the difference. CAB International, WallingfordWearing, S. & McGehee, N.G.(2013). International volunteer tourism: integrating travelers and communities. CAB International, Wallingford