voluntourism

noun vol·un·tour·ism \ ˌvä-lən-ˈtu̇r-ˌi-zəm \

Definition of voluntourism

: the act or practice of doing volunteer work as needed in the community where one is vacationing

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voluntourist

play \ˌvä-lən-ˈtu̇r-ist\ noun

Recent Examples of voluntourism from the Web

Tourism Minister Tonge said the island had been considering adding voluntourism options since before the storm.

— chabeli herrera, miamiherald, "Two monster hurricanes battered these Caribbean islands. Now, they’re back in business | Miami Herald," 16 Apr. 2018
Image Cruise ships in the region are also making voluntourism part of shore excursions.

— elaine glusac, New York Times, "How Travelers Can Help Hurricane-Damaged Islands," 3 Apr. 2018
Apart from the Tamarind, Fort Young Hotel, Secret Bay Resorts, Cobra Tours, Cool Breeze Tours and Cabrits Dive are also offering voluntourism packages.

— chabeli herrera, miamiherald, "Two monster hurricanes battered these Caribbean islands. Now, they’re back in business | Miami Herald," 16 Apr. 2018
On Key West, Casa Marina resort named Christine Steinhauser its director of human resources and voluntourism.

— elaine glusac, New York Times, "How Travelers Can Help Hurricane-Damaged Islands," 3 Apr. 2018
A volunteering vacation can be a meaningful way to spend your time off, said Courtney Regan, the founder of the San Francisco travel company Courtney Regan Travel and an expert on what is known as voluntourism.

— shivani vora, New York Times, "How to Plan a Volunteering Vacation," 16 Jan. 2017
For more voluntourism excursions, ShoreTrips.com and HopeFloats.org (only in the Caribbean) maximize volunteering impact on day-long port stops.

— zachary laks, Condé Nast Traveler, "How to Cruise With a Conscience," 4 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'voluntourism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.