Volunteer Tourism Definition "Volunteer tourism" applies to those who, for various reasons, volunteer in an organized manner to undertake a vacation that may involve helping or the alleviation of material poverty of a group 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 lies in people's desire to help others and make a difference in the lives of others. There are thousands of volunteer tourism opportunities all over the world. Through volunteer tourism, one can learn the way of life through direct experience, elements of culture and many other skills necessary for survival. According to the survey conducted by Tourism Research and Marketing (2008), the results show that there are 1.6 million volunteers per year and an estimate of 1.7 to 2.6 billion US dollars is spent on volunteer tourism. Volunteer tourism attracts worldwide interest and has grown over the past 20 years. Characteristics of volunteer tourismVolunteer tourism is aimed at people who volunteer, mainly students on school holidays or adults who do not work. These target markets join volunteer tourism to experience difficulties and discover the behind the scenes of tourism. Part of these experiences can teach them more about the culture of the country and help the community build a house or even a school. Additionally, volunteer tourism can take place anywhere. This 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 relationship between volunteers and volunteers in McDowell Country, West Virginia, United States and Tijuana, Mexico. In: Wearing, S. and Lyons, K. (eds.) Journeys of discovery in volunteer tourism: perspectives from international case studies. CAB International, Wallingford. Tourism Research and Marketing (TRAM) (2008). Voluntary tourism: a global analysis. ATLAS Publication, ArnhemWearing, S. (2001). Volunteer tourism: experiences that make a difference. CAB International, WallingfordWearing, S. and McGehee, NG (2013). International volunteer tourism: integrating travelers and communities. CAB International, Wallingford