The Effects of Global Citizenship and Awareness of Need on the Behavioral Intention of Volunteer Tourists

Abstract

Over the past decade, volunteer tourism has emerged as a popular alternative to traditional tourism, as evidenced by the growing number of organizations and participants worldwide. However, less attention has been paid to understanding the behavior of volunteer tourists. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors that influence the intention to participate in volunteer tourism. Using a quantitative approach, a model including self-efficacy, awareness of need and global citizenship within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior was developed to analyze the behavioral intention of volunteer tourists. The structural equation modeling technique was applied to the results of a questionnaire completed by 235 volunteer tourists. The results confirmed that awareness of need moderated the relationship between self-efficacy and subjective norms on behavioral intention to engage in volunteer tourism and, that attitudes partially mediated the relationship between global citizenship and intention to engage in volunteer tourism. The originality of the present study was to assess the indirect effect of global citizenship on the intention of individuals to engage in volunteer tourism, through their attitudes. The results represent the first attempt to quantitatively assess the impact of global citizenship on volunteer tourism.