Organic harvesting-volunteer tourism in Egypt: An exploratory study

An increasing number of people are choosing to travel abroad for volunteer tourism trips to blend tourism with philanthropic endeavours and personal growth. Volunteer tourists who take part in farm-to-farm experiences actively participate in volunteer work on various farms during their journeys. This type of volunteer tourism typically involves residing and working on different farms located in rural or agricultural areas. The volunteer tourism industry has now reached a value of $3 billion annually, with participants covering the costs of their travel, including flights, transportation, meals, accommodation, and fees for the organizations and programs they support. However, there is a dearth of research that specifically examines the benefits of volunteer tourism for organic farming communities. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate social, economic, and environmental impacts of voluntourism, explore the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating voluntourism into organic farming practices, identify the role of voluntourists in supporting the host community of organic farms, and investigate the impact of voluntourism on host community of harvesting farmsKey words: Voluntourism, Harvest tourism, Host community, Tourism experience.