Ageing, volunteering and tourism: An Asian perspective

As global populations age, there is need to deepen understanding about older people as both hosts and tourists. This paper uses critical gerontology to examine the experiences of older volunteers at tourism sites in China. Through exploratory interviews with volunteers, we identify the importance of cultural context for understanding the experiences of older people as volunteers and hosts. We argue that Chinese philosophical traditions, combined with eastern collectivist values, shape older people’s experiences. We propose a hybrid model of volunteering that incorporates this distinct Chinese volunteer spirit. This study illustrates the value of critical gerontology for questioning the role tourism plays in both challenging and reinforcing normative ideas about ageing and being old, and the importance of cultural context for understanding older people’s experiences of tourism.