Disseminating the voice of the other: a case study of philanthropic tourism

Using a constructivist ethnographic approach, this paper explores the extent to which philanthropic tourists visiting a school and orphanage in East Africa were able to hear and voice the concerns of their hosts. While some authors suggest that there is insufficient time during a holiday experience for tourists to become emotionally involved with host populations, other studies reveal that emotional connections can be made by philanthropically motivated individuals within a remarkably short space of time. This study suggests that motivation and opportunity are paramount in facilitating the dissemination of the local voice in the context of short tourism encounters. In this study, one major issue with a charitable project was successfully disseminated by philanthropic tourists who brought about change at the request of local people. Increased monitoring of philanthropic projects is required to heed the voice of the Other.