Introduction

There is a growing trend in the tourism industry where certain consumers eschew the traditional experiences of mass tourism and self-indulgence. Increasing numbers of people are gravitating towards niche forms of tourism that simultaneously satisfy their personal needs while doing something positive for others. While people continue to embrace these niches, many of these special interest turisms have begun to resemble the traditional mass activities and travels that have long dominated mainstream tourism. For example, ecotourism can legitimately now be seen as ‘mass ecotourism’ (Weaver, 2005), and heritage tourism has long been a crucial component of mass tourism. Nevertheless, there is a perception among certain niche travelers that they are more part of the solution than part of the problem. Volunteer tourism is one of the best manifestations of this trend. It typically entails people traveling to give back to society or to the earth, owing to various deep-seated desires to give of themselves or to work for the betterment of society or the environment, although it is far from being free of problems and controversy.

One form of volunteer tourism that has been largely overlooked by tourism scholars and heritage specialists is the crossover between archaeology, cultural heritage management and tourism. Tens of thousands of people travel each year on their own expense to become involved voluntarily in archaeological work or more general heritage management. Their motivations are manifold and the contexts in which they volunteer are extensive, yet we know very little about the phenomenon of heritage and archaeology-based volunteer tourism. This chapter provides an overview of this phenomenon that is frequently overlooked within familiar essays on volunteer tourism. Within the broader framework of volunteer tourism, this chapter examines general market characteristics and looks at the role of archaeology volunteer tourism as a form of public archaeology. It also highlights some geographical perspectives on the phenomenon and looks at the functions of the tourism industry with regard to this increasingly important manifestation of volunteer tourism.