Chinese voluntourist gaze: a self-reflection perspective

Voluntourism, a contested form of alternative tourism, has received limited scholarly attention regarding the agency of voluntourists, particularly in non-Western contexts. This study investigates the self-reflections of young Chinese international volunteers through netography and thematic analysis of online narratives. Utilizing Urry's gaze theory as a ‘lens’, it examines how these voluntourists reflect not only on the destinations but also on themselves during their pre-trip, onsite and post-trip experiences. Three phases of the voluntourist gaze are identified: an initial ‘othering’ gaze, an evolving onsite gaze that challenges romanticization, and a post-trip reflective moral gaze. While similarities exist between the gazes of Chinese and Western voluntourists, the Chinese voluntourist gaze is uniquely nurtured by an inquiring intratourist gaze and by traditional Chinese philosophies such as Confucianism and Taoism. Notably, Chinese voluntourists exhibit a greater capacity for self-reflection compared to conventional Chinese tourists, positioning them as ‘moral pioneers’ in promoting Chinese ethical tourism by demonstrating more empathetic and humanitarian gazes.