Determining Operation Groundswell’s Future Business Directions for Sustainable Tourism

Operation Groundswell (OG) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) and tour operator that offers volunteer backpacking trips. This study evaluates two ways in which OG aims to achieve sustainable tourism: their approach to voluntourism and their carbon offset initiative. A qualitative consumer analysis was conducted to evaluate how OG can move forward as a facilitator of sustainable tourism utilizing 1) their approach to voluntourism and 2) their carbon offset initiative. Findings from this study reveal that OG’s carbon offset initiative should be made more prevalent and transparent on their website and in their marketing to attract green consumers, that they should continue to engage with voluntourism with a critical lens so as to emphasize how voluntourism can be accomplished in an ethically-just and sustainable manner, and that they should consider developing hybrid trip offerings that emphasize the interconnectedness of their four program themes of health, education, human rights and the environment.