Ageing, volunteering and tourism: An Asian perspective

As global populations age, there is need to deepen understanding about old people as both hosts and tourists. This paper draws on critical gerontology to examine the experiences of elderly volunteers at tourism sites in China. Through exploratory interviews with volunteers, we identify the importance of cultural context for understanding the experiences of old people as volunteers and hosts. We argue that Chinese philosophical traditions, combined with eastern collectivist values, shape old people's experiences of involvement in tourism volunteering. 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 elderly people's experiences of tourism. •There is need to understand more about old people as hosts and tourists.•Critical gerontology offers a framework for understanding old people's experiences.•Volunteering is a western concept which lacks an Asian perspective.•In China volunteering is based on different philosophical foundations.•Philosophical traditions shape old people's involvement in tourism volunteering.