Volunteer tourists� length of stay in Ghana: influence of socio-demographic and trip attributes

Abstract

Length of stay is an important variable in tourist expenditure, satisfaction and destination image. While studies exist on mainstream tourists� length of stay, it still remains an elusive area in volunteer tourism. This paper contributes to knowledge about volunteer tourism length of stay by providing exploratory insights into the influential factors of volunteer tourists� length of stay. The paper presents the findings of 410 volunteer tourists to Ghana. The results of the study reveal that volunteer tourists� length of stay is influenced by some demographic variables and trip attributes including: country of origin, typology of volunteers, schooling status, expenditure of the destination, and nature of placement. The implications of the results are discussed. � 2016 Taylor & Francis.