An exploration of the motivations for volunteering: A study of international volunteer tourists to Ghana

•We find three motivations to volunteer; altruism and learning, philanthropy, and socialization•Altruism and learning are core motivations for volunteering in Ghana.•Desire to aid the less privilege decreases with increasing travel exposure.•Philanthropy is higher among first-time volunteers who are better educated and engage in conservation and social services.

Many issues surrounding the motivations of volunteer tourists to developing countries remain unresolved. This paper investigates the motives of volunteer tourists to Ghana. A survey was undertaken of 410 volunteer tourists in Ghana and the results indicate that three key motivations: (altruism and learning, philanthropy, and socialization), influence the decision to volunteer in Ghana. However, for international volunteerism in Ghana, the main motivation is that of altruism and learning. Differences were found among the volunteer tourists due to past travel experience including duration of past trips, education, past volunteer activity and the amount of money committed to volunteering in Ghana.