Driven by the desire to deeply understand and experience the place they are visiting, tourists are seeking more hands-on travel opportunities. Volunteer tourism, an emerging new trend, seeks to fulfil this desire to visit, experience and give back. Tourists seeking to provide a volunteer service as part of their holiday experience are part of a growing trend. In fact, industry statistics and media reports suggest that it is one of the most promising trends in travel.

However, the industry is struggling to brand itself. There are those who feel that short-term volunteer tourism trips do not really help the local destination. Others believe that even one day of volunteering paired with six days of surfing or sightseeing is better than not volunteering at all. Some industry veterans are concerned that with the surge of media coverage, the market may be flooded with new entrants that have failed to vet their projects sufficiently or want to make money through poorly planned, ill-conceived volunteer projects.

Emerging communication technology such as Web 2.0, social media and other information sources are especially prevalent among some volunteer tourism segments. Awareness of volunteer tourism opportunities continues to expand through viral marketing, social networks, grass roots communication and consumer to consumer information sharing. This is causing a shift in the way in which the traditional tourism consumer and provider interact.

Travel & Tourism Analyst is a bimonthly newsletter providing an examination of the travel industry, sector by sector. Each issue includes five objective and detailed studies on sectors and issues of interest and importance, across the international tourism industry.

Transport - from air transport and car hire, to the cruise industry, rail and coach travel

Outbound Markets - detailed profiles of the world's leading tourism origin countries

Market Segments - key sectors of the travel and tourism industry, ie youth travel

Accommodation, Leisure and Theme Parks - the performance of the hotel industry, resorts, timeshare, as well as developments in the attractions market

Travel Distribution and Technology - the travel trade worldwide, including the impact of new technology on travel distribution and marketing

Financial Services - ranging from tourism investment to paying for travel

Occasional Studies - other significant issues, such as the role of tourism organisations and the impact of travel on the environment.