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Voluntourism in Ukraine during the russo-ukrainian war: realities and trends

Title: 


Voluntourism in Ukraine during the russo-ukrainian war: realities and trends


Authors: 


Kovalska, Lesya
Parkhomenko, Oleksandr
Chorna, Lyubov


Affiliation: 


Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University 201 B Halytska str., Ivano-Frankivsk, 76008, Ukraine
T.H. Shevchenko National University «Chernihiv Colehium» 53 Hetmana Polubotka str., Chernihiv, 14013, Ukraine


Bibliographic reference (2015): 


Kovalska, L., Parkhomenko, O. & Chorna, L. (2025) Voluntourism in Ukraine during the russo-ukrainian war: realities and trends. Socio-Economic Problems and the State (electronic journal), Vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 134-145. URL: http://sepd.tntu.edu.ua/images/stories/pdf/2025/25klvrat.pdf


Journal/Collection: 


Scientific Journal "Socio-Economic Problems and the State"


Issue: 


1(32)


Issue Date: 


Jun-2025


Submitted date: 


Apr-2025


Date of entry: 


30-Jun-2025


Publisher: 


Ternopil Ivan Puluj National Technical University


Country (code): 


UA


Place of the edition/event: 


Ternopil


ORCID Id: 


https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7582-8249
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7939-9576
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8959-3003


DOI: 


https://doi.org/10.33108/sepd2025.01.134


UDC: 


323:338.48(477) «2014/…»


JEL: 


Z3
Z32
Keywords: 

voluntourism
war
volunteering
Ukraine

economy


Number of pages: 


12


Page range: 


134-145


Start page: 


134


End page: 


145


Abstract: 


The full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has led to significant changes in the country’s tourism sector, resulting in the emergence of new types of tourism and forms of civic engagement. One such phenomenon is voluntourism – a combination of volunteering and travel aimed at supporting socially important initiatives, including assistance to the military and forcibly displaced persons; organizing and providing leisure and recreation for vulnerable groups of the population; as well as eliminating the consequences of hostilities, supporting national cultural heritage, and more. The article aims to assess the current state and development trends of voluntourism in wartime Ukraine by analyzing domestic and international practices. The study employs a comparative method, content analysis of institutional data, and case studies of volunteer initiatives. The authors identify a lack of comprehensive quantitative research on voluntourism and propose an initial attempt to address this gap. The key findings highlight the evolution of the Ukrainian volunteer movement, presenting the country’s recovery, the reaffirmation of Ukrainian identity, and the strengthening of national unity through the lens of voluntourism. The article provides an overview of academic definitions of the term "voluntourism," clarifying its conceptual boundaries. It identifies regional differences in the level of volunteer activity across Ukraine. The main forms of volunteering are classified, and the quantitative dynamics before and during the full-scale russian invasion are analyzed, along with the age structure and educational level of Ukrainian volunteers. The study also emphasizes international experience in promoting volunteerism and the role of national and international organizations in its development. The scientific novelty lies in the contextualization of voluntourism within the realities of ongoing war and its positioning as a driver of social resilience and regional recovery. The practical value of the research is demonstrated through the identification of strategic priorities for integrating voluntourism into national recovery programs and civil society development.


Sponsorship: 


The authors received no direct funding for this research.


URI: 


http://elartu.tntu.edu.ua/handle/lib/49594


ISSN: 


2223-3822


Copyright owner:


Scientific Journal "Socio-Economic Problems and the State"


URL for reference material: 


http://sepd.tntu.edu.ua/images/stories/pdf/2025/25klvrat.pdf
https://tax.gov.ua/baneryi/dlya-volonteriv/informatsiyni-materiali/795223.html
https://caritas-spes.org/ua
https://interfax.com.ua/news/press-conference/919252.html
https://mms.gov.ua/news/matvii-bidnyi-obhovoryv-z-hromadskymy-aktyvistamy-rozvytok-volonterstva
https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/volunteers-2024
https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/real-volunteers-2023-12
http://www.union-forum.org/shablon-3-1/zmist-1/spysok-katehorii-1/152-spilka-forum-na-mizhnarodnii-zustrichi-volonterskykh-orhanizatsii.html
https://dif.org.ua/
https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241260924.
https://doi.org/10.30525/2661-5169/2022-2-1
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/14687976241233851
https://doi.org/10.1177/14687976241233851
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282614539_International_volunteer_

tourism_One_mechanism_for_development
10.1016/j.annals.2004.12.002
https://doi.org/10.1079/9780851995335.0000
https://doi.org/10.20472/SS.2019.8.1.007


References (International): 


1. State Tax Service of Ukraine. (n.d.). For volunteers: Informational materials. https://tax.gov.ua/baneryi/dlya-volonteriv/informatsiyni-materiali/795223.html
2. Kadnichanskyi, D. A., & Khalilova, O. M. (2023). Volunteer tourism in the motives of tourist travel: The modern context. In Hospitality, service, tourism: Experience, problems, innovations: Proceedings of the 10th International Scientific and Practical Conference (Kyiv, April 6–7, 2023) (pp. 167–170). Kyiv: National University of Culture and Arts.
3. Caritas-Spes. (n.d.). Official website. https://caritas-spes.org/ua
4. Kovalska, L. V. (2024). Voluntourism in Ukraine. In Proceedings of the Reporting Scientific Web-Conference of Lecturers, Doctoral and Postgraduate Students of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University (April 1–5, 2024, Ivano-Frankivsk) (pp. 370–372). Ivano-Frankivsk: Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University. [Electronic edition].
5. Kosenko, O. P., & Lytvynova, H. A. (2024). Volunteer tourism or voluntourism: New marketing opportunities for Ukraine’s post-war development. In Marketing and organizational mechanisms of post-war development of Ukraine’s hospitality and tourism industry: Proceedings of the 2nd International Scientific and Practical Conference (Vol. 1, pp. 219–222). Kharkiv: NTU “KhPI”.
6. Krapivina, H. O. (2018). Volunteering and voluntourism: Non-standard forms of employment in tourism. Economic Bulletin of Donbas, (2), 175–182.
7. Chronicle of Nature of the Halych National Nature Park / Edited by V.B. Malanyuk. Halych, 2024. Vol. 18, Р. 187–195.
8. Nearly 50% of Ukrainians are involved in volunteering – Survey. (n.d.). https://interfax.com.ua/news/press-conference/919252.html
9. Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine. (n.d.). Matvii Bidnyi discussed the development of volunteering with public activists. https://mms.gov.ua/news/matvii-bidnyi-obhovoryv-z-hromadskymy-aktyvistamy-rozvytok-volonterstva
10. Opendatabot. (n.d.). Volunteers 2024. https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/volunteers-2024
11. Volunteer registry increased 2.5 times in one year. (n.d.). https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/real-volunteers-2023-12
12. Union Forum at the international meeting of volunteer organizations. (n.d.). http://www.union-forum.org/shablon-3-1/zmist-1/spysok-katehorii-1/152-spilka-forum-na-mizhnarodnii-zustrichi-volonterskykh-orhanizatsii.html
13. Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation. (n.d.). https://dif.org.ua/
14. Avolio, B., & Pardo, E. (2024) Volunteer tourism: A systematic literature review. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241260924
15. Bezuhla, L., Herasymenko, T., & Bieloborodova, M. (2022). Volunteering and volunteer tourism: Challenges and realities. Green, Blue and Digital Economy Journal, 3(2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.30525/2661-5169/2022-2-1
16. Butcher, J. (2024) Volunteer tourism in the context of development thinking. Tourist Studies, 24(2), 152–171. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/14687976241233851 https://doi.org/10.1177/14687976241233851
17. Wearing, S. L., & Grabowski-Faulkner, S. (n.d.). International volunteer tourism: One mechanism for development. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282614539_International_volunteer_

tourism_One_mechanism_for_development
18. McGehee, N. G., & Santos, C. A. (2005) Social change, discourse and volunteer tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 32(3), 760–779. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2004.12.002
19. Wearing, S. (2001). Volunteer tourism: Experiences that make a difference. CABI Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1079/9780851995335.0000
20. Wen, J. (2019) The impact of volunteer tourism: Case study of Meixian team. International Journal of Social Sciences, 8(1), 81–94. https://doi.org/10.20472/SS.2019.8.1.007


Content type: 


Article


Appears in Collections:


Scientific Journal "Socio-Economic Problems and the State", Vol.32, No.1

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