Special Events in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry: A Comparative Study on Volunteering Motivations of University Students

Abstract

This study investigates motivations of volunteering university students regarding participation in special tourism events, by taking the city of Alexandria, Egypt as a case study. Also, the gender effects on motivations are examined and a comparison between the public and private university students is carried out. Nine main motivational dimensions were analyzed including, experience, fun and enjoyment, people and friends, personnel purposes, community support, curriculum vitae and career, skills and knowledge, learning a language, and cultural. The results revealed that fun, experience and people had the highest impact on volunteering university students. No significant differences were found among private and public university students. Also, the results showed that females were significantly more likely to be motivated by the factor of community support than males. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings contribute in the development of special events industry and assist events' organizers and managers to update and develop different strategies that effectively meet the needs of current and potential volunteers.