Volunteering tourism incorporates services and activities related to the caring of environmental, cultural, or humanitarian issues, intending to benefit not only tourists but also locals. Therefore, this activity fits into principles of sustainable development which has been defined as growth based on a balance between the environmental, social, and economic dimensions. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of volunteering tourism to sustainable development and to identify the crucial factors to implement a successful volunteering project. We explored the interactions between volunteering tourism and sustainable development through a qualitative approach considering as case study: the rural tourism project “Quilla Pacari”, located in the highlands of Chimborazo province, Ecuador. Our findings proportionate information about the influence of volunteering tourism in principles associated with sustainable development revealing a general insight into the interactions and identifying the perception about the crucial factors to implement a successful volunteering project. However, the Quilla Pacari project located in Chimborazo province is relatively emergent and further studies are needed to clarify all the relations associated with the process.
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