Tourism is one of the most prosperous industries in the world, contributing significantly to global GDP. Every year, millions of people from around the globe travel kilometers and miles from their homes to see distant lands and get acquainted with their culture. The tourism industry exists in one form or another in all parts of the world, and people travel to some of the seemingly most inaccessible places. It attracts many. The types of tourism are extensive. Their geography is spread all over the world.
Such infrastructure has also developed significantly over the years, making it possible to reach and explore remote areas of the world. According to the International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism (AIEST), it has the following classification:
- Participation in trips of non-residents.
- Staying temporary in the visiting area.
- Long visits to countries from 1 month or more.
The purpose of certain tourism activities is also of great importance. In general, based on the task, all trips can be divided into two categories:
- Educational.
- Leisure.
However, the line between these two directions seems to continue to decrease when visiting an unknown place forces a person to learn and have fun at the same time. As a result, these types of tourism have common directions and similar sub-sectors. There are several hundred of them today.
Tourism as a concept.
No matter what goals you set for yourself, traveling to distant places always attracts attention. Tourism, as a concept, has come a long way today, and its activities have been classified into various types.
With the development of new infrastructure and due to strong competition in this sector, new ideas for promoting travel appear. The tourism sector today aims to meet the needs and preferences of all types of guests and, thus, seems to take into account the specific areas of their interests. Therefore, today in the world there are many types of travel and countless options to choose from. Types of tourism will suit every category of citizens. It is noteworthy that every year there are different directions.
Adventure Travel
Famous destinations: Nepal for mountaineering, Croatia for climbing and mountain biking, New Zealand for skiing and snowboarding.
This type of tourism has become very famous among adventurers who are always on the lookout for something new to satisfy their adrenaline rush. Adventure walks require a vacationer to have stamina and strength. Typically, such tourists are engaged in complex activities and extreme sports such as mountain climbing, hiking in the desert, bungee jumping, scuba diving, paragliding, rock climbing.
Travel for children
Most visited countries: USA, UK, Canada.
Citizenship by birth is what people who are interested in this type and type of tourism like generic are looking for. This holiday destination involves traveling from one country to another in order to give birth to a child, so that he automatically becomes a citizen of the host country.
Although this practice seems somewhat contrived, it is common in countries with economic, social, and political instability.
Business trips
A brief fact: as a rule, a business tourist is considered to be more affluent than a regular vacationer, and it is understood that he has much greater purchasing power.
The World Tourism Organization gives a definition of travel that is different from that given by AIEST. Although people associated with any income-generating activity are not involved in AIEST, the WTO believes otherwise. The dispute has been going on for several years. This type and type of tourism has its own nuances. The main one is a trip to work, and only then rest.
According to them:
Tourism includes the activities of people traveling and located in places outside their usual environment for not more than one year in a row for leisure, business and other purposes.
General events related to business leisure include attending meetings, conferences and seminars, participating in exhibitions, fairs and other facilities. It is also considered a recreational type of tourism.
Culinary travel
Famous destinations: France, Italy, Mexico.
This is the most popular type and category of tourism this year. Hundreds of thousands of vacationers are eager to try something new. Culinary tourism and gastronomic tour includes tasting and sampling of local and traditional dishes of a certain country, region or city, or village. It is worth noting that, although food along with accommodation and infrastructure is one of the key components of such a vacation, there are numerous tours organized only to get acquainted with the culinary culture.
Today, with the general growth of the tourism sector, this area has expanded and developed to a large extent. Culinary relaxation also includes endotourism, where people visit certain regions (such as Napa Valley, California, USA and Catalonia, Spain) specializing in winemaking to enjoy exotic drinks. This is an attractive destination. Types of food in tourism with a gastronomic tour, can have different directions. There is no definite gradation here.
Cultural trips
Famous countries and places: Louvre, Paris, France; Colosseum, Rome, Italy; Taj Mahal, Agra, India.
Also known as cultural tourism, this type of holiday includes the culture of a particular country or region. The concept of this direction covers such things as the history of a given region, the way of life of people in a certain geographical region, architecture, oral traditions, religions, festivals, cuisine and much more. Especially such a holiday is suitable for people who are passionate about certain types of art. Cultural trips occupy one of the leading places in the classification of types of truism. They do not lose relevance every year.
Cultural tourism activities in cities may include visits to museums, theaters, art galleries. In rural areas, this can be a visit to local communities and an understanding of their traditions, lifestyles and values. It also includes pop cultural tourism as one of the main categories, which includes trips to places appearing in literary works, series, and movies.
"Dark" travel
Famous places and countries: Auschwitz concentration camp, Auschwitz, Germany; New York, USA; Museum of Genocide; Tuol Sleng, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Types and forms of tourism may contain darker shades. Lovers of tickling nerves will be delighted with such walks. This type of tourism is also referred to as dark or thanatourism, and includes visits to those places and objects that have witnessed some of the main tragedies in history.
In addition to human suffering and bloodshed, most of these places are also popular due to their historical value. A curious human mind is often more attracted to places that are connected with things far from normal, and, therefore, places that carry a violent past have become popular tourist destinations, receiving a large influx of visitors from year to year.
Disaster Travel
Known cases: after the eruption of Eyyafyatlayokudl volcano in Iceland in 2010; after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in New Orleans, USA; after the nuclear disaster at Fukushima in 2011 in Japan.
This species is often criticized as an unethical form of recreation. Such visits may adversely affect rescue operations in distressed facilities, as well as worsen the mood of the local population. Nevertheless, after several serious disasters, tourism in the face of natural disasters receives an incentive, as more and more tour operators offer attractive packages for such affected areas. True, not everyone shares it. Officially, this direction is not yet included in the main types of tourism. However, many companies earn hundreds of thousands of dollars on this.
Travel to endangered places
Famous places: Amalia Glacier, South Patagonia, Chile; Mount Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania; Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Also known under the name of “last chance” and “tourism of doom” is a new trend in the global travel sector. First identified in 2007, it refers to tours, places, regions that are endangered by the environment. After that, attention to this direction began to grow.
The main objective of this type, type and form of tourism is to encourage people to visit threatened places before they are lost forever. Therefore, the concept is gaining popularity every day. However, according to some critics, the growth of this direction may, in fact, accelerate the process of deterioration of the state of already disappearing objects.
Ecotourism
Famous destinations: Palau, Micronesia; Norwegian Fjords (various locations), Norway; Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.
Many types of tourists in tourism seek unity with nature. To do this, they choose the most remote corners of the planet and not only. Ecotourism is a very broad category of travel, which includes a socially responsible walk in almost untouched areas of natural beauty. It may contain trips to places whose main attractions are flora and fauna, natural or artificial landforms, as well as indigenous communities.
Ecotourism also includes the concepts of geotourism and wildlife travel. In addition, agritourism has been added to the list of subtypes of this direction, which includes visiting a farm or ranch, as well as engaging in agricultural activities.
Family Travel
Most visited countries: Romania, Ireland, Germany.
This is a very interesting form of travel in which vacationers go to the land of their ancestors in search of their roots. Although genealogy tourism has captured a significant market around the world, it seems to be more visible in various diasporas. Each year, several thousand people, especially those from the emigrated population, travel to their countries of origin and seek to reunite with their past. These types of tours in tourism offer visits to museums and archives. If you wish, you can hire historians to compile the family tree of the traveler.
Medical rest
Famous destinations: United Arab Emirates, Turks and Caicos Islands, Turkey.
Types of recreational tourism includes medical tourism. Millions of vacationers strive not only to relax, but also to benefit from it. The term “medical tourism” means moving patients from one place to another to receive appropriate qualified care and treatment. This may include the treatment of certain genetic diseases and special operations, such as joint replacement, cosmetic and plastic procedures. Some people also travel in search of psychiatric and alternative treatments.
Boat trips
Famous places: Tennessee-Tombigby Waterway, USA; Costa Brava, Spain; Sicily, Italy.
There are water types of recreation in tourism. Lovers of open water are delighted with such walks. Sea tourism is a relatively new travel niche that focuses on the combination of leisure and motorboat or sailing. This concept was first developed in Europe and South America, but now has gained momentum even in the Pacific and the United States.
Tourists not only prefer to sail to their destination than fly, but also engage in various activities, such as fishing and diving, while on a ship. In addition, many of them also prefer to stay on their sailing ships, instead of taking other land-based apartments. As a result, marine tourism is also profitable as demand for various marine products and services has increased.
Religious travel
Famous places: Varanasi, India; Jerusalem, Israel Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Often called religious tourism, it is a form of relaxation when people go on long trips, individually or in groups, for pilgrimage or for missionary work.
Numerous holy places around the world have turned into thriving tourist centers, and every year they receive a huge stream of guests. Places such as temples, churches, mosques, or reliefs with religious significance are some of the most visited sites by people who claim to seek unity with God through such travels.
Slum Travel
Famous destinations: Hutong, Beijing, China; Dharavi, Mumbai, India; Five Points, New York, USA.
In the 19th century, the concept of slum tourism developed as a niche in which people were invited to visit poor areas of the city or village so that people living in these areas could get the opportunity to support their families.
Initially, slum tourism was concentrated in Manhattan and London, but later this concept became popular in the rest of the world. Slum travel is now touted as an opportunity for vacationers to see and experience the local culture at a poor level. Niche is growing very fast in some lagging and developing countries.
Space travel
Space tourists: Dennis Tito, USA (8 days); Anush Ansari, Iran (12 days); Guy Laliberte, Canada (11 days).
Space tourism is another new concept in the field of recreation. It includes a trip to space for leisure or business purposes. A number of start-up companies offer extraterrestrial tours to a limited number of tourists each year, but a concept is still under development.
From the very beginning, extraterrestrial rest has been criticized because of its high cost, as well as various legal restrictions. However, there were several such missions that were successful.
Sports recreation
Famous destinations: Brazil, India, England.
Sports tourism, as the name implies, includes sports, excitement and pleasure, which it offers as its basis. It can have both active and passive character. This allows you to either take part in sporting events, or simply watch their progress. There are many subspecies of such directions. Types of sports tourism include hundreds of industries. Many vacationers form their own.
Today, numerous sports such as cricket, football, tennis have gained popularity all over the world. Today, a large number of tours organized during major tournaments that allow people to watch these games not live, but in stadiums. This tourism niche brings good income every year.
Virtual vacation
A brief fact: a virtual tourist can see places not only as they are today, but also as they were at different moments in history, something that a “real” tourist cannot do.
Virtual vacation is also a fairly recent tourism niche that seems to completely challenge the very purpose of travel. Vacationers visit places using technologies such as the Internet, thus limiting or, in some cases, even negating aspects of time, distance and cost.
Although the niche is developing steadily, virtual tourism can never replace the “real” one. On the contrary, this can encourage people to physically travel to places they saw in the electronic environment.
Traveling to places of military operations
Famous places: Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan; Kuruksetra, Haryana, India; National Atomic Test Museum, Las Vegas, USA.
Military travel or tourism of military heritage refers to a form of recreation when people visit former strategic sites, zones of former military operations or objects such as museums that exhibit artifacts relating to various moments in history. The places are interesting for visiting by many groups of vacationers. Such types and categories of tourism are present in almost every country. Often certain objects are in guidebooks.
Wellness Travel
Famous destinations: China, Jordan, Cayman Islands.
Health tourism is a fast-growing trend in the travel sector, which refers to leisure in order to maintain and strengthen your body, mind and soul. This type of tourism includes wellness destinations such as massage, body treatments, weight loss programs, beauty treatments, and more.
Due to the popularity of this trend, several resorts have appeared in different places that offer numerous amenities for tourists in accordance with their preferences and wishes. The types and types of recreational tourism are also numerous. They mainly depend on the hotel, the medical institution, which make up the rest program.
No matter where you travel, for what purpose and for how long, it is imperative that you use a sustainable approach. Make sure that your visit does not in any way affect the environment and local culture, and that the integrity of the place is maintained as much as possible. Depending on the classification of types of tourism today, you can choose any direction for an interesting vacation, even in Antarctica.