Get familiar with the types of Tourism!
Today we are able to know and see so many places in the world, all thanks to the Internet, social media and video sites like YouTube. Truly the world has become small. But still, it doesn’t beat the actual real-life experience of the place. People are still traveling to places around the world in large numbers and enriching their lives with different experiences.
Tourism has not been affected by the Internet, rather it is thriving. But do you know there are types in it? A lot of tourism categories are defined. Here are some of the top and universal ones:
- Religious Tourism
Here people visit locations of their own religion to seek the blessings of their gods or to attend religious ceremonies. People also visit locations or establishments of other religions to learn about them etc. It is also called as Pilgrimage, Faith or Spiritual Tourism.
- Sports Tourism
As the name suggests, it involves people traveling to places around the world specifically to watch or take part in sporting events. Global events like the Olympic Games, Asian games, World cups of various sports like Football, Cricket, Hockey etc. attract visitors in millions.
- Medical Tourism
Also known as Health Tourism, the main aim of visitors here is to cure themselves of some disease, improve their health, overall wellbeing etc. Surgeries, operations, cosmetic procedures, and other medical expenses are very cheap in certain countries than others, so people flock there in numbers.
- Cultural Tourism
Here, people travel to their tourist destination aiming to know all about its culture which includes the way of the life of the locals, dress, music, theatre, traditions, customs, festivals, foods etc. There are a few subcategories in it like Music Tourism, Culinary Tourism etc.
- Adventure Tourism
Some people are always on the lookout for adventure activities, seek unusual or risky experiences and hence take on a trip for the same. They like to indulge in adrenaline rushing action of adventure sports like skydiving, rock climbing, bungee jumping, cave diving, scuba diving, paragliding, mountaineering, trekking etc.
- Business Tourism
The main activity of such tourists is business or official company work. They attend seminars, conferences, meet clients, visit exhibitions etc. in a new location while being paid. Occasionally they may also venture out at leisure time to experience the surroundings.
- Eco or Nature Tourism
It is a very wide category that includes Geo Tourism, Wildlife Tourism, and Agri Tourism etc. People visit places beautiful in nature, weather, and places where they go to visit rich flora and fauna, endangered animals etc. It includes remote places and those of extreme weather.
- Historical Tourism
In this type, People visit places of historical significance like monuments, forts, heritage and ancient structures etc. they may also include structures of religious significance.
- Dark Tourism
It is an uncommon way of exploring your destination where people see the ‘Underground’ sites like scenes of crimes, genocide, battlegrounds etc. Another variety is the Doom Tourism where people visit places which are endangered and may be lost forever in the future.
- Sex Tourism
This type of tourism is also secretly famous where mostly single individuals travel to countries to satisfy their carnal desires with people of other regions, race etc. It is usually famous in countries where prostitution is legal or the law is weak.
Some other tourism types include Slum Tourism, Ethnic Tourism, Culinary Tourism etc. One thing to note here is that it is not common or compulsory for anyone to indulge only in one type of tourism whenever they visit any place. People end up experiencing more than one type of tourism on a trip and the types overlap, the differences between them get blurred often. Ultimately the purpose is to explore, relax, chill or live a totally different experience than their native place.
