What is a specialized Tourism ?
Specialized Tourism is an all – encompassing term that
refers to festivals, events, theme parks, cultural venues, fairs, and museums
that help define the social fabric of a community, city, state , or region.
Regional
Tourism
Regional Tourism is a
geographical region that has been designated by a governmental
organization or tourism bureau as
having common cultural or environmental characteristics. These regions are
often named after historical or current administrative and geographical
regions. Others have names created specifically for tourism purposes.
The names often evoke certain positive qualities of the area and suggest a
coherent tourism experience to visitors. Countries, states, provinces, and other
administrative regions are often carved up into tourism regions.
Example :
Vietnam Embraces Regional
Tourism
Cultural Tourism
Cultural Tourism
Cultural tourism (or culture tourism) is the subset
of tourism concerned
with a country or region's culture, specifically the
lifestyle of the people in those geographical areas, the history of those
people, their art, architecture, religion(s), and other elements that helped
shape their way of life. Cultural tourism includes tourism in urban areas, particularly
historic or large cities and their cultural facilities such as museums and theaters. It can also include
tourism in rural areas showcasing the traditions of indigenous cultural
communities (i.e. festivals, rituals), and their values and lifestyle.
Example :
At the Hwacheon Sancheoneo (Mountain Trout) Ice Festival,
people can capture fish with their bare hands (photo: Yonhap News).
Heritage
Tourism
Cultural heritage tourism (or just heritage
tourism or diaspora tourism) is a branch
of tourism oriented
towards the cultural heritage of
the location where tourism is occurring. The National Trust for Historic
Preservation in the United States defines heritage tourism as “travelling to
experience the places and activities that authentically represent the stories
and people of the past," and cultural heritage tourism is defined as
“travelling to experience the places and activities that authentically
represent the stories and people of the past and present."
Example: At Wells
House in Co Wexford launching Irelands largest heritage trail are Colm Morris,
Bridget Murphy, Minister of State for Tourism & Sport Michael Ring, Louise
Cullen as Lady Frances Ray Murphy and Paul Reck. Picture: Patrick Browne
Rural Tourism
Rural tourism focuses
on actively participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism. Many rural villages
can facilitate tourism because many villagers are hospitable and eager to
welcome (and sometime even host) visitors. Agriculture is becoming highly
mechanized and therefore, requires less manual labor. This trend is causing
economic pressure on some villages, which in turn causes young people to move
to urban areas. There is however, a segment of the urban
population that is interested in visiting the rural areas and understanding the
lifestyle. This segment in the tourism industry has been rapidly growing in the
past decade, leading to rural tourism becoming not just a good business prospect,
but a genuine vacation trend.
Example
: Monterrey (aka: Santa Domingo) is a haven for travelers interested
in visiting the Arenal Volcano area.
Monterrey sits peacefully in the hills above the busy tourist hub of La
Fortuna. This tiny, close-knit community
perched in the mountains of San Carlos is home to the Leaves and Lizards Arenal
Volcano Cabin Retreat.
Cycle Tourism
Bicycle touring generally means
self-contained cycling trips
over long distances, which prioritize pleasure, adventure and autonomy rather
than sport, commuting or exercise. Touring can range from single day rides to
multi-day trips. Tours may be planned and organised by the participant/s for
themselves or organised for a group by a professional holiday business, a club,
or a charity as a fund-raising venture.
Example : Rural roadways used as bicycle tourism routes hold benefits to
both cyclists and the surrounding communities.
Educational Tourism
Educational tourism developed, because of the
growing popularity of teaching and learning of knowledge and the enhancing of
technical competency outside of the classroom environment In educational tourism, the main focus
of the tour or leisure activity includes visiting another country to learn
about the culture, such as in Student Exchange Programs and Study Tours, or to work and apply
skills learned inside the classroom in a different environment, such as in the
International Practicum Training Program.
Travelling
for health
Travelling
for health or Medical tourism (MT)
is patient movement from highly developed nations to other areas of the world
for medical care, usually to find treatment at a lower cost. Medical tourism is
different from the traditional model of international medical travel where
patients generally journey from less developed nations to major medical centers
in highly developed countries for medical treatment that is unavailable in
their own communities.
Environmental
Tourism
Environmental Tourism or Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively
undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low-impact and often small scale
alternative to standard commercial (mass) tourism. Its purpose may be to
educate the traveler, to provide funds for ecological conservation, to directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities, or to
foster respect for different cultures and for human rights. Since the 1980s
ecotourism has been considered a critical endeavor by environmentalists, so
that future generations may experience destinations relatively untouched by
human intervention. Several
university programs use this description as the working definition of
ecotourism.
Example
: The
expedition volunteers hike through snowfields in high alpine environments to
get to some of the required research locations.
The Cruise Experience
There
are diverse questions concerning the very nature of the cruise experience,
which have given place to different definitions and interpretations of the
realities and aspects around the cruise industry and its services. All
of our "well-traveled" professionals have extensive personal
experience onboard the ships and other products we suggest. Save yourself
hours of time as well as money by letting us create a memorable vacation
experience tailored perfect.
Festival
and Events Tourism
Events and festivals
provide numerous benefits not only for the individual business but for a
community and tourism region. Local and regional events, including business
events and conferences can increase visitation and expenditure, reduce
seasonality, encourage repeat visitation and heighten regional awareness. They
can also provide the stimulus for additional infrastructure development in the
local area and building community pride.
Example :
In summer, Rotterdam
is always bustling with visitors, thanks to major public events that draw huge crowds.
In combination with the many smaller events there is always something going on
in Rotterdam.
Seniors
Tourism
Seniors tourism is
predicted to be a major force in the 21st century as population’s age. While
seniors are as diverse as any other demographic sector, and many seniors do not
have the resources to travel, the following generalizations can be made about
senior travelers:
- They are likely to be
more experienced travelers.
- They have more time to
spend on travel and leisure.
- Travel is often a
lifestyle priority, and many are prepared to pay for travel on a regular basis.
- They generally have
more savings and assets and fewer financial commitments, especially in the
early years of retirement.
- They are more flexible
with regards to travel times, often preferring to travel in off-peak seasons.
- They are generally
more discerning, and demand higher quality services.
- They are less likely
to be influenced by ‘frills’ and extra amenities.
- Health issues may
influence travel choices, especially amongs older tourists.
Wine and
Food Tourism
Enotourism, Oenotourism, Wine tourism, or Vinitourism refers to tourism whose
purpose is or includes the tasting, consumption or purchase of wine, often at or near the source. Where other types of tourism are often
passive in nature, enotourism can consist of visits to wineries, tasting wines, vineyard walks, or even taking
an active part in the harvest.
