Course: BHM

Semester: VI
Subject: Travel and Tourism
Faculty Name: Ms. Bharti Nanta

UNIT 4

Types of Tourism

Tourism presently is recognised worldwide as an industry due to the vast economic benefits it delivers
to the host country. The two major economic benefits of tourism are earning foreign exchange and
generation of employment at all levels in the society.

For many people work is not the sole aim in life and this has definitely encouraged tourism. Tourism
helps people to get a better understanding of social and cultural values and helps create a better life and
a better society.

PURPOSE OF TOURISM

Tourism has witnessed considerable changes in the 21st century from its previous motivations of travel,
which were mainly visiting places of religious interest or travel for trade purposes. In the developed
countries like Europe and the USA, tourism is not only a part of the lifestyle of the upper income group
or high- class society any longer but has come within the upper income group or high- class society any
longer but has come within the reach of industrial workers as well. In American parlance the 4 ‘S’
formula- Sun, Sea, Sand and Sex is what motivates a tourist to travel. Bathing and water sports at the
seashore, warm sunny beaches with ample sunshine and clean sand is what tourists look forward to. A
pleasant escape from the temperate to the tropical climate to acquire a sun tan which is more
fashionable today than a fair, pale complexion is one of the reasons for travel.

The tourism industry will not survive if people are not motivated to travel. The basic question of
motivation as applicable in different fields can similarly be applied to travel. Why do some people travel
and not others? Why does only one family member go on a tour? Why are a larger number of people in
a particular country or region engaged in tourism activity than in another country? Many studies related
to the psychology and motivations for tourism have been conducted. These studies show that tourists
normally travel for more than one reason.
TRAVEL MOTIVATORS:

Travel motivators can be defined as those factors that create a desire in people to travel. Motivators are
the internal psychological influences affecting individual choices. McIntosh and Goeldern have
mentioned four categories of motivators.

1. Physical motivators: These are related to physical rest and relaxation, sport activities and health
purposes.
2. Cultural motivators: These are identified by the desire to know and learn about other cultures,
lifestyles, folk art, music, dance, etc.
3. Interpersonal motivators: These are related to a desire to meet new people, visit new friends or
relatives, and seek new experiences. People undertake travel simply to escape from their
mundane day- to- day routine.
4. Status and prestige motivators: These are identified with one’s personal esteem and status
symbol. These also include travel for business, education or pursuit of hobbies.

Robinson’s Classification:
1. Relaxation and refreshment of body and mind: Due to the increased industrialization and hectic
modern lifestyle, there is a need for rest and relaxation, to de- stress the body and mind. This
desire for relaxation varies from individual to individual.
2. Health: Since the medieval days, people have been visiting spas and bathing in hot sulphur
springs for specialized medical treatment. Several spas and health resorts have developed over
time in most of the countries which attract visitors because of their curative aspects.
3. Pleasure: Satisfying an individual’s need for pleasure is the most predominant of all individual
travel motivations. A person’s need for pleasure is very deep- rooted and travel can satisfy this
desire.
4. Curiosity and culture: People are curious and eager to learn about other countries their people,
and their culture. Tourists visit places of historical interest, fairs, festivals, museums, dances, etc.
To know more about the lifestyle of people from different countries.
5. Interpersonal reasons: This includes people’s desire to visit their relatives, friends, families,
ancestral homelands, and also for new people.
6. Spiritual purpose: A large number of people are motivated to travel because of spiritual motives,
i.e. visiting holy places, shrines, etc. The number of people who seek solace in such places is
increasing dramatically.
7. Professional or business reason: People need to travel for business- related reasons and this
type of travel both domestic and international is growing by leaps and bounds. People travel to
expand their business, attend meetings, conference and exhibitions.

These different motivators or purpose of travel have led to different types of tourism. The types
of tourism can be categorized on the basis of their motivations.
LEISURE OR HOLIDAY TOURISM
Tourists may travel to experience a change in climate and place, to see and learn something
new, enjoy pleasant scenery or to learn and know more about the culture of a destination.

Tourists who seek respite from the stress of day- to- day life, devote their holidays to rest and
relaxation, and refresh themselves when tired are included in the category of leisure, holiday or
recreational tourists. These tourists prefer to stay in some quiet and relaxed destination
preferably at a hill resort, beach resort, or island resort. Nowadays, many resorts offer complete
health packages or health benefits as extra facilities to the tourist in the form of a body
massage, steam and sauna bath, yoga, facials, etc.
Industrialization and long working hours have created a lot of pressure on people today. Due to
the stress and strain of urban city life, people are opting for relaxed, healthy, and peaceful
holidays.

Why people seek leisure tourism:

 Long and stressful working hours per week
 Working couples trying to find time for each other or the family
 Good pay package and travel benefits
 Liberalization, privatization and rise of the IT and BPO sectors
 Awareness created by print and electronic media about various travel destinations,
brochures of travel agents and hotels which focus on the pleasure aspect of holidays
and weekend packages.

VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives)

This includes visiting one’s relatives and friends for interpersonal reasons. A large
number of Americans visit European countries in order to see their families or because
they feel they are visiting their homeland.
This particular type of tourism is very common in India. Many people take time out of
their busy scheduled to visit their friends and relatives during school vacations or during
major festivals and to attend weddings and other rituals. While visiting friends or
relatives, people also visit tourist attractions in and around the city. These tourists do
not have the freedom to choose their destinations, but they show an interest in
shopping and visiting tourist attractions.
In India, due to leave travel concession (LTC) facility and travel; allowances by private
firms, many people are now visiting their native places in their holidays.
Hotels and restaurants benefit the least by this type of tourism as the tourists’ board
and lodging is taken car of by the hosts. However, these tourists are of benefit to other
sectors such as transport, local transport, attractions, entertainment and shopping.

Cultural Tourism
People are always curious to know more about foreign lands, their people, and their
culture. Culture is one of the most significant factors, which attracts tourist at a
destination. Culture in terms of tourism gives the tourist an insight into the
 Way of life or lifestyle of the people which one can experience
 Dress, jewellery, dance, music, architecture, painting
 Customs and beliefs, fairs and festivals, religion practised in the region

Cultural tourism covers all those aspects of travel whereby people travel to
learn about each other’s ways of life, their beliefs and thoughts. The food,
beverages, hospitality, crafts, etc. Appeal to the travellers. Tourism is an
important tool for promoting cultural relations and international cooperation.
The way in which a country represents itself to tourists can be considered as its
cultural factors.
Thus, cultural tourism includes widening one’s knowledge about other places
and people, their ways of life, their culture and includes journeys to places of art
and heredity treasures, religious shrines and other civilizations, interest in
religion, philosophy, history, etc. To participate in cultural events such as art
festivals and celebrations- music, theatre, dance, folklore, festivals, etc. Such as
Ellora festival, Elephanta festival, Khajuraho festival, Malaysia festival, Dubai
festival, etc.
Fairs and festivals are one of the main reasons of travel as these are based on
the culture of a country. They are not only popular with foreign tourists but also
with modern Indian youth. Cultural tourism is one of the most significant
reasons for travel in India because not only does culture differ from state to
state, but also from region to region.
Cultural tourism can offer the tourist an original and unique destination
experience especially in India because of the ethnic diversity, which India has to
offer.
ADVENTURE TOURISM
It is more challenging because it takes the tourists into regions which are less
frequently visited and may not have easy access. These regions may offer
minimal facilities and comforts. Adventure tourism is a package of recreation,
enjoyment, education, and the thrills of participating in an adventure. Travelling
to participate in adventurous feats is a popular form of modern tourism. Young
people are attracted to this form of travel because of the excitement and risks
involved.
Adventure tourism is a form of travel, wherein recreation has a revitalizing
effect because all adventure activities are outdoor recreational activities with
the unpredictability of nature adding thrill and spice to the tour. It fascinates
people who want to live life in a fast track:
 Adventure on Land
Adventure on land is available in many forms, which may be natural or
man- made. Natural landforms include jungles, deserts, hills, and
mountains covered with their natural flora and fauna or snow.
Adventure on land could be in the form of a safari travelling caravan
style over a long specified distance or a wildlife excursion, or travelling
 through a desert or jungle where the elements of adventure could be
experienced.
Motorcar racing is also an adventure sport, testing the navigating skills
and endurance of man and machine. All terrain vehicles (ATVs) are an
added attraction at many tourist destinations.
Other popular forms of land- based adventure sports are mountain or
wall climbing, trekking and camping, mountain biking and rock climbing.
Mountaineering institutes have been setup by the government in a few
states to promote these sports. Trained instructors, safety measures
and equipment necessary for adventure sports are available at these
centres. Motorcar racing, skiing and heli- skiing are popular amongst
both domestic and international tourists.

 Water Adventure:
Water or aqua adventure sports are available at seashores, gushing
waterfalls, springs, glacial lakes and man- made water parks. Diving is
the most popular water adventure sort especially in areas with coral
reefs like the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. Scuba
diving and snorkelling are popular underwater sports to observe the
beautiful creatures of the water world on the ocean floor. Deep- sea
diving, Parasailing and water scooters are available at almost all
beaches. Flatwater adventure sports, such as water skiing and wind
surfing and whitewater rafting and canoeing through rapids are some of
the popular water adventure sports.
River originating from glaciers of snowcapped mountains, crash on
boulders and caverns to create swirls of whitewater and lots of rapids
before they reach the plains. This makes whitewater rafting more
challenging and exciting.

 Aerial Adventure:
This form of adventure helps people realize their dream of flying
without wings and has gained popularity ever since the invention of the
aircraft. With the aid of modern materials and established training
methods, some forms of aerial sports are relatively inexpensive and
safe.
The oldest form of aerial adventure is ballooning. Balloons are filled
with a light gas like either hydrogen or helium gas or with hot air and
can accommodate two or more people depending on the size of the
balloon and basket. Other adventure sports like parachuting and
skydiving are costly and require prior training. Paragliding is a simpler
sport, similar to parachute jumping except for the shape of the canopy.
Parasailing, gliding or soaring, hang gliding and bungee jumping are also
forms of aerial adventure.
SPORTS TOURISM:
People have been travelling to participate or watch sporting events for
centuries. Today, sports tourism is considered as one of the most sought
after leisure experiences. Sports and travel share a symbiotic relation,
whereby people are attracted to a particular destination for active or
passive participation. Sports tourists may be participants or spectators,
who have travelled to enjoy the sport.
Standeven and De Knop (1999) have defined sports tourism as ‘all forms
of active and passive involvement in sporting activity, participated in
casually or in an organized way for non- commercial or business/
commercial reasons that necessitates travel away from home and work
locality.’

The concept of sports tourism started with British nationals travelling

abroad for winter sports. The first such sports tourism package can
possibly be traced back to 1898 when Sir Henry Lunn, a British travel
agent, organized a 10- day skiing holiday in the Alps for a group of 10 for
a then princely sum of USD15. Sports tourism has also given an impetus
to tourism in India. The Ministry of Tourism has set up a National
Institute of Water Sports in Goa to promote water sports throughout
the country. Sports tourism is a small segment in India, but it ensures
higher returns since a sports a sports traveller is a higher spender.

RELIGIOUS TOURISM
Religious tourism is also known as pilgrimage or spiritual tourism. The
evolution of tourism could also be attributed to journeys undertaken
since ancient times to places considered as sacred. People travelled
singly or in groups for the purpose benefit or to attain salvation or
moksha.
Religious tourism is a journey, undertaken for the sake of worship and/
or to pay respect to pay respect to a site of special religious significance.
In India, since time immemorial, tourism has been associated with
places of religious significance. These destinations are scattered all over
the country.

BUSINESS TOURISM
Travel is not always undertaken for pleasure or leisure. The business
traveller’s main motive for travel is work. He/she visits a particular
destination for various reasons pertaining to his/ her work such as
attending a business meeting, conference, convention, trade fair, selling
products, meeting clients, etc.
Many travel and tour operators specialize in business tourism. Business
travel is recognized as the most important segment of revenues for the
hotel industry. The business traveller is the lifeline of tourism industry.
Many convention centres have emerged in keeping up with the growing
demand of business travellers. Similarly, the hotels target business
travellers and have modern day facilities of arranging meetings and
conferences. The airline and hotel industry have recognised the
monetary worth of business travellers and therefore, have directed a lot
of their services towards them.
A business traveller looks for the best and not the cheapest, as he/ she
is not worries about the cost, for most travel expenses of the business
traveller are borne by his/ her company, which he/ she is representing.
Sometimes a business traveller decides his/ her trip at the last minute.
He/ she has less time and needs comfort during his/ her travel. The
needs of a business traveller are, therefore, different from those of a
regular tourist.
Sometimes the services used by both business and leisure tourists are
similar such as hotel rooms and airline seats. At other times the services
are specially designed for business travellers such as provision of
convention facilities, etc. Special facilities are often made available in
existing rooms for the business traveller like Internet access points in
guestrooms and facsimile machines on board an aircraft. The city hotels
in major metros find the business- leisure ration to be 3:1.
People from other countries would have their own likes and dislikes,
which service providers must be aware about.

MICE (MEETINGS, INCENTIVES, CONVENTIONS, EXHIBITIONS):

Business tourism involves meetings, conferences, and conventions
where information is exchanged, lavish events are organized to launch
new products, incentive travel is offered to motivate or reward staff,
exhibitions are organized to promote corporation, etc. This is popularly
called meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions/ expositions or
MICE tourism, the four most important aspects of business tourism.
MICE has often been confused as mainstream business travel but the
demarcation is now getting more defined as both corporate and service
providers have begun realizing MICE’s significance and potential.
MICE, a subset of business travel has become the buzzword in the travel
industry. This was evident when the Indian Association of Tour
Operators (IATO) convention identified MICE tourism as the upcoming
tourism product.
The decision makers of international conferences will not select a venue
on the basis of a country’s scenic beauty, cultural heritage or wildlife. An
event planner looks for meeting facilities, accommodation, world- class
airports, connectivity, transportation facilities and competitive prices.
Day trips and sightseeing can also be offered as incentives to MICE
tourists as additional benefits so that they may also come back as
repeat visitors, and bring their families along.
 MICE travellers expect a high level of comfort, hassle- free movement,
and value for money experience. MICE planners do not go by brochures,
but their own experiences and feedback from colleagues in the industry.
Planning for MICE requires a lot of coordination, perhaps more than the
tourism industry. The areas that require a special planning for MICE are
as follows:
 Venues: There should be enough space for international delegations to
hold meetings, conventions and exhibitions.
 Transport: Air and ground transport
 Accommodation: Preferably near their meeting/ conference/ exhibitions
venues and should be equipped with fax machines, laptops providing
internet connections, telex, videoconferencing facilities, etc.
 Other support services: Catering, shopping and entertainment.

HEALTH TOURISM
People have been travelling for centuries to improve and rebuild their
health and stamina.
During the Roman empire the visit the spas, which was mainly for health
reasons, become a pleasure activity as more number of spas, both warm
and cold, came into existence. In Europe, the subsequent establishment
of many sanatoria was the result of an awareness of the various
benefits of good health. These sanatoria laid the foundations for future
resort development. Today, there is a growing increase in the travel to
spas and health clinics for curative baths and medical treatment. Hotels
and resorts offer health clinics for curative baths and medical
treatment. Hotels and resorts offer health services because in spite of
busy schedules, people take time out to relax and de- stress.

ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF TOURISM:

Alternative tourism aims at seeking a transition from impersonal, traditional mass tourism to
establishing cordial rapport between visitors and the local hosts. They prefer to use or share the
services of the local people. Their main motive is to experience and get an insight into their way
of living.
Alternative tourism is not a type of tourism but is rather a guiding principle involving
ecotourism, heritage tourism, cultural tourism, etc.

Ecotourism: Sustainable- nature based tourism. Ecotourism also incorporates social and cultural
dimensions where visitors interact with local residents. Ecotourism is usually used to describe
tourism activities which are conducted in harmony with nature.
Thus, ecotourism can be defined as ‘purposeful travel to natural areas to understand the
cultural and natural history of the environment, taking care to alter the integrity of the
ecosystem, while producing economic opportunities that make the conservation of natural
resources financially beneficial to the local citizens.’

Rural Tourism: Tourists nowadays are shifting their interest of travel to new destinations to
explore and experience the destination and have first- hand knowledge of the local people, their
cuisine and actual way of living.
Of late, rural tourism has gained importance in India.

Ethnic Tourism: Ethnic tourism involves travel for the purpose of observing the cultural
expressions of lifestyles and customs of the indigenous and exotic people. This type of tourism is
also referred to as a combination of culture and nature tourism. In ethnic tourism, the tourist is
mainly interested in having direct contact with local people. The tourist’s main aim is to gain
first- hand experience of the way of life and cultural artifacts of the local people whereas in
cultural tourism the contact with the local people is done indirectly, i.e. these tourists will view
the culture but not experience it.

Senior Citizen Tourism: This is a fairly new emerging trend in tourism meant for the senior
citizen or old people. They provide them with the tour escort or tour leader who keeps them
occupied with entertainment and activities suitable for their age and at the same time making
sure they do not get tired. Extreme care has to be taken while planning their tour. Due to their
age factor and other health problems they should have a relaxed and enjoyable tour.

Wildlife Tourism: Wildlife is a term used to refer to both the floral and faunal components of a
natural environment. Many young enthusiasts and nature lovers as well as adventure seekers
are exploring his new area of tourism. Wildlife tourism is also considered an important element
in wildlife protection. On the other hand, The tourists can help in the conservation of wildlife
while on the other conversely their presence can affect the wildlife.

Space Tourism: Space tourism is the term broadly applied to the concept of paying customers
travelling beyond the earth’s atmosphere.