Types of Tourism

Adventure Tourism This type of tourism involves unusual holidays, which are very different from the typical beach vacation. It is a travel to remote areas: inaccessible and possible hostile areas where travelers expect the unexpected. It is characterized by its ability to provide the tourist with relatively high levels of sensory stimulation, usually achieved by including physically challenging experiential components with the (typically short) tourist experience. Most activities require significant effort and grit and usually involve some degree of risk.

Example of activities engaged in by tourists: Tramping Bushwhacking Hang Gliding Hunting

Cross-Country skiing Mountaineering Rappelling Rock Climbing Spelunking Bungee Jumping Skydiving

Arts Tourism This type of tourism focuses on the tourists gaining exposure to paintings, sculpture and other forms of art. It is usually considered a sub-category of cultural tourism. Tourists visit places to appreciate works of famous artists, local or international.

Example of activities engaged in by tourists: Visits to: museums Art Galleries Theaters HOUSES OF FAMOUS ARTISTS AND WRITERS

Cultural Tourism This type of tourism involves experiencing or having contact of different intensity with the unique social fabric, heritage and special characteristic of places. Enriching information and knowledge on other countries as well as satisfaction of the need for entertainment are two primary reasons for engaging in this kind of tourism.

Example of activities engaged in by tourists: Visits to: archaeological sites Historical sites Festivals Folk arts, music and dance

Ecotourism This type of tourism consist of travel to relatively undisturbed or uncontained natural areas with specific objective of studying, admiring, and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals, as well as any existing cultural manifestation(both past and present) found in the areas.

Example of activities engaged in by tourists: Bird Watching Whale Watching Scuba diving National and Natural Parks

Educational Tourism The main purpose of this tourism is learning. It is an organized learning usually made available to students, not actively seeking a degree, for a duration of not more than a year.

Ethnic Tourism Ethnic tourism is when travelers choose to experience firsthand the practices of another culture, usually isolated indigenous communities. It may involve performances, presentations and attractions portraying or presented by the host community.

Events Tourism This type of tourism refers to the travel of tourists to destinations to attend and/or participate in events, fairs, ceremonies, jubilees, parties or celebrations, pilgrimages, parades, rituals or rare natural phenomena like solar eclipses and volcanic eruptions are the primary tourist attractions.

Categories of Events: a.Mega-events –events that attract the largest number of tourists and usually would have a major impact on the image of the destination.

b.Special events – one time or infrequently occurring events outside the normal program or activities of the sponsoring or organizing body; may be a concert, a raffle draw or a special dinner.

c.Hallmark events – give a particular destination, high profile and provide the tourism theme for a destination.

Factory Tourism This type of tourism involves visits to factories to learn about the production process of products. One attraction of this type of tourism is factories sell their products as souvenirs and at a lower cost which the tourist also take advantage of.

Festival Tourism This type of tourism focuses on festivals. It is a sub- category of events tourism. Tourists travel particularly to join in the celebration of a certain festival. Pintados de Passi Dinagyang, Iloilo Sinulog Panagbenga, Baguio

Health Tourism This involves travel for improvement of health. It includes travel to spas and for massage and, medical treatments. Health tourism is the travel to a different country or state for health-related reasons. Lack of facilities in the home country, exorbitant cost of treatment in the home country, no or minimal insurance coverage, anonymity, and possibility of a holiday with health care are some of the drivers of this kind of tourism

Heritage Tourism WTO defines this type of tourism as an immersion in the natural history, human heritage, arts, philosophy and institutions of another region or country. People are driven by desire to learn about cultural traditions and artifacts. This type of tourism is also associated with cultural tourism.

MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Convention and Exhibition) Tourism This type of tourism involves travel to attend scientific, professional and even political gatherings. This is engages in more by business travelers than leisure travelers.

Nature-Based Tourism The main attraction for this type of tourism is nature. It is often associated with ecotourism and wildlife tourism. This kind of tourism take place principally on natural resources such as relatively undisturbed parks and natural areas, wetlands, wildlife reserves and other areas of protected flora, fauna, and habitats. This involves varying degrees of interaction of tourists with the environment.

Sports Tourism This type of tourism includes travel and participation or attendance at a predetermined sports activity. The sport can be competitive and/or recreational.

Urban Tourism This type of tourism involves travel to cities and large towns to enjoy its landscape and recreational activities

Disaster Tourism It involves travelling to a disaster scene. Tourists travel to a disaster area not to help but because it is interesting to see. They can hinder rescue, relief and repair work.

Gay Tourism (Pink Tourism) It is tourism participated by gays who have been open gay lifestyle. The primary purpose of travel is to be able to participate to some extent in the gay life of a certain destination.

Rural Tourism This is the type of tourism where people who like to escape their fast-paced urban life engaged in. Usually this kind of tourism takes place in country sides and far flung areas.

Sex Tourism This is tourism that is partially or fully for the purpose of having sex, often with prostitutes. Several researchers have enumerated possible reasons for engaging this kind of tourism (a) more relaxed morality law in the host community; (b) less rigorous enforcement of laws; (c.) cheaper rates; (d) more anonymity/privacy;(e) finding certain ethnic groups more attractive; and (f) finding sex in tropical surroundings and a hot climate more arousing.

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