Alternative
tourism can be defined as ‘forms of tourism that set out to be consistent with
natural, social and community values and which allow both hosts and guests to
enjoy positive and worthwhile interaction and shared experiences’. It involves
traveling to relatively remote, undisturbed natural areas with the objective of
admiring, studying and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals and
cultural attributes. It also considers the conservation of the environment and sustenance
and well-being of local people. Further, clients are expected to be
individuals. Accommodations are locally owned and small-scale. In general, alternative tourism is an alternative to the
mass standard tourism as philosophy and attitude. The main accent in these
travels is the preserved natural environment, authentic atmosphere and cuisine,
and local traditions. The alternative forms of tourism combine tourist products
or separate tourist services, different from the mass tourism by means of
supply, organization and the human resource involved. These are rural, ecotourism, adventure (biking,
horseback riding, snowshoeing, ski mountaineering, rafting, diving, caving,
climbing), thematic tourism –
connected with the cultural and historical heritage, the esoteric, religion, wine,
traditional cuisine, ethnography and traditional music and handicrafts.
Features of Alternative Tourism
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The attempted preservation, protection and enhancement of the quality of the resource
base which is fundamental to tourism itself.
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The fostering and active promotion of development, in relation to additional visitor
attractions and infrastructure, with roots in the specific locale and developed
in ways that complement local attributes.
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The endorsement of infrastructure, hence economic growth, when and where it improves
local conditions and not where it is destructive or exceeds the carrying capacity
of the natural environment or the limits of the social environment whereby the
quality of community life is adversely affected.
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Tourism which attempts to minimize its impact upon the environment, is ecologically
sound, and avoids the negative impacts of many large-scale tourism developments
undertaken in areas that have not previously been developed.
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An emphasis on not only ecological sustainability, but also cultural sustainability.
That is, tourism which does not damage the culture of the host community,
encouraging a respect for the cultural realities experienced by the tourists
through education and organized 'encounters'.