18 Different Types of Tourism | Globally Accepted

Last few years, tourists and their demands have frequently been changing. Also, the tourism industry is changing based on needs. This article elaborates on different types of tourism, tourists, planning, activities, products, travel, etc. It helps your travel planning as well.

Along with recreation, tourism has become one of the growing industries, and it’s the source of income for many people.

“Life is all about adventure, so pack your bags and start the tour.”

Different types of tourism
Different types of tourism

What is Tourism?

Niche Tourism

Tourism is a process of spending time away from daily routine or home to pursue recreation, relaxation, and pleasure while using the commercial provision of services.

Tourism in a country has many benefits: it creates employment, boosts revenue, develops infrastructure, helps in cultural exchange, etc. Travel duration under tourism must be less than 12 months (a consecutive year).

So, What comes first to mind when we hear the word Tourism?

The most common thought is to pack the rucksack and travel away from day-to-day life. That means the movement of people from their usual residence to another place.

Suppose your friend’s aim for the tour might differ from yours. For example, you may travel for recreation, but he may go for business.

Classification of Tourism

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism involves the movement of people in the country’s natural environment or outside the country for personal or other purposes. These different purposes classified the tourism industry in many ways.

This article lists the main tourism classifications: Domestic tourism, International tourism, Business tourism, Adventure tourism, Medical tourism, Educational tourism, etc.

classification of tourism
Classification of Tourism

Importance of Tourism – Why is tourism important?

Tourism has a direct impact on any country’s economy. The role of tourism in economic development is important. A vast amount of job possibilities can develop through public relations in tourism. Knowing another state/country’s taste culture is a great filling from a traveler’s perspective.

Mainly how many types of tourism are there

Mainly three types of tourism are found in any country. The classes are domestic tourism, International tourism, and outbound tourism. But nowadays, many types of tourism newly evolved.

18 Different Types of Tourism

The various types of tourism are developed nowadays and become popular; they are:-

  1. Domestic tourism
  2. International tourism
  3. Outbound tourism
  4. Business tourism
  5. Adventure tourism
  6. Wildlife tourism
  7. Medical tourism
  8. Wellness tourism
  9. Pilgrimage and spiritual tourism
  10. Cultural tourism
  11. Dark tourism
  12. Culinary tourism
  13. Celebrity tourism or Film tourism
  14. Educational tourism
  15. Cruise tourism
  16. Rural tourism
  17. Beach tourism
  18. Space tourism

Let’s discuss how many flavors and categories of tourism can be found in any country and accepted globally.

1. Domestic Tourism

Domestic tourism involves traveling in one’s own country, and tourists don’t cross international borders or entry points. Domestic tourism is used to minimize poverty, enhance infrastructure, and boost the economy’s growth and generation of employment.

2. International Tourism

Travel outside your country needs a visa and passport; called International tourism. For example, if you want to explore The UK from Sri Lanka, you need documents to enter another country.

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3. Outbound Tourism

This tourism defines a tourist traveling for a holiday to a different country, like your residents in Bali and traveling to Barcelona. It is an example of outbound Tourism.

4. Business Tourism

This tourist travels to meetings, officially gets together for conferences, etc.

Business tourism plays a vital role in the tourism sector. Sometimes, people stay out of their typical environment for more than a year for business purposes and spend their vacations there.

General activities related to business tourism include attending meetings, officially getting together, conferences, seminars, visiting exhibitions and trade fairs, etc. This tourism levels up the purchasing power.

Business types of tourism
Business Tourism

5. Adventure Tourism

Adventure tourism is a person’s travel from one place to another to seek fresh adventures and activities. This form of tourism is most famous among young tourists and people who like to explore remote areas. It encourages us to leave our comfort zone by undertaking activities like hiking, rafting, climbing, diving, etc.

Adventure tourism is increasing day by day. You could also try whitewater rafting, the Ladakh tour, the Kedarnath tour, Port Blair, and Andaman and Nicobar tour for the adventure.

Types of Tourists
Adventure Tourism

6. Wildlife Tourism

Wildlife tourism is people’s travel to different places to observe and interact with wildlife, flora, and fauna in their natural habitat. Safaris, visiting the animal rescue center, swimming with dolphins, etc., are examples of wildlife tourism.

Because of exotic species of wildlife, this tourism became recognized. The Sariska Wildlife or Hyde Park Sanctuary, Keoladeo Gana National Park, and Corbett National Park are renowned for wildlife tourism. The Great Barrier Reef is also famous in Australia.

Wildlife tourism
Wildlife tourism

7. Medical Tourism

Many people travel for treatment, and several medical institutes cure foreign patients. Thailand has recorded 6000,000 new patients every year. Malaysia also treated over 100,00 tourists in 2005. 45% of foreign tourists come to Chennai for medical treatment.

Medical tourism package
Medical Tourism

8. Wellness Tourism

Wellness tourism has been a significant part of tourism since ancient times. This tourism mainly attracts those tourists who want to regain their health. Wellness tourism will help you to get rid of mental and health stress.

Tourists recover their health issues through physical, spiritual, or psychological activities. All around the world, plenty of destinations are popular for improving health.

Examples include Mexico Temazcal Beach Resort Spa, Caribbean wellness cruise, California weight loss and detox retreats, Colorado Hiking and Mountain Yoga retreat, and China Hot Spring Resorts TCM.

Ayurveda, Yoga, Meditation, Panchakarma, and Rejuvenation Therapy are the oldest Therapy of treatments to improve health and the best way to develop wellness tourism.

Wellness Tourism
Wellness Tourism

9. Pilgrimage and Spiritual Tourism

Pilgrimage or spiritual tourism is when a person journeys to other places for spiritual or religious reasons. 

Spiritual tourism helps support local cultural activities and handicrafts, generating employment and revenue. Trips to Jerusalem, Bodh Gaya, Hajj, etc., are pilgrimage or spiritual tourism.

This tour has been famous for ages, but It’s popular among older people mainly. Vaishno Devi, Golden Temple, Char Dham, and Mathura Vrindavan are some places famous for Pilgrimage tours.

10. Cultural Tourism

Cultural tourism is a person’s journey to learn and participate in local festivals, rituals, and cultural activities of other places. It’s more than a commercial activity.

This form of tourism helps spread aboriginal communities’ culture, traditions, diversity, and richness to the rest of the world.

Visit the historical sites and the artistic features of that country too. Famous cultural tourism places are:-

  • India Durga puja in Kolkata, Temples at Banaras, Jaipur, known as the pink city Palace in Rajasthan. Forts and monuments in Delhi, Agra, UP.
  • UK – Tower of London, The British Museum, Big Ben, London Durga puja, etc.
  • Kenya – The main attraction is the dance of the Maasai tribe.
  • Morocco – The main attractions are the Olive Festival and Honey Festival.
  • Jordan – The main attraction- is Jerash, famous for Roman architecture Petra, the red-rose curved rock city and one of the seven world wonders, and Shoubak with its Montreal Crusader Castle.
  • Greece – The main attraction- is the Lion Gate of Mycenae.
  • Turkey – the main attraction- Sultan Ahmed. Mosque, House of the Virgin Mary.
  • Vietnam – The main attraction- is Sapa Market.
  • Ireland tour – Cliffs of Moher, Dublin, Killarney National Park, etc.
Cultural tourism
Cultural Tourism

11. Dark Tourism

Dark tourism, Black tourism, or grief tourism are related to people’s travel to historical places involved with tragedy and death. Since 2016, dark tourism has significantly increased (over 1200%). Chornobyl, cemeteries, Ground Zero, historical museums, and Auschwitz are popular dark tourism destinations. 

It is referred to as mourning tourism. Dark tourism involves visiting those places and sites that have witnessed the greatest tragedies in history. Besides this history of human suffering and bloodshed, these locations are famous for their historical value.

So, those sites that carry potent pesticides have become popular tourist destinations and attract many tourists yearly.

Like Famous sites In Japan, Hiroshima & Nagasaki bombing locations, Ground Zero, New York, USA. The War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Auschwitz concentration camp, Auschwitz, Germany; Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, etc.

DAAR TOURISM
Dark Tourism

12. Culinary Tourism

Culinary or food tourism involves tasting and experiencing local and traditional food in a specific country, region, city/town/village.

It is significant that besides accommodation and infrastructure. Here, food is one of the prime components. Therefore, lots of tours are organized here to experience the culinary culture.

Today, with the overall growth of this sector, tourism has expanded and developed to the next level.

Every year, Different states of India organize food festivals at different times in different states. Thousands of people from abroad join this festival to enjoy traditional food.

Everyone knows India is called “The land of spices.” And every state has unique kinds of food culture. Today, it is a significant part of tourism.

Culinary Tourism includes where people visit certain regions like California, Napa Valley, Catalonia, USA, and Spain) to enjoy foreign wines.

Famous Destinations: London, France, Beijing, Mexico, Italy, etc.

Culinary Tourism
12. Culinary Tourism

13. Celebrity Tourism or Film Tourism

Celebrities are the primary source of attraction for celebrity or film tourism. In this form of tourism, tourists visit places where a celebrity currently lives or has lived. Management organizations use celebrity tourism to promote a place or attraction.

Although no celebrities are present, only you can see the entire studio. Many Destination Management organizations (DMOs) use celebrity tourism to promote destinations as an attraction.

Popular celebrity tourism destinations are – Hollywood, Harry Potter Studios, Ramoji Film City India, Cannes Film Festival, Hong Kong, and Madame Tussauds.

film tourism
Film Tourism

14. Educational Tourism

Educational tourism is a new pattern of tourism that comprises learning new things. It’s the journey a person takes to leave his hometown or country for educational or learning purposes. Educational tourism is famous in Japan, Australia, the UK, etc.

An educational tourist can be away from his hometown for many days. Education and learning are the key reasons for their travels, and it is learning knowledge from historical places, cultural and social events, and understanding a language.

It’s used as a tool to complement education by gathering travel experience. Many educational institutes combine these trends in primary schools and are compulsory in higher education.

15. Cruise Tourism

Holidays based partially or wholly on a cruise ship are considered cruise tourism. It provides tourists with a multi-centered holiday experience. Cruise ships (like small yachts, big ships, etc.) take people on a tour of oceans, fjords, or rivers.

Throughout their trip, tourists can enjoy time at various destinations. The Mediterranean, Caribbean, Arctic, Antarctica, etc., are famous destinations. It’s the newest and fastest-growing part of the world’s tourism industry.

The world’s famous coastline and inland waterways have the potential to develop cruise and houseboat tourism like Quark Expeditions, OZ Cruising, and A-ROSA River Cruises.

India has many types of tourist cruises. Soon, India will be including Ocean Cruise, River Cruises, and Lake Cruises.

16. Rural Tourism

There are many forms of tourism, and It’s divided into many parts. In this category, a tourist spends leisure time in rural areas or villages. Visitors can make a plan to visit the rural area for some days or a couple of months. 

Especially Solo travelers can visit those places to enjoy their lonely time. They join all the local activities that happen in this village.

Rural tourism is included in a ‘country holiday’ where tourists spend much of their leisure time. Thus, they taste the recreational activities in the rural environment.

Like Farming in Rural Punjab, The Spiti Valley Rural Tourism, Sundarban and Jodhpur Village Life, Bhubandanga West Bengal, and Community Tourism in Kutch. 

rural tourism
Rural Tourism

17. Beach Tourism

Beach tourism is how a beach plays a major element in the holiday, and it’s the most modern form and the staple of tourism.

In beach tourism, tourists travel to a beach for leisure, recreation, or business purposes. People who like the clear blue sight of a beach undertake this journey. 

Popular Beach Destinations: The Maldives, Seychelles, Turks And Caicos, French Polynesia, Africa, Queensland, Australia, Philippines, Thailand, Bali In Indonesia, Lakshadweep, Goa, Puri, etc.

Why is Beach Tourism important?

  • Beach tourism has brought about many economic benefits.
  • It has led to the building of many attractions, resorts, etc.
  • Beach resorts help in meeting the increase in intra-regional demand and domestic demand. 
  • This type of tourism creates numerous employment opportunities.
beach tourism
Beach tourism

Negative Impacts of Beach Tourism

  • It leads to the wastage of a lot of resources and space.
  • Beach tourism pollutes water and environmental resources. 
  • Building new berths, marinas, etc., hurts coastal and marine life.

18. Space Tourism

We have seen significant changes in the aviation industry in the last 100 years. What was once used for warfare and cargo transport is now used for traveling.

Human development has now broken all bounds to take this journey to the vast emptiness of space.

Russia has been the pioneer in this field. Soyuz spacecraft conducted its first space trip with American businessman Dennis Tito in April 2001.

It was a government spacecraft that conducted seven space expeditions within the next six years.
This surge in public interest led other organizations worldwide to dive into this area.

space tourism
Space Tourism

There are different types of space tourism

Orbital Space Tourism: These flights remain within an orbit around the Earth at a speed higher than suborbital space flights. These flights orbit the world constantly for their entire stay in outer space.

Sub-orbital Space Tourism: This was the beginning of space tourism. The spacecraft launches with a substantial initial velocity that pushes it out of the Earth’s atmosphere. But this doesn’t throw it entirely out of the gravitational sphere. The power is insufficient for orbiting, so it freezes once the engines are shut off.

SpaceX C.E.O. Elon Musk proposed the prospect of lunar tourism. In 2018, he announced the ‘Dear Moon Project,’ the highly anticipated first lunar space tourism mission. They will carry out this project in 2022 with Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa.

Space Tourism cost

The cost of each sub-orbital trip on the Soyuz spacecraft is reported to be 200,000-250,000 million U.S. dollars. Other trips carried out by different organizations were priced around the same margin.

Virgin Galactic recently announced that each ticket would cost 450,000 USD for the upcoming missions.

Space Tourism companies

Even though the industry is still up and coming, massive companies dominate the market. Space Adventures of Virginia, U.S.A, was the first successful space tourism company.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, and Amazon C.E.O. Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin are all set to launch their space tourism business by 2022. Blue Origin recently conducted its debut flight with Jeff Bezos.

Oliver Daemen and Wally Funk were the world’s youngest and oldest men in space, respectively.

Space Tourism advantages

The universe and outer space have always been intriguing subjects for people on Earth. Yet, there were limited resources to satisfy their curiosity. The option of space tourism thus connects people with space in a unique way and solves its mystery. A more ecological advantage is the waste policy.

There is minimum pollution associated with these travels. Also, this allows a whole new sector of job opportunities for highly educated professionals and ambitious youth.

Top 13 list of space tourists

  1. Dennis Tito (American): April 28 – May 6, 2001
  2. Richard Branson
  3. Gennady Padalka
  4. Guy Laliberté
  5. Eytan Stibbe
  6. Sian Proctor
  7. Mark Shuttleworth (South African / British): April 25 – May 5, 2002
  8. Gregory Olsen (American): October 1 – October 11, 2005
  9. Anousheh Ansari (Iranian / American): September 18 – September 29, 2006
  10. Charles Simonyi (Hungarian): April 7 – April 21, 2007[8]
  11. Richard Garriott (American): October 12 – October 23, 2008[9]
  12. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor (Malaysian): October 10 – October 23, 2007

Space Tourism in India

Space activities, in general, have been quite a staggering section in India. Last year, the government announced a policy that opens space exploration to private sectors, but hardly any company has taken action on it.

Entrepreneur Santhosh George Kulangara will be the first Indian space tourist as he booked his spot on a Virgin Galactic space flight in 2007. Hopefully, he will join Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, Gregory Olsen, and many more this year.

Forms of Tourism

  1. Atomic Tourism
  2. Beach Tourism
  3. Bicycle Tours
  4. Eco-Tourism
  5. Geo-Tourism
  6. Industrial Tourism
  7. Rural Tourism
  8. Space Tourism
  9. Sports Tourism
  10. Sustainable Tourism
  11. Virtual Tourism
  12. War Tourism

What is the main purpose of tourism?

  1. Economic Sustainability: It ensures the effectiveness and competitiveness of tourism destinations and enterprises. It helps continue improvement, which is beneficial in the long run.
  2. Local enrichment: Tourist destination prosperity is an enormous part of tourism. The tourism business continuously maximizes the economic growth of the host destination.
  3. Employment Standards: Tourism supported the level of wages, terms of service, and availability for all. It creates local jobs without discrimination based on gender, race, disability, or other means.
  4. Local management: Involve local communities and empower local people for planning and decision-making. The community and tourism management team helped to develop this.
  5. Community Welfare: Maintain and boost the local community’s lifestyle. They are part of social structures. But surely, this process should take place with no social humiliation or exploitation.
  6. Natural Integration: Maintain and improve the quality of both urban and rural landscapes. It avoids natural and visual degradation of the environment.
  7. Natural Integration: Maintain and improve the quality of both urban and rural landscapes. It avoids natural and visual degradation of the environment.
  8. Biodiversity: Another purpose of tourism is to assist in conserving wildlife and natural wildlife areas and reducing losses.
  9. Environmental cleanness: Besides the purpose of tourism, all tourists must reduce air, water, and land pollution and waste generation.
  10. Tourism is a significant part of national integration.
  11. Tourism always motivates tourists to understand their traditions, heritage, culture, and religion.
  12. Tourism’s most significant part is economic growth or the business part of the destination. It encourages local people to create handicraft items and prepares local food items, souvenirs, dresses, etc., for sale.
  13. Tourism is one such thing that constantly boosts the country economically.

Niche Tourism

This tourism focuses on a specific aspect of traveling. It also focuses on the consumer market segment’s interest. It makes the destination more exciting and marketable. Niche Tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors.
Niche tourism indicates a specific feature of travel.

For example, some tourists want a museum, some wish to visit old architectural monuments, buildings, palaces, etc., and some want to eat in a famous restaurant. Thus, niche Tourism shows a particular activity that is not the only focus of travel.

Niche Tourism
Pilgrimage Tourism

Types of Niche Tourism

  • Macro-Niche
  • Micro-Niche

What is Macro-Niche?

Macro-niche tourism can be explained as a niche with broad customer interest categories such as rural tourism, Business tourism, sports tourism, medical tourism, environmental travel, etc.

What is Micro-Niche?

It is a small group trip, such as gastronomy tourism, cycling tourism, and geo-tourism.

Niche tourism in South Africa

South Africa is an attractive destination because of the wide diversity of animal and bird species. As a result, tourism professionals found this country has considerable potential.

Advantages of Niche Tourism

  •  Even if niche tourism is smaller than mainstream markets, it spreads more.
  •  It has more potential to grow.
  •  It creates quality jobs that require specialized skills.

What are the different types of tourists?

When we visit a place, we find different kinds of travelers. The aim of each traveler is different. Let us discuss the types of visitors. Five types of tourists are found mostly:-

  1. Incentive tourists– These tourists did not plan for the tour earlier. Suppose you have been rewarded with two tickets from the office because of your performance. You and your colleagues came for the trip.
  2. Business tourist– This type of tourist travels for business. They will always prefer a hotel with a conference room. They don’t come to enjoy luxury, but they want the hotel to serve everything on time.
  3. Leisure tourist– This type of tourist comes to enjoy the vacation. They love those hotels that serve them something extra, like drinks. They choose hotels that give them comfort and luxury at their best.
  4. Special interest tourists– They often plan their tours very well. This tourist doesn’t need comfort but loves to do adventure.
  5. The Foodie tourist– This type is quite common. They wish to taste various foods in various places. The signature dishes of those areas and various kinds of foods.

Types of a Tourist Attraction

We have to keep in mind that attraction varies from person to person. For example, suppose Rahul and Sheela are traveling to Kashmir. Rahul is interested in climbing the mountains to see snowfall, whereas Sheela is excited to visit the temples in Kashmir.

Tourist attractions could be classified into the following two categories:-

  1. Natural attraction– If you are a nature lover, don’t miss The Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand, Coorg, known as the ‘Scotland of India.’
  2. Events and heritage attractions– Goa is a place for heritage lovers. So pack your bag, take the camera, and start your journey towards Goa. I am sure you will have an unforgettable lesson in Goa’s history. Fort Aguada, Chandor, and some famous museums are places to visit.

What is Tourism Planning?

Perfect planning is always a matter of the success of any activity. Whenever we plan something and implement it, we get a better result. It’s the same with tourism. But it is neither guaranteed nor forever. It’s a process where the people’s needs are determined using the best resources, programs, and activities.

How do these tourism plans help us?

A tourism plan makes guidelines for the areas. Then, it helps the government and private sectors to develop those areas. Most importantly, we must remember a few steps involved in tourism planning.

Main types of tourism planning

  • Financial planning
  • To establish the objective 
  • Human resource planning
  • Monitoring progress
  • Human resource planning.

Types of Tourism Activities

There are various kinds of tourism activities. Like- 

  1. Boat tour
  2. Hiking
  3. Game drive
  4. Heritage trails
  5. Swimming with dolphins
Types of Tourism activities
Domestic Tourism

 Name of some international tourist organization-

  1. American Society of Travel Agents: Founded 1931, Headquarter- New York
  2. International Academy of Tourism: Founded-1951, Headquarter- Monge Carlo
  3. International Bureau of Social Tourism: Founded 1963, Headquarters- Brussels
  4. International Touring Alliance: Founded-1919, Headquarters- Europe
  5. World Tourism Organization: Founded 1975, Headquarter- Madrid.

Types of Tourism packages

For different categories of tourists, everybody needs a separate package. Let’s discuss the various types of Packages that are available.

1. Adventure Tourism Package

This tourism encourages people to come out of their comfort zone to feel the thrill of nature closely in life. It is found that people are taking adventure more often. It shows potential growth in recent years.

The most exotic and adventurous destinations are Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Jammu, and Kashmir.

2. Wildlife Tourism Package

In every country, wildlife tourism is famous. But, if you love wildlife, you must choose the right package. This package is exclusively for wildlife lovers who love taking their snaps.

3. Medical tourism package 

It has been observed that medical tourism has grown rapidly in Asia-specific countries.

4. Pilgrimage tourism package

Many foreigners visit various temples in India, Sri Lanka, and Singapur. However, the major attraction is the traditional architecture, art forms, and rituals performed.

Famous pilgrimage areas are the Meenakshi Temple, Golden Temple, Jagannath Temple, Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Atala Mosque, etc. Therefore, this type of package is chosen based on your religious beliefs.

Pilgrimage tourism
Pilgrimage tourism

5. Eco-tourism Package

This type of tourism has become one of the fascinating travel forms. Although eco-tourism is more of a travel philosophy, it attracts many tourists. Some eco-tourism destination areas are Kerala, Galgibaga Beach, Goa, and Coorg.

6. Cultural Tourism Package

The social richness of any country draws visitors from every corner of the world to witness sheer celebrations. The cultural tour package offers you a comprehensive exploration of the different shades. Moreover, this package will bring a tourist a closer view of traditions and architecture.

Along with these, we found tourism packages like-

7.   Family Tourism Package

A family tour package is designed keeping in mind the family’s needs. It gives assurance of total relaxation and fun pastimes.

The package includes adults, kids, and the elderly. This package includes sightseeing trips, tours of historical places, and adventure trips.

8. Honeymoon Tourism Package

Couples, after their marriages, take a honeymoon tour package, and it provides newlyweds with all the perquisites to make their trip memorable.

The honeymoon tourism package includes lodgings, dining, food & drinks, etc. Famous destinations for a honeymoon tour package are Maldives, Bali, Mauritius, etc.

9. Wellness Tourism Package

Traveling to other places for health and well-being takes a wellness tourism package. Tourists take this package to visit sites that provide recuperation facilities. Wellness tourism has seen a significant boost in the modern years.

Popular destinations for a wellness tourism package are Ayurveda centers, Iceland (for its spas), Bali (for yoga), etc.

10. Cruise Tourism Package

A cruise tourism package provides tourists with a journey filled with fun and recreational activities onboard and excursions onshore.

Tourists get an all-planned ship or boat trip for a specific date to a particular location at a specific price. These packages are curated as per the needs of the tourists.

What are Tourism Products?

According to the market’s needs, the customer supplies anything in the market for use/consumption, called a product.

A product can be offered in the market observation, purchase, use, or any need or demand.

A tourism product is provided to the tourist during their traveling. It mainly focuses on facilities and services designed to meet the needs.

It includes physical objects, services, personalities, places, and ideas. The above components are provided by one company or any group of companies. Tourism products can be given to tourists in a tourist destination.

Products are needed for leisure, pleasure, religious, or business purposes. These products are provided in the market at a cost.

The main reason for choosing a tourist destination is a tourism product. It gives an economic boost to the destination. So it needs to be marketed and stored in a hassle manner.

Services are designed for the visitor to fulfill their needs. Therefore, it is a combination of products. Thus, the country’s total tourism and tourist satisfaction depend on the sum of its attractions, transportation, accommodation, entertainment, etc.

Individual service providers, such as hotels, airlines, travel agencies, etc, provide every element of a tourism product. Therefore, you can analyze these products’ attractiveness, accommodation, and accessibility.

Types of Tourism Products 

Attractions: It is one of the main elements. Tourists will not be encouraged to visit certain places without attractions. Attractions are the ingredients. The product determines the choice of a particular tourist to visit a specific destination.

Attractions include archaeological, cultural, and historical buildings, monuments, beach resorts, mountains, flora and fauna, national parks, trade fairs, arts and music festivals, exhibitions, games, etc. Nowadays, tourists are susceptible to changes in fashion.

Accessibility: That means by which a visitor can reach the attraction place. Tourists visit the attraction destination by different transport modes. Visitors visit his predetermined location by car, motorcycle, train, ship or boat, airplane, or cycle.

The place becomes very cheap if any destinations do not have good transport systems. Tourist centers should be located near tourist-producing markets. It is connected to a network of efficient transportation to receive the largest number of tourists.

Accommodation: Another tourism product is accommodation. It is an essential part of tourism—the tourist destination location must-have hotels, guest houses, camping, and homestay. An alternate arrangement should exist if accommodation is not possible at the central location. At least some distance away.

Hospitality: It is a major factor for a tourist destination that will develop in the future. The location’s restaurants, pubs, cafes, foods, and beverage serving style increase location attractiveness.

Natural tourism products: Our nature is beautiful and precious to us. Nature has arranged amazing things in different parts of the world, such as – hills, mountains, caves, glaciers, sea, islands, beaches, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, wildlife, deserts, etc.

The tourism product utilizes those natural gifts as a Natural tourism product, such as snow-capped mountains in Kashmir, Dudhsagar Falls in Goa, palm-fringed beaches of Goa, the wildlife of Kaziranga National Park in Assam, the Thar Desert in Jaisalmer, etc.

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Human-created tourism products

Artificial tourism products are those that humans create. Human-made tourism products’ primary purpose is to attract tourists, such as Temples, Forts, palaces, museums, theme parks, etc.

The destination’s tradition and culture play a vital role in tourism. Humans maintain it to attract tourists through- classical dance – music, folk dance, paintings, handicrafts, festivals, fairs, etc.

Educational Tourism
Educational Tourism

Examples: Machu Picchu World Heritage Site, Egyptian pyramids, Taj Mahal, Red Fort in Agra, Lothal in Gujarat, Mexican pyramids, or Mesoamerican pyramids are important archaeological sites.

The Bhangra dance form of Punjab, the Kolkata Book Fair, the Durga puja in Kolkata, the Brass work of Muradabad, etc., are also included in human-made tourism products.

Tour guides are another main aspect of traveling. It is also a parameter for tourism. National and international travelers need a travel guide to discover a new place. Sometimes, national travelers may visit any tourist destination on their own.

But an international traveler always wants a good tourist guide. How do you present the location, and how much information do you provide to understand the place? It depends on a guided tour and a travel guide. This parameter upgrades the tourist destination’s level.

What are the different types of tourist destinations?

Types of tourism and types of tourist destinations may sound synonymous. However, the two have slight conceptual differences. Tourism is a broader concept, including the aspects of tourism and hospitality.

At the same time, a tourist destination is a narrower concept applying to places of tourist attraction. Based on the type of place and the causes of interest, the tourist’s destinations are:

  • Coastal Destinations – Preferred mostly for the ample sunshine and salty waters lining lands adjoining the sea. Be it domestic or international coastal locations, they are great for fun and relaxation. They are favored mostly by people living in inland areas away from the sea.
  1. Beaches – The meeting point of land with the ocean offers a great tourist attraction. Waves hitting the shores of sandy beaches are great for tourists. In addition, new beach activities like parasailing, beach biking, etc., also attract tourists immensely.
  2. Island – A land in the middle of the sea or ocean on all sides is an island. Tourists are taken mainly by boat from the mainland to explore these islands. Islands standing in between a river are called riverine islands.
  3. Mangroves – It offers a panoramic view amidst the confluence of a river with the sea/ocean. Example: Sundarbans of India.
  • Inland Destinations – Travel away from the coast is an inland destination. A variety of sub-classifications can come in under like:

Based on the type of region:

  1. Hill stations – Offering a surreal view from an altitude, all mountains and hills are great tourist destinations.
  2. Jungles – Trekking/hiking/driving through the wild greenery are great tourist attractions. Protected areas like Reserve Forests and National Park serve the twin purpose of tourism and conservation.

Based on the population structure

  1. Rural – For a change, get away from the fast-paced urban life to taste village life. Touring rural locations is gaining popularity because of lower population density, greener areas, and a serene environment.
  2. Urban – Posh urban destinations offer a pull factor for tourists to experience ultra-modern and urban life. Examples: New York, Shanghai, etc.
  3.  Offbeat – Previously undiscovered newer locations around famous tourist spots are offbeat destinations. With lower tourist popularity, the exclusiveness of these places is retained.

Based on the type of activity

  1. Hiking and Camping – Places, where tourists come mostly for hiking or camping (day/night), are fast gaining popularity. These places are primarily amidst nature and come under adventure tourism.
  2. Preserved sites – Sites like UNESCO World Heritage sites have become popular tourist destinations. The rich natural/cultural value owes them their status.

Based on historical/religious importance

  1. Historical Places & Monuments – Tourists flock to places holding remnants of the past. Areas having historic architecture and events give an insight into the past culture. Examples: Taj Mahal and Jalianwallah Bagh, etc.
  2. Pilgrimages & Holy Shrines: Religious tourism has flourished here, making it a spiritual destination. Example: Hajj of Mecca, Bethlehem for Christians.
  3. Museums and buildings: Places where artifacts and remnants of historical culture are well preserved. Famous among tourists of all ages.

Based on entertainment

  1. Luxury destinations: Locations that only promote high-end tourism are luxury destinations. Example: Bali.
  2. Carnival: Annually, countries host cultural events to celebrate any occasion for a short period. When tourists travel here to enjoy themselves, it becomes a popular destination. Example: Christmas Carnival in Toronto.
  3. Amusement Park and Zoo: Famous for the lot is Disney Land, a great tourist destination for children. Singapore Zoo, which ushers in global tourists.
Alhambra Spain
Alhambra Spain

Tourism Destinations

According to UNWTO in the “World’s Top Tourism Destination,” the first four places for International tourism are France, Spain, the USA, and China.

A tourism destination is the endpoint of the journey. But, of course, we all have some goals in every field, so it’s the same with tourism.

There are various types of tourist destinations. They are as follows:-

  1. Centered Destination
  2. Based Destination
  3. Multi-centre Destination
  4. Touring Destination
  5. Transit Destination

Types of Tourist Attractions

  • Historial attractions
  • Cultural attractions
  • Political significance
  • The natural or scenic beauty
  • Leisure travel
  • Fun and Amusement

How many Types of Tourism are there in India?

There are 16 Different kinds of tourism in India, but the list may increase.

Is there anything about tourism that I’ve missed?

Over the past 75 years, the travel industry has made great strides in harmoniously uniting strangers, travelers, and locals. As a result, visits and travel are more than adventure, learning new skills, rejuvenating, and achieving perfection.

Tourism has changed from providing services like rooms, flights, and meals that people were satisfied with ten years ago. Now, people want to experience whale watching or mountain biking.

In the luxury sector, wealthy people spend more money on an experience than objects. It is called experience economics, and there is an idea that the memories of tourist values ​​are compared to some physical resources. The rate of global tourists is increasing daily, and every country is trying to make its tourism more developed and successful.

As you can see, the tourism industry is vast and diverse. There are different kinds of tourism here; some have been around for decades, and others are just emerging.

A tour to the Grand Canyon would fall under which type of tourism?

Grand Canyon tour would fall into natural adventure tourism. Here, you can enjoy – The floor Landing Helicopter Tour, ATV, Gold Mine Tour, White Water Adventure Tour, and Rim Airplane Tour.