RECENT TYPES OF TOURISM.

Birth Tourism

Most Visited Countries: USA, UK, Canada, etc.

Birth right citizenship is the thing that is sought by people indulging in birth tourism.
This kind of tourism involves traveling from one country to another, in order to give
birth to a child so that the child automatically becomes a citizen of the destination
country. While the practice seems a little far-fetched, it is common in countries with
economic, social, and political instability. Wealthy circles in poorer/underdeveloped
countries are also often seen indulging in this kind of tourism so that their offspring
become citizens of developed nations, and thereby, gain all the benefits.
Culinary Tourism

Famous Destinations: France, Italy, Mexico,

etc.

Culinary tourism or food tourism involves tasting and experiencing the local and

traditional food of a particular country, region, or city/town/village. It is worth noting
that though food alongside accommodation and infrastructure is one of the key
components of tourism, there are numerous tours organized just for the sake of
experiencing the culinary culture. Today, with the overall growth of tourism sector,
this subset has also expanded and developed to a great extent. Culinary tourism
also includes ecotourism, a.k.a. wine tourism, wherein people visit certain regions
(such as the Napa Valley, California, USA, and Catalonia, Spain) specializing in
winemaking, in order to enjoy the exotic wines.
Dark Tourism

Famous Sites: Auschwitz concentration camp, Auschwitz, Germany; Ground

Zero, New York, USA; Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Phnom Penh, Cambodia,
etc.

This kind of tourism is also referred to as grief tourism, black

tourism, and thanatourism, and involves visiting those places and sites, which
have been witnesses to some of the major tragedies in history. Apart from their tragic
histories of human suffering and bloodshed, most of these locations are also popular
for their historical value. The curious human mind is often more attracted to places
that are associated with things far from normal, and hence, sites bearing violent
pasts have become popular tourist destinations, receiving a large inflow of visitors
year after year.
Disaster Tourism

Famous Instances: After the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano, Iceland;

after Hurricane Katrina, 2005, New Orleans, USA; after the Fukushima Nuclear
Disaster, 2011, Fukushima, Japan, etc.

Often criticized as an unethical form of tourism, people are said to be involved

in disaster tourism when, out of curiosity, they visit places that have just
encountered a major disaster. Such visits may adversely affect the rescue
operations on such sites, and also hurt the sentiments of the local people. However,
in the wake of several serious calamities, disaster tourism does gain an impetus with
more and more tour operators offering attractive packages to such affected areas.
Doom Tourism

Famous Sites: Amalia Glacier, South Patagonia, Chile; Mount Kilimanjaro,

Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania; Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, India, etc.

Also known by the names like last chance tourism and tourism of doom,this is an

emerging trend in the global tourism sector. First identified in 2007, it refers to
touring those places/sites/regions, which are under some kind of an environmental
and/or human threat. The basic aim of doom tourism is to urge people to visit the
threatened sites before they are lost forever, which is why the concept is gaining
popularity by the day. However, according to some critics, the growth of doom
tourism may, in fact, speed up the deterioration process of the already-threatened
sites.
Drug Tourism

Famous Destinations: Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Rif Mountains, Morocco;

Nimbin, New South Wales, Australia, etc.

Going to distant places for the purpose of buying and consuming drugs and
narcotics, which are illegal and illegitimate in one's own country/territory, amounts
to drug tourism. Not surprisingly, this kind of tourism involves a lot of legal
implications and constraints, and people found carrying illegal drugs can often be
prosecuted for drug smuggling. Nevertheless, there are some regions in the world
which are famous for their legal drug culture, and hence, thousands of tourists flock
to these places in order to acquire forbidden substances.
Genealogy Tourism

Most Visited Countries: Romania, Ireland, Germany,

etc.

This is a very interesting form of tourism in which tourists travel to the land(s) of their
ancestors in quest of their roots. While genealogy tourism has captured a
substantial market all across the world, it seems to be more prominent in various
diasporic communities the world over. Every year, several people, especially those
belonging to the emigrated populations, go to countries of their origin and seek to
reconnect with their pasts.
LGBT Tourism

Famous Destinations: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Prague, Czech Republic;

Brighton, England, etc.

Also known as gay tourism, this niche focuses mainly on the gay, lesbian, bisexual,
and transgender (LGBT) population. Even amidst innumerable criticisms, several
tourism agencies have realized the potential of the LGBT population to generate
money in tourism sector, and hence, the so-called "pink pound/pink dollar" is being
targeted. Owing to this, several destinations have also been developed to cater
specially to the LGBT tourists.
Nautical Tourism

Famous Spots: Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, USA; Costa Brava, Spain;

Sicily, Italy, etc.

Nautical tourism is a comparatively newer niche of tourism that focuses on

combining holiday activities with boating/sailing. The concept was first developed in
Europe and South America, but has now gained impetus even in the Pacific Rim and
the United States. Tourists not only prefer to sail to their destination, rather than fly,
but also indulge in various activities, such as fishing and snorkeling while on the
ship. Moreover, many of them also prefer to stay in their sailing vessels, instead of
taking other terrestrial accommodations, even on ports. Resultantly, nautical tourism
is also proving to be profitable, in that the demand for various nautical goods and
services have also increased.
Sex Tourism

Famous Destinations: Thailand, the Philippines, Dominican Republic,

etc.

Sex tourism refers to a kind of travel in which people travel to distant places to

indulge in sexual activities. Generally, this kind of tourism involves traveling to those
places/countries, wherein either prostitution is legal or the law enforcement agencies
are indifferent. However, there are several ethical and human rights issues involved
in sex tourism, especially pertaining to non-consensual sex and child prostitution.
Nevertheless, this is one of the most thriving niches of the world tourism industry.
Slum Tourism

Famous Sites: Hutongs, Beijing, China; Dharavi, Mumbai, India; Five Points,
New York, USA, etc.

In the 19th century, the concept of slum tourism developed as a niche in which

people were encouraged to visit the impoverished areas of the city/town so that the
people dwelling in those areas could get opportunities to sustain their families.
Initially, slum tourism focused on the slums of Manhattan and London, but later on,
the concept became popular in the rest of the world as well. Slum tourism is now
promoted as an opportunity for tourists to see and experience the local culture, at the
grassroots level. The niche is growing really fast in some of the poor and developing
countries.
Space Tourism

Space Tourists: Dennis Tito, USA (8 days); Anousheh Ansari, Iran (12 days);
Guy Laliberté, Canada (11 days).

Space tourism is another newly developed concept in the tourism sector. It involves
traveling to space for recreational or business purposes. A number of startup
companies offer space tours to a limited number of tourists each year, but the
concept is still in its developmental phase. Right from its inception, space tourism
has been subject to a large number of criticisms owing to its high costs, and also the
various legal constraints. However, there have been a number of such missions,
which have been successful.
Sports Tourism

Famous Destinations: Brazil, India, England,

etc.

Sports tourism, as the name suggests, involves sport(s) and the excitement and
enjoyment it offers, as its basis. It can be either active or passive in nature, which
means that one can either travel to another place in order to participate in a sport, or
just to watch it being played. Numerous sports, such as cricket, football, tennis, etc.,
have gained worldwide popularity today, and we see a large number of tours
organized at times of major tournaments, which enable people to watch these games
live in the stadiums. This niche of tourism generates a good amount of income each
year.
Virtual Tourism

Quick Fact: A virtual tourist can see places, not only as they are today, but also
how they were at different points in history, something that a "true" tourist cannot
do.

Virtual tourism is also a pretty recent niche of tourism that seems to completely
defy the very purpose of tourism. It refers to "experience" travel in an electronic
environment, thus, nullifying the mobility aspect of tourism. A virtual tourist visits
places through technologies, such as the Internet, thus, limiting or, in some cases,
even nullifying the aspects of time, distance, and cost. Though the niche is
developing steadily, virtual tourism can never replace "true" tourism. On the contrary,
it may encourage people to physically travel to places that they have seen in a virtual
environment.
War Tourism

Famous Sites: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima, Japan; Kurukshetra,

Haryana, India; National Atomic Testing Museum, Las Vegas, USA, etc.

War tourism, military tourism, or militarism heritage tourism refers to the kind of

tourism wherein people visit former military sites, war zones, or facilities such as
museums that exhibit artifacts pertaining to military history. A subset of war tourism
is atomic tourism wherein guided tours are provided to visitors at sites on which
atomic weapons were tested.
Wellness Tourism

Famous Destinations: China, Jordan, Cayman Islands,

etc.

Wellness tourism is a fast-growing trend in the tourism sector that refers to

traveling for the purpose of maintaining and enhancing one's body, mind, and soul.
This kind of tourism involves wellness solutions, such as massages, body
treatments, weight loss programs, beauty treatments, and so on. Owing to the
popularity of the trend, several destination spas have come up at various places,
which offer numerous facilities for tourists according to their likes and preferences.
Apart from the ones mentioned above, there is also something known
as experimental tourism, which involves engaging in tourism activities with an
entirely different approach or leaving everything to chance. Developed by writer Joel
Henry, the concept has not gained formal recognition yet.
No matter where you travel, with what aim, and for how long, it is extremely vital that
you take a sustainable approach. See to it that your visit does not adversely affect
the environment and local culture in any way, and that the integrity of the place is
maintained as far as possible.
Experiential tourism
With the growing trend demanding new travel destination, those popular and must-
go tourist attractions, metropolitan museum of art in NYC, for instance, may no
longer be the stand-out choice for some travellers. An authentically and locally,
sometimes off the beaten tracks, ancient ruins or historical landscapes become the
best alternative instead. The burgeoning tourism in Southeast Asia, which was not
the first choice for international visitors in the past, is a manifest example.
This increasingly popular type of travel, also called experiential travel, highlighting
the connection with the historical and cultural context. Travelers crave to learn and
understand something new and different by immersing themselves into new cultures.
The first-hand experience in the whole process of tea production in Vietnam, for
example, may become a sought-after experience to satisfy those travelers’ desires
for something alternative.