Alternative tourism

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'.

Sustainable Tourism

Tourism is the world’s largest industry. Although it is a “smokeless industry”, it has environmental implications. Expanding tourism has the great capacity to pollute the environment. The environmental resources exploited for tourism attract tourists because of their outstanding beauty, recreational possibilities or cultural interest. The environmental amenities which attract tourists have tended to be taken for granted. But in every tourist spot there is a carrying capacity for tourists, which will vary with the fragility of the area and with the nature of the tourist activity. Of all the modern industries, tourism has the greatest need to protect the environment of the places of natural and cultural importance – be it a monument, sanctuary or a beach.

Sustainable tourism is a kind of approach to tourism meant to make the development of tourism ecologically supportable in the long term. The very importance of sustainable tourism lies in its motives to conserve the resources and increase the value of local culture and tradition. Sustainable tourism is a responsible tourism intending to generate employment and income along with alleviating any deeper impact on environment and local culture.
Definition:-

“Sustainable Tourism Development is a systematic process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investment, the orientation of technology development and institutional changes are made consistent with present needs and without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own need.”
Characteristics of Sustainable Tourism
Sustainable Tourism tries to maintain the importance of local culture and tradition.
Sustainable Tourism is informatory, as it doesn’t only let tourist know about the destinations but it also helps locals to know about the culture and civilisation of tourists.
This kind of tourism is aimed to conserve the resources of destinations.
Sustainable Tourism seeks deeper involvement of locals, which provide local people an opportunity of employment.
Any development without proper planning and control, without any thought given to the environmental factors can in fact prove to be disastrous. As many agencies are involved in tourism development, coordination is very necessary among the agencies concerned. In order to develop a sustainable tourism, some key areas to consider include:
sound financial planning for environmental management
sensitivity to cultural and social dynamics
efficient management, training and customer service
consideration and inclusion of all concerned offices
long term vision and good joined-up governance
marketing and communications programs to showcase the positive elements
Relationship between Ecotourism and Sustainable tourismEcotourism basically deals with nature based tourism, and is aimed “to conserve the environment and improves the well-being of local people”. On the other hand, sustainable tourism includes all segments of tourism, and has same function to perform as of ecotourism – to conserve the resources and increase the local cultural and traditional value. Though the goals of ecotourism and sustainable tourism are much similar, but the latter is broader and conceals within itself very many aspects and categories of tourism.
Conclusion:
Sustainable tourism is about refocusing and re-adapting. A balance must be found between limits and usage so that continuous changing, monitoring and planning ensure that tourism can be managed. This requires thinking long-term (10, 20+ years) and realising that change is often cumulative, gradual and irreversible. Economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainable development must include the interests of all stakeholders including indigenous people, local communities, visitors, industry and government.

Role of media in tourism

The role that the media is playing in the various aspects of life is becoming increasingly greater each day, especially in spheres like social interaction, and cultural and educational aspects of our life. As archaeological monuments can articulate the traditions, customs and heritage of the past, the media can in its turn clarify today's values and civilizations of the different countries and hence attempt to correct any widespread erroneous information. Both the media and archaeological monuments have messages and missions with various dimensions. The media contributes greatly in activating tourist attractions.

Before discussing the role of the media as an instrument in tourism policy, it should be noted that, broadly speaking, the relationship between tourism and the media is one of inclusion. When speaking of tourism policy that focuses on specific areas of tourism, the media become a mediator between tourism and society, meaning that they mediate in a process of conveying tourism products from the producers to the consumers.

Media communications technologies are imperative for frontline investments for sustainable globalised tourism development indicators. The powerful effects of media communications can bring sweeping changes of attitudes and behaviour among the key actors in local, national and global tourism for peace, security and sustainable development. The social, cultural, economic, political and environmental benefits of tourism would usher in monumental and historic changes in the country. As the verdict goes, the media has a social responsibility to enhance the blending of local, national and international cultural values for enriched politics, society and economy. Public communications strategy based on access to quality information and knowledge will drive the new global tourism through partnership initiatives such as: peace and security, conflict resolutions for eco tourism, quality tourism, Joint ventures, technology transfer, etc.

Development in communication is one of the best ways to go in developing eco tourism. This strategy involves the planned communication component of programmes designed to change the attitudes and behaviour of specific groups of people in specific ways through person to person communication, mass media, traditional media or community communication. It is aims at the delivery of services and the interface between service deliverers and beneficiaries where people are empowered to by informed choice, education, motivation and facilitation effecting the expected changes. This can be done by media advocacy targeting all key stakeholders involved in the tourism industry. Effective use of communication techniques can barriers and promote better uses participatory message design which combines both traditional and modern media. Like: The internet granted the freedom enjoyed by print media and common carriers such as letters, mails, and cable to the public media. Through audio streaming it is possible to enhance the reach of radio signals to any part of the world. The internet’s vast capacity enables each media house to exhaustively investigate and publish in depth analyses. Internet radio is not limited to audio as pictures, images, digital files and graphics are accessible to the users. Advertisers and their audiences can easily interact via the internet broadcasts.

The media have a crucial role to play in putting emerging destinations. The relationship between tourism and the media is vital and complex. Tourism is highly dependant on media reporting because the vast majority of travel decisions are made by people who have never seen the destination first hand for themselves. When there is bad news or a crisis the impact on tourism can be devastating. Tourists are scared away from destinations caught in the glare of round-the-clock disaster coverage, causing communities dependent on tourism to lose their source of livelihood.

Tour Brochure

Tour Brochure is a small booklet or pamphlet, often containing promotional material or product information about destinations or travel services. A brochure (also referred to as a pamphlet) is a type of leaflet. Brochures are most commonly found at places that tourists frequently visit, such as museums, major shops, and tourist information centers. Another type of brochure is interpersonal brochures, which are brochures based on other people. The two most common brochure styles are single sheet, and booklet (folded leaflets) forms.

The most common types of single-sheet brochures are the bi-fold (a single sheet printed on both sides and folded into halves) and the tri-fold (the same, but folded into thirds). A bi-fold brochure results in four panels (two panels on each side), while a tri-fold results in six panels (three panels on each side).

Brochures are often printed using four color process on thick gloss paper to give an initial impression of quality. Businesses may turn out small quantities of brochures on a computer printer or on a digital printer, but offset printing turns out higher quantities for less cost. Compared with a flyer or a handbill, a brochure usually uses higher-quality paper, more color, and is folded.

Despite the ubiquity of travel information on the Internet, many people still turn to the traditional travel brochure when preparing their vacations or business trips. Travel brochures provide a wealth of information about specific locations, all in an easy-to-read, colorful, handy booklet that you can throw into your suitcase and take with you wherever you go. The Internet offers many deals and discounts as well as reviews from fellow travelers about hotels, destinations and airlines, but it's hard to beat the portability and ease of the travel brochure.

Portability: Travel brochures have the advantage of being small and portable enough to fit into a purse, backpack or suitcase. Even a big stack of brochures can lay flat and be bundled up into a neat package to take along with you on your next vacation. When you're having breakfast at your hotel restaurant and wondering how to spend your day, it's much easier and more convenient to pull out those handy brochures and browse through them as you plan your vacation itinerary.

Ease of Storage and Filing: A great advantage of collecting travel brochures is the opportunity to store them for future reference. For example, when you cross the state line at an interstate highway, you will often find a state "welcome center." It typically has a collection of travel brochures, maps and other useful information about the state and its most popular destinations. If you're in Colorado, you'll find maps and information about the Rocky Mountains, Colorado National Monument, Estes Park, Aspen, Vail and other must-see sights. In Texas, you can browse photographs and maps of Big Bend National Park, Fredericksburg, Austin/Hill Country, and other tourist hotspots. Even if you're just driving through, collect the brochures that interest you and file them away for the future. You might find yourself in Northern California and need some quick tips on where to go and what to see. An added bonus: you'll never need to pay for a map.

Convenience: There may come a time when you'll find yourself in a location unexpectedly and don't know where to go or what to see. If you're on a business trip and didn't have much time to plan your itinerary for the off-hours, the travel brochures available at local tourist information centers, visitor’s bureaus and even the lobby of your hotel will come in handy. Browse through the stacks and pick up the ones that catch your attention. Whether you love shopping, antiquing, river rafting, cruising, hiking or even balloon riding, you'll probably find plenty of things to occupy your time. Brochures allow vacationers who prefer a more spontaneous approach to set their itinerary as they go. If you'd rather spend your time enjoying your vacation and less time actually organizing it, travel brochures are the way to go.