Write short notes on Ethnic Tourism, Cultural Tourism, Environmental Tourism and Historical Tourism.
Ethnic Tourism:
Ethnic tourism signifies the tourists interests in the customs of the indigenous and exotic people. It is .a form of special interest tourism which focuses directly on the local people. In this form of tourism the tourists visit the homes of local people, observes and participate in their festivals, dances rituals and other forms of cultural expressions. Human contacts with the indigenous people become very important in this form of tourism and it involves a study of purchase of local products as well.
The emphasis of Ethnic Tourism is directly on the traditional cultural forms as tourist seek to observe or participate in the local festivals and other celebrations. The stress is on the peculiarities of local culture as opposed to the imposing dominance of the homogenizing culture. All this reviews the interest of local people in their own cultural traditions.
This stimulation occurs mainly due to the outsider’s interests in their tradition. Thus, the uniqueness and importance of their folk traditions are brought to the fore and lead to ethnic pride and ethnic solidarity. It also results in more employment, higher income, improved standard of living of the local people.
In India many regions, particularly Rajasthan are of special interest for Ethnic Tourism. Rajasthan with its variety of colorful dresses folk music and “dances fort and diverse tribal cultures is of great importance. The rituals, music, dresses and dances find their complete expressions in the festivals and fairs in different parts of Rajasthan.
Cultural Tourism:
Cultural tourism is concerned with a country or region’s culture, specifically the lifestyle of the people in those geographical areas, the history of those people, their art, architecture, religion’s, and other elements that helped shape their way of life.
Cultural tourism includes tourism in urban areas, particularly historic or large cities and their cultural facilities such as museums and theaters. It can also include tourism in rural areas showcasing the traditions of indigenous cultural communities, and their values and lifestyle, as well as niches like industrial tourism and creative tourism. It is generally agreed that cultural tourists spend substantially more than standard tourists do. This form of tourism is very much famous throughout the world.
Historical Tourism:
Ans. Historical tourism refers to a kind of tourism, where the tour or tour group focuses on the history; history of some place, people, thing, or events. They go, see, study, discuss and experience places where historical things occurred. The places will be a portrayal of history of that country or the region and tells about the past happenings. Tourists usually visit those places of historical importance to know about the culture, tradition, past happenings etc. and get to know about the.evolution and development in culture.
This is an attempt to understand, the living environment and life styles of ordinary people of the past, and present and interpret these in an interesting manner to the tourists.
Environmental Tourism:
Environmental tourism is a form of tourism involving visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial (mass) tourism.
Its purpose may be to educate the traveller, to provide funds for ecological conservation, to directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local Communities, or to foster respect for different cultures and for human rights. Since the 1980s ecotourism has been considered a critical endeavor by environmentalists, so that future generations may experience destinations relatively untouched by human intervention. Several university programs use this description as the working definition of ecotourism.
