4 research outputs found
The evolution of alternative forms of tourism: a theoretical background
Between the 1970s and early 1980s new forms of tourism emerged in developing
countries as an alternative solution to the “undesired” type of tourism “the mass
tourism” or “the conventional/commercial tourism” or “the traditional tourism”.
These forms of tourism appearing in different names and various models, served a
more sensitive approach giving priority to natural and cultural resources at the
front line of planning and development. The purpose of this paper is to describe
the theoretical background of alternative tourism in which origins and main
definitions are presented followed by an analysis of the complexity of classifying
the alternative forms of tourism. Three of the many forms, seemed to be the core
of alternative tourism, are distinguished and analyzed. The ecotourism, the
cultural tourism and the creative tourism. Ecotourism in recent years, encloses
many tourist forms focused on natural environment. Although these forms are
closely related to ecotourism need to be distinguished from it as ecotourism
presents many dimensions. In the concept of alternative tourism, the dynamic
growth of cultural tourism can be explained by the fast growth of demand for trips
to various cultural attractions and amenities. A rise in interest of tourists both to
distant cultures and to the local heritage occurred through the increase of educated
people around the world and the globalization. Moreover, technology supported
this growth. The cultural tourist, from consumer is transforming to producer of the
cultural products and experiences. As culture tourist become more interactive and
creative, the cultural tourism need to be repositioned and to become more
“creative”. In “creative tourism” there is a co-creation of creative experiences
between visitors and hosts, usually expressed through the creation of networks,
itineraries, courses and events. Finally, the paper ends with a brief mention on the
current trends in alternative tourism and the concluding remarks