A new type of tourism: Activity-based tourism, the examples of dark tourism and sport tourism

Résumé du document

During the last decades, we have witnessed the existence of a tourism consumption model were consumers massively colonized all destinations worldwide indifferent to quality, environment and local cultures. However, for a few years, we have noticed the appearance of new trends in consumer behavior: need for real and authentic, fading fashion for sun, seek for new experiences, personal fulfillment. Tourists have shown new motivations for travel; they want to purchase different tourism services based on specific activities more than destinations. The tourism industry had to cope with these expectations and had created new segments such as ecotourism, space tourism, fashion tourism, etc. To illustrate the fact that travel has become more activity-based than destination based, I have decided to analyze two of these rising tourism segments.

Extraits

[...] Part sport tourism Gibson, H. (2006), ‘Sport Tourism / the Way Forward', Sport Management Review, Issue n°213-4. Gibson, H. (2004) Sport Tourism: Concepts and Theories Higham, J. (2005) Sport Tourism Destinations: Issues, Opportunities and Analysis, Oxford, Elsevier. Ritchie, B., Adair, D. (2004) Sport Tourism: Interrelationships, Impacts and Issues, Channel View Publications. De Knop, P., Standeven, J. (1998) Sport Tourism, Human Kinetics Publishers. [...]

[...] The last decades witnessed the rise of a tourism consumption model were consumers massively colonised all countries worldwide indifferent to environment. However, in the past few years we have notice the appearance of a new trend in consumer behaviour. Mass tourism seems to be over and as tourists have changed in values and demand, they are seeking for a new tourism experience based on activities more than destinations. Therefore, they appeared more and more concerned and respectful of environment, culture and local aspects of the countries they are visiting. [...]

[...] There are also growing concerns about the effects of sport tourism on the environment. For example, negative effects have been observed on the wildlife in the Alps, and the plant life in Austria. The root cause for many of the issues facing this field is that for too long sport and tourism have been viewed as separate domains at the levels of policy, education, and practice. Dark tourism To illustrate the activity-oriented tourism, I have also chosen to develop the case of the dark tourism, a fast growing tourism actitivity DEFINITION Dark tourism is the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions which has real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme. [...]

[...] Sport tourism is becoming attractive for a growing number of tourists from all social classes and demographics criterias IMPLICATIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF SPORT TOURISM Observers have several questions regarding the development of sport tourism: What impact does sport tourism have on a community? What are the consequences of this expending tourism on environment? Pigeasson (1997) suggested that sport tourism is highly developing at an, but this progress is hindered by a lack of integration at three levels: In policy development and implementation In inter-disciplinary research between sport and tourism. In the education of the future sport tourism practitioners. [...]

[...] Educate young / new tourists to environmental issues. Coordinate the workings of tourism companies and local government to reduce risks of conflicts of interests and gain in effectiveness. Develop an integrated policy structure that addresses to all emerging problems in the future years. Dark tourism, on the other hand, is also expanding quickly with new attraction sites such as Ground Zero in the United-States or The Tsunami in Thailand. Its limitations are the notion of acceptable and unacceptable tourist attraction and the responsibility of operators as custodians of history. [...]