SPECIAL INTEREST PACKAGESSpecial interest tourism (SIT) is the provision of customized tourism activities that caters to the specific interests of groups and individuals. In this case, tourism is undertaken to satisfy a particular interest or need. It has been proposed that SIT consists of four main experiences:
Tourists engaged with SIT are seeking to learn more, enrich their awareness, and express themselves. They expect high standards of service and individualized focus. Many wish to travel in an environmentally sound manner and to have authentic experiences be they: cultural, social or environmental, in which they have a positive engagement with the host community. |
Natural AttractionS
Travel to natural attractions has a very long history and probably occurred when humans first developed a sense of aesthetics, maybe even earlier. Travel to these destinations was often arduous and required determination, courage, a level of fitness, and sufficient wealth to allow the traveller to purchase food, labour, accommodation, transport and other materials for long periods. Today’s traveller, on the other hand, can reach most destinations easily and quickly, services and facilities are usually readily available at the site or nearby, and he or she need not be fit or wealthy.
With travel to natural sites easier than ever and travel more affordable generally, the main concern in developing and maintaining natural sites is how to manage tourism in order to avoid damage to the attraction that draws people there. This issue is discussed further in the lesson on environmental tourism but it is also a significant issue for all kinds of tourism that attract travellers to places where they can enjoy the sights, smells, sounds and delights of nature. |
CULTURAL ATTRACTIONSThrough an understanding of the diversity that can occur within the travel product, you become better equipped to select, develop and provide a more diverse variety of services to accommodate the traveller.
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