People looking for a vacation that’s off the beaten path have more to choose from these days. There are vacation packages available to suit a wide variety of interests and activity levels, ranging from extreme adventures to cooking class vacations and various shades in between.
The Rise of Niche Market Tourism
The face of tourism has diversified significantly over the past ten years, according to a 2006 study, Niche Market Tourism, by Mintel International Group Ltd. The rapid growth of specialty travel or niche market tourism gives travelers more options to choose from.
Amadeus, an American IT solutions provider, conducted two tourism surveys and highlight some of the hottest niche travel markets in "Amadeus Introduces the Amateur-Expert Traveler" and "Amadeus survey: 800 North American travel professionals voice optimism, innovation for the year ahead and beyond." The growing travel niches are adventure travel, religious travel, family-friendly travel and wedding travel. volunteer vacations, educational travel, special interest tours and wildlife tourism.
Adventure Vacations
In “Adventure Travel”, Lauren Flanagan defines adventure travel as “a type of tourism or vacation that encourages travelers to step out of their normal everyday lives and seek experiences that are unfamiliar, and even a little risky.” There are three different types of adventure travel tours: soft adventure, medium adventure and hardcore adventure.
Cultural and history vacation tours, day-hiking trips, a farm stay or a visit to a dude ranch are examples of soft core adventure holidays. Medium adventure vacations such as hiking trips, biking trips, kayaking trips and, diving tours are some medium adventure excursions. Trekking through the Sahara Desert, climbing Mount Everest, dog sledding in the Arctic or hanging out with Emperor Penguins in the Antarctic are some examples of extreme vacations.
Charity Tourism, Eco-tourism and Volunteer Vacations
Charity tourism involves traveling to developing areas abroad or within one’s own country to help the communities there. Travelers sign up for volunteer vacations that last anywhere between one to four weeks.
Charity Guide and Global Volunteers are two websites that list several ways charity tourists can make a difference. For example, travelers can assist medical staff, build a home, prevent deforestation in a rain forest, repair buildings, save sea turtles and teach.
Educational Travel and Learning Vacations
Another growing travel niche is educational travel. Students and life-long learners can study abroad to learn something new or hone their skills in an area of interest or expertise.
Transitions Abroad, a portal for working and studying abroad has a comprehensive list of learning vacations: language classes in the country of origin, an art class in France and a creative retreat in Italy. Those who want to roll up their sleeves and pick up a shovel can sign up for an archeological dig. Music aficionados can learn African drumming in West Africa, while food enthusiasts can study Asian cooking in Thailand.
Faith Tourism, Pilgrim Travel and Religious Tours
Religious travel can involve visiting religious sites or events. Trekking through the Holy Land, visiting areas that were vital to the Protestant Reformation, touring Marian Shrines throughout Europe and making a pilgrimage to the eight temples of Ganesh are just some of the religious vacation tour packages available.
Faith tourism is extremely popular among church groups and those devout in their faith. Sacred Destinations is a comprehensive site that provides a plethora of information about trips to sacred places of various walks of faith.
Wildlife and Nature Travel
Wildlife vacations involve watching wild animals in their natural habitat. Travelers can go on a photo safari in Kenya, trek through the Belize reef and rain forest, cruise around the Galapagos Islands or sign up for a scenic nature tour of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, Canada.
Several websites provide information and ideas for people who plan to take a wildlife and nature tour package. Wildlife Vacations and Real Adventures are two.
Special Interest Vacation Tours
Vacation packages are available for war veterans and travelers interested in sites of war-related historical events. Tours of war sites in Vietnam and a reenactment of the Gettysburg Civil War are two examples of veteran vacations.
Collector travel is another growing niche market. Tourists can travel around the world to see large collections of their favorite objets d’art or go on a vacation packages centered on their hobby. Art tours, knitting cruise packages and miniature doll holid are just a few examples.
A growing number of alternative holiday packages have sprouted up to cater to more unique tastes. Tour vacations for geeks, night-owls and stuffed animals are three examples.
With the increasing number of travel niche markets, there are vacation packages available to suit any traveler’s special interests. Whether the travel goal is to deepen one’s spirituality, help those in need, learn or indulge in one’s hobbies, there are many unique vacation experiences to explore.
Rhona-Mae Arca - Rhona-Mae is a Registered Music Teacher. She has an ARCT in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music, B.A. (Music) and ...
