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20 alternative tourism
alternative tourism
The concept and term `alternative tourism' was
particularly fashionable during the 1970s and
1980s, when criticism of the excesses of mass
tourism culminated �see critics). Affecting a
wide variety of fields, alternative tourism became
part of a broader movement searching for active
and innovative solutions to replace a situation
considered intolerable and with dangerous implications
for the future. The nature of this reaction is
at the same time ethical, ideological and political;
the concept is clearly a rejection of existing ideas,
which are deemed inadequate and obsolete.
The difficulty encountered in defining `alternative'
tourism stems from the numerous meanings
of this term which is both ambitious and vague. As
an examination of various World Tourism
Organization publications would reveal, it is
frequently confused with adjectives of a similar
meaning, such as integrated, adapted, controlled,
endogenous, responsible, authentic, equitable, convivial
and participative, with the list being
constantly extended depending on its semantic
form. The term `alternative' is the largest and most
encompassing of these concepts, each corresponding
to the search for new aims in diverse fields but
converging in their desire to stop an uncontrollable
development of tourism. This form of tourism, it
is argued, comes with dubious consequences,
including overpopulated and inundated resorts
and social problems, with tourists confined to
their golden ghettos and locals to their impoverished
conditions.
The search for a substitute to the traditional
model and its consequences encompasses six main
areas which constitute the criteria for alternative
tourism. The first concerns the inspiration which
leads to a decision and realisation of the holiday. It
can be considered alternative when it follows a
search for originality instead of choosing present
practices, which could lead to a wide range of
outdoor activities, both sporting and cultural. In
many cases, this search can prove to be elitist and
expensive, like the luxury holidays which shun the
crammed, conventional resorts; on the other hand
this also appeals to young adventurous travellers
with limited financial means but with a desire to
stray from the beaten track of commercial tourism
�see youth tourism).
The second criterion concerns the pioneers of
alternative holidays, especially those who refuse to
assimilate with ordinary tourists through a desire to
be different, and those who because of lack of
money cannot access the more expensive amenities
and resorts. This also includes the followers of
social tourism, the backpackers and the wealthy
devotees of organised, long-distance holidays of
discovery and adventure, as well as enthusiasts of
ethno-tourism and ecotourism. In this way,
alternative tourism contributes to the continuing
process of market and product segmentation
which characterises modern tourism.
The destination of the holiday and the
location chosen by tourists form additional criteria
for differentiation. This same desire to be
different leads people to choose new destinations,
described in tourism advertisements as exotic,
pioneering, undiscovered, new, unexplored or
primitive. For as long as the signposted route and
the most visited places �towns, developed resorts)
remain part of the international tourism
network, they will be carefully avoided and
bypassed, to the benefit of protected regions and
deeply rural areas which in theory offer a more
authentic experience �see authenticity), preserving
traditions which elsewhere are in danger of
disappearing forever. In general, these destinations,
once deemed a far cry from the standard tour and
only visited by `alternative' tourists, are eventually
discovered by mass tourism and moulded into the
image of the developed resorts.
Alternative tourism is distinguished by the most
original forms of welcome, echoing the principles
which define it and the chosen style of the tourism
development. It can be either a specific type of
accommodation �usually, one of the various
types of local housing or ecological lodgings) or
the adaptation of a classic formula �such as
family hotels, chalets, lodges and camps, as well as
holiday villages and furnished houses) where
appropriate. Alternative tourism can also be
defined by the specialised tour operators who
function in this sector with specific objectives.
Depending on the country and product offered,
this includes either non-profit organisations or
travel agencies and tour operators whose