BLOG#7 : Rural Tourism

RURAL TOURISM

Rural tourism involves travelers visiting small communities and experiencing elements of traditional life in those communities. Rural tourism can overlap with eco-tourism, which involves travelers embarking on environmentally friendly tours to lakes, forests, jungles and other natural environments that have been rapidly growing to become a genuine vacation trend.

Rural tourism involves agri-tourism, nature tourism, and culture tourism. Added charm by the seasonality, local festivals and natural environment, it’s all about preservation of local heritage, culture and traditions. Many villagers are hospitable and eager to welcome visitors.

Many niche tourism programs are located in rural areas. From eco-tourism, to agri-tourism and seasonal events, however, there is more interesting in visiting the rural areas and understanding the lifestyle. Rural tourists are often housed in farmhouses, campsites, cottages and other types of inexpensive or traditional housing. Some travel firms even arrange tours on which the participants stay with local families for the duration of the tour that is called ‘homestay’.

Rural tourism comprises special interest nature holidays and ecotourism, walking, climbing and riding holidays, adventure, sport and health tourism, hunting and angling, educational travel, arts and heritage tourism, and, in some areas, ethnic tourism. Rural tourism has many potential benefits for including employment growth, an expanded economic base, repopulation, social improvement, and revitalization of local crafts. The money that tourists spend boosts the local economy and in the long-term, this can create new jobs. 

Many travelers visit rural areas in order to enjoy the natural environment. To ensure that natural habitats are not disrupted by tourists, many rural communities have laws in place that require travel operators to implement recycling policies and to minimize pollution. In coastal areas, certain types of watercraft are often prohibited if those boats pose a threat to the marine life that attracts the tourists. Rules in other areas, limit tourist numbers so that visiting travelers do not frighten or disrupt the animals that live in the region.n.

Thailand has been an agriculture-based economy since ancient times. Most of the part of its present population still dwells in the villages. Rural Tourism could improve the local quality of life. The local culture and regional historic sites can be restored by fostering local conservation efforts. All provincial governments, as well as local communities, are actively involved in rural tourism deployment and support agri-tourism networks.

To experience Thailand at its heart, Rural Tourism is an inevitable option to choose. Not to miss, encounter the tribal lifestyle, traveling on elephants and enjoy the folk musical & dance performances. Explore much more in THAILAND! 

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Thank you very much!

BLOG#6 : My Life in Ruins

“My Life in Ruins”

Firstly, to become a tour guide you need flexibility, patience, a great personality and as much data as you can get to answer the questions. Good guides are curious about new things and their surroundings. They like to meet new people. They should be sensitive to the needs of others, well-organized, and have in-depth knowledge of the site.

There are also various characteristics of a tour guide including punctuality, dresses well, speak loudly and clearly. A tour guide also needs to offer necessary information for tourist and make the tour vibrant or dynamic. It's probably good to learn other languages too. Moreover, they should have sense of humor which can bring people closer together. It is important to be as entertaining as possible to make travel enjoyable instead of stressful and unpleasant. 

Recently, I have watched ‘My Life in Ruins’, a romantic comedy film set amongst the ruins of ancient Greece. The movie locations include Delphi, Olympia, and many places in Athens. The story is about ‘Georgia’, a Greek-American tour guide who lost her job at a university in Athens. She is leading a tour around Greece with an assorted group of misfit tourists who would rather buy a T-shirt than learn about history and culture. 

She hates her job, fusses because she's being assigned a second-class tourists, and finds fault with everything in Greece that isn't at least 2,000 years old. Everyone tells her that she has lost her kefi, a Greek word meaning joie de vivre or mojo or the ability to not annoy the audience. She just needs to relax and get laid and stop worrying her pretty head about things. 

In the film, there are various kinds and characteristics of the tourist. She's scarcely hanging on as a tour guide because she really believes tourists come to Greece to learn about the ancient culture or at least they should. Her group is a disparate lot, including drinking Australians, the fussbudget Brits, the nice Canadians who melt into the scenery, the hot, divorced Spanish ladies, and those loud, stupid or boring Americans. 

In a clash of personalities and cultures, everything seems to go wrong, until one day when an older traveler named ‘Irv’, ‘dispenses good advice and shows her how to have fun and to take a good look at the last person she would ever expect to find love with ‘Poupi’, her Greek bus driver. Irv comes across as one of those magical wise characters that dispenses homespun wisdom. Other supporting characters are fitfully funny, but more often grating.

Lastly, ‘My Life in Ruins’ is a romantic theme with pictures of various beautiful sights of Greece. It comes up with an opinion that no one can determine life as planned at all time. Because life always has new stories without prediction. If I am a guide tour, this will helps develop myself to be a proactive thinker who seems to have everything figured out beforehand and can better deal with problems. I will be ready for all situations along the trip and cope with various kinds of tourists as well. It is important to know exactly what you are looking for and what you are going to do, whatever, DO IT YOUR BEST!!! 

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Thank you very much!

BLOG#5 : Receiving Tourism Information

RECEIVING TOURISM INFORMATION

As travelers become more concern about their destination, useful sources of information must be available for decision-making. Choosing the travel destination is a very important and long-way decision process for the tourist.

“Information is a POWER.” It is truth whether information is correct or misunderstanding. From the survey of the Thailand Development and Research Institute (TDRI), ‘word of mouth’ is the most influential source of information for tourists’ decision making about their vacation. People tell their friends that ‘you must try to go there once…’ and the word spreads. It is the perfect way to advertise and promote the travelling.

Moreover, with so many tools available in the travel decision making process, the online sources help travelers to typically plan their trips. They also use a mobile device to access internet for travel information. The use of online video for travel planning has always been popular such as YouTube. Increasing attention in social media is particularly focused to promote and share personal experiences. The importance of brochures, magazines and television is also important and help travelers for their decision making.

From a survey in 1990-1991 by the Intrama World Destination Monitor, Thailand was ranked on the second place where the tourists were likely to be cheated in Asia. The spread of disreputable information poses growing risks to society and economy. The tourists may feel betrayed and are more likely to go somewhere else for the similar products or services. Thailand may also get a bad reputation as a deceptive country, which means decreased revenues in the future.  However, it may be difficult for the tourists to accept and trust but their awareness in ethics can be altered and Thailand will gain loyalty from customers again.

Finally, the government can help support and reconstruct credibility of Thailand tourism. Many campaigns were initiated to promote the sites and local culture in Thailand such as Unseen Thailand, Amazing Thailand which managed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). They can uphold an international image and standing for Thailand tourism, and also creates jobs for local people as well as instill the tourists with a strong sense of environmental and cultural preservation.

                               

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                                       Thank You Very Much J

BLOG#4 : Specialized Tourism

“SPECIALIZED TOURISM”

“Specialized tourism” involves individual or group tours by those people who wish to develop their given interests or places that has a relationship or connection with their specific interest. It is an all-encompassing term that refers to festivals, events, theme parks, cultural venues, fairs, and museums that help define the social fabric of a community, city, state, or region.

“Special interest tourism” is defined as travelling with the primary motivation of practicing or enjoying a special interest. This can include unusual hobbies, activities, themes or destinations, which tend to attract niche markets which is the most rapidly growing area of the tourism industry.

As the Tourism industry has developed through the years and presently is one of the most diversified, customized and specialized industries. I would like to introduce some of the most popular types of tourism worldwide where tourists are categorized by the purpose of their visit.

1. Regional Tourism

Regional tourism is a tourism activity which focuses attention in that particular region only. For example, regional tourism in Washington Dc would involve tourism in that state alone. A regional tourist is a tourist visiting a country other than that in which he/she has a normal residence but within a defined geographical region e.g. A tourist from EU region visiting member countries or a tourist from Latin America visiting a country in that sub-continent.

2. Cultural Tourism

Cultural tourism or sometimes referred to as heritage tourism is the division of tourism concerned with the region’s culture, specifically the lifestyle and history of the people, their art, architecture, religion and other elements. Cultural tourism includes cultural facilities such as museums, theatres and festivals. This is one of the most popular types of tourism and attracts tourists from different parts of the world.

                                    

3. Heritage Tourism

Heritage tourism is defined as traveling to experience the places, artifacts and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes cultural, historic and natural resources cultural heritage tourism as traveling to experience the places, artifacts and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes cultural, historic and natural resources.

4. Rural Tourism

Rural tourism focuses on actively participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism. Many rural villages can facilitate tourism because many villagers are hospitable and eager to welcome visitors. Rural tourism allows visitors to access people’s lifestyle and environments.

It embraces farm-based holidays, special interest nature holidays and ecotourism, walking, climbing and rising holidays, adventure, sport and health tourism, hunting and angling, education travel, arts heritage tourism, and in some areas, cultural and ethnic tourism.

The important of rural tourism can be implicated from the linkages between rural tourism and its effect in a grassroots level of a community. As tourism needs development of many factors and it creates very wide of effects, it can very successfully help improve multiple features of socio-economic condition of people.

5. Cycle Tourism

Cycle Tourism can be defined as recreational visits, either overnight or day visits away from home, which involve leisure cycling as a fundamental and significant part of the visit. Bicycle touring generally means self-contained cycling trips over long distances, which prioritize pleasure, adventure and autonomy rather than sport, commuting or exercise. Touring can range from single day rides to multi-day trips. Tours may be planned and organized by the participants for themselves or organized for a group by a professional holiday business, a club, or a                                                                    charity as a fund-raising venture.

6. Educational Tourism

Education tourism or edu-tourism refers to any program in which participants travel to a location as a group with the primary purpose of engaging in a learning experience directly related to the location. It provides the opportunity to combine leisure with a learning experience that is directed and meaningful exposure to a different set of cultural values can lead to dramatic changes in a participant's perceptions and attitudes.

                                    
7. Travelling for Health

Wellness tourism is one of the fastest growing forms of international and domestic tourism. This form of tourism involves people who travel to a different place to pursue activities that maintain or enhance their personal health and wellness, and who are seeking unique, authentic or location-based experiences. Wellness tourism include massages, body treatments, facial treatments, exercise facilities & programs, weight loss programs, nutrition programs, pre- and post-operative Spa                                                                          treatments and mind/body programs.

8. Environmental Tourism

Environmental Tourism or Ecotourism is Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. The purpose of ecotourism is to educate the traveler about natural destinations, to provide ecological conservation and awareness, to benefit economic development, the political empowerment of local communities and respect for the local culture. Here the traveler can experience the natural way of life surrounded by natural circumstances.

9. The Cruise Experience

Cruising has become a major part of the tourism industry. Cruising makes it easy to visit several places in a single trip without the need to repack your belongings and sit in a car/train/bus/plane to travel to each one. Your hotel room comes along with you, and even provides the transportation.

Additionally, seeing several islands or cities in a region can help you decide if and where you'd want to visit later for a longer time. Typical itineraries also limit the time you can spend in each place, usually just a short day of activities or sightseeing. They may also include one or more days at sea: paradise if you enjoy a relaxing day by the pool, but frustrating if you prefer more active and open exploration. Nonetheless, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks for enough people to support a growing industry.

10. Festivals and Events Tourism

Events and festivals provide numerous benefits not only for the individual business but for a community and tourism region. Local and regional events, including business events and conferences can increase visitation and expenditure, reduce seasonality, encourage repeat visitation and heighten regional awareness. They can also provide the stimulus for additional infrastructure development in the local area and building community pride.

11. Seniors Tourism

Seniors tourism is predicted to be a major force in the 21st century as population’s age. While seniors are as diverse as any other demographic sector, and many seniors do not have the resources to travel.

They are likely to be more experienced travelers and have more time to spend on travel and leisure. Travel is often a lifestyle priority, and many are prepared to pay for travel on a regular basis. They generally have more savings and assets and fewer financial commitments, especially in the early years of retirement. They are more flexible with regards to travel times, often preferring to travel in off-peak seasons. They are generally more discerning, and demand higher quality services. They are less likely to be influenced by ‘frills’ and extra amenities. Moreover, health issues may influence travel choices, especially amongst older tourists.

With more and more people living healthy and active lives well into their 70’s and beyond, the face of tourism in Thailand is responding in kind, and developing to meet the wishes and desires of the increasing number of senior visitors to the Kingdom.

Thailand is a wonderful country for seniors to visit and thoroughly enjoy.  With its highly developed infrastructure, deluxe hotels and luxury resorts, and a dazzling array of activities to participate in, you will wish your holiday, or visit, was at least twice as long.

12. Wine and Food Tourism

Wine and Food Tourism refers to tourism whose purpose is or includes the tasting, consumption or purchase of wine. Food, wine and lifestyle are the articulation of host culture, the way they live, work and play. Their food and wine have become one of the best ways to get to know them. For example, over the past decade Australia has become a culinary destination par excellence, as the rest of the world is fast discovering. Our cities provide ample world-class dining options for the travelling gourmand.

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Thank you very much!

XOXO