Tourism has developed throughout history to provide people with recreational and enjoyment alternatives, according to the preferences of different types of tourists, who seek rest, peace, passion, adventure, knowledge, expressed through experiences and the development of physical, intellectual, moral and emotional values. Thus, tourism has become a worldwide phenomenon that has many dimensions in a global process, where the tourist demands and demands new experiences and different experiences in a continuous and varied manner, for which tourism companies must adapt and seek attractive alternatives to satisfy the market.
For this reason, tourism as a socio-economic activity is a dynamic process that must respond to the changes, movements, preferences and demands of modern man, who seeks to make the most of his free time, which implies the determined use of geographical spaces with specific characteristics, where natural and cultural resources are involved, implicit in the process of satisfying the expectations of tourists through the choice made, the destination and the type of tourism that they wish to carry out.
On the other hand, companies dedicated to the offer of tourist services with all that this implies, from tickets, stays, tours, to the necessary orientation so that they have a pleasant trip, must be assumed as a commitment aimed at satisfying the demands of the traveler, and promote the interpretation and reflection of the different ways of life and living.
In this context, the satisfaction of these expectations in today’s global context must be based on strategically planned action to provide services that, in addition to making people enjoy themselves and satisfying their expectations, must promote the conservation of natural resources, through a process of environmental education that promotes effective guidance in relation to the use and management of these, in order to promote the development of an environmental tourism culture.
This process must not only meet the demands of a tourist who already has an environmental conscience and is accustomed to this type of activity, but also environmental education must be promoted in strata that have not yet experienced the experience and have not created that fundamental environmental awareness to achieve the objectives in this regard, drawing up strategies to defend the environment and the physical and spiritual well-being of tourists and the communities involved.
In this way, several stages are distinguished in tourist destinations, from their origin until they reach their inevitable decline, which also happens with tourist models, ranging from the so-called «traditional model», based on sun and beach, until the emergence in the 20th century of other types of alternative tourism that meet the demands of tourists full of imagination and eager for new experiences.
This is how the demands of the 21st century tourist arise, which have given rise to the continuous birth of new trends, which seek to satisfy these demands while establishing different parameters, adapted to the changes in mentality of tourists, to the demands of the market, new socio-cultural patterns that seek to highlight the social and natural values that allow the enjoyment of a positive interaction between man and the environment.
In this order of ideas, «Alternative Tourism» emerges as a trend, movement or model that represents a new way of doing tourism, which offers the tourist the opportunity to rediscover nature, to interact with rural culture, with the communities and their environment, providing the opportunity for the regions to participate in the process of interaction and exchange.
This model appears as a counterpart to mass or traditional tourism, which is carried out in large conglomerates or tourist resorts offered by various service companies that include tickets, hotels, tours, among other attractions for the traveler. On the contrary, alternative tourism offers the opportunity to interact with the receiving communities and with nature, in an empathic and synergistic process with the aim of generating the least possible impact on the natural and social environment, and for the tourist to enjoy, get to know , understand, respect and participate in the cultural process and the nature of the place you visit.
There are many types of tourism, within this modality, among which are: gastronomic tourism, adventure tourism, scientific tourism, ecotourism, historical tourism, cultural tourism, religious tourism, rest tourism, sustainable tourism, archaeological tourism, rural tourism , mystical or religious tourism, event tourism (sports, carnivals, festivals).
Through these various typologies, it is possible to please increasingly demanding tourists, who are not simply looking for a trip, but rather a significant life experience, where they enjoy, interrelate, reflect and actively participate in a set of activities programmed in such a way that manage to venture into the unknown, trying and perceiving new sensations and emotions through a simple connection with nature and culture.
Therefore, if you are part of that group of tourists with a range of different expectations that take you on a dynamic trip full of experiences, then venture to demand alternative tourism products and services offered by exotic, cultural and/or exotic activities. mystical in a framework of respect for the environment and the communities involved in this process.
In this way, the different modalities of alternative tourism are positioned as a different option to conventional tourism, representing new options that go beyond sun and beaches, to carry out non-conventional activities that offer the admiration of natural beauties and cultural manifestations, generating a low environmental and cultural impact.
In this search for different forms of tourism to enjoy vacations, tourists from many countries demand alternative tourism services where they take tours where, in addition to enjoying the elements of nature, they achieve interaction with the local culture. Examples of these routes are the following:
• Carrying out cultural tourism in different European countries, to see, for example, the Nazi concentration camps in Germany, the train cemetery in Czestochowa, Poland. This can represent a mystical experience when entering these places full of tragic stories, mystery and drama, which moves the feelings and emotions of the majority, producing not only an informative process but also reflection and awareness.
• Visits to the Masai communities in Kenya, who live around a volcano, to learn about their lifestyle, customs and culture.
• Guided tours of the Blue Nile Falls in Ethiopia, the longest in Africa.
• Practice ecotourism and cultural tourism in countries such as Thailand, Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, Kenya, India, among others.
• Visit the most interesting nature reserves in the world in the Amazon and Africa.
• Meet the Sami people in Norway, which is said to be the oldest population in the world and its inhabitants do not know what a war is because they have never been involved in one.
• Visit the Cuevas de la Candelaria, Cultural Heritage of the Nation in Guatemala.
• Meet the Chajul an indigenous people of the Mayans in Guatemala.
In general, alternative tourism in all its modalities or typologies is the union of several elements such as: nature, culture, adventure, mysticism, ethnology, sustainability, ecology, putting the traveler in contact with different natural settings and cultures around of the world, showing customs, lifestyles, different ways of understanding the world, through the active participation of tourists in the daily life of the community, giving them the opportunity to taste local food, walk along their hunting routes, coexist with the towns, among other activities.
In addition, it is essential in this type of tourism, the realization of activities of observation of flora and fauna, through a deep connection with the landscapes, which allow a process of relaxation, peace and encounter with oneself to be carried out.
All this movement has been having a significant boom, which has been fostered and reinforced with the holding of World Conferences on Sustainable Tourism, such as the one held in April 1995, in Lanzarote, Spain, in which the necessary measures were established to raise awareness and inform everything related to tourist activity at an international level, highlighting the importance of compatibility between tourist activities and the conservation of the environment and culture of the communities involved. These principles were established in the declaration of the «Sustainable Tourism Charter».
According to these approaches, in the process of interaction carried out during tourist activities, the visitor is much more active and participative, focusing on the experiences and significant experiences that the rural environment offers, through a closer and more effective link with nature, which allows you to be more informed and aware of your actions and attitudes during your stay.
In this way, alternative tourism within the context of the ecological, sustainable and cultural, aims to promote tourism development that promotes natural sustainability and profitability of public, private and social investment, in order to meet current needs. of receiving regions, tourism companies, tourism service providers and tourists, with the aim of guaranteeing development opportunities in the future, providing significant high-quality experiences to tourists.