Alternative Tourism

Alternative tourism

New kinds of tourism which can be included under alternative tourism have gained momentum in the last few years. The name arises from the fact that this kind of traveling offers an alternative to the typical sun and beach or city sightseeing tourism. Thus, we nowadays hear terms such as ecotourism, rural tourism, agritourism, sports or adventure travel, wine tourism/travel, etc. All of these kinds of traveling share the characteristic that they take place in non urban areas and they cater for people's wish to enjoy nature to the fullest.

Alternative tourism offers excitement and experiences for visitors through its natural (rivers, waterfalls, lagoons, springs, beaches, native flora and fauna, grottos, caves, canyons, valleys) and cultural attractions (museums, holidays and markets, folklore, language, crafts, archaeological remains) in these regions.

America's main strength to develop this kind of tourism is the amazing beauty of its nature and the great number of diverse cultures.

Alternative tourism's basic premise is cooperating with sustainable development, promoting sustainable tourism.

The concept of "sustainable" first appeared in the Bruntland Report (1987), entitled "Our Common Future", submitted before United Nations General Assembly by the World Commission on Environment and Development, defined as "the process that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." The World Conservation Union, IUCN (WTO, 1993), provides the following definition for Sustainable Development:"Sustainable Development is a process which allows for development to happen without damaging and depleting the resources that make it possible. This goal is usually achieved by managing resources so that they can be replenished at the same rate at which they are used, or changing from one resource which slowly regenerates to one with a faster rate of replenishment. Thus, resources can support present and future generations". Developing of sustainable tourism that focuses on natural environment requires action from all parties involved in this kind of action, as the WTO (1993) notes "... sustainable tourism, is one that meets the needs of present tourists and of today's hosting destinations, but which also protects and improves the chances of future tourism ... sustainable tourism cannot only work at the expense of public administration's impositions; it is also necessary for the private tourism sector to take this notion and cooperate in its execution, and for local communities and tourists themselves to cooperate in the process".