Tourism is no longer exploring new places and cultures, but more an amalgamation of an experience driven adventure and new surroundings. The days of lazy holidays on a tropical island are still shining but people are increasingly being driven into having first hand experience of things making their trip a lasting memory rather than just another vacation. Offbeat adventure resorts and the demand for personal and customized holidays is in demand these days. In Bar Camp 5, there was presentation by a person who escorted people on experiential trips and now has a business of over 5 crore, catering to the needs of corporate trips. A couple in Paris can choose from a variety of local experiences seeing paris by night, a cruise down the sienna river or the Moulin Rouge show. Travel has turned from a business of just logistics to a complete package of an experience centered trips. The decade of the 1990's had set this trend in the west, which is catching up in India with the advent of corporates looking to give their employees a relaxing break. This corporate trend has caught up with the people who are looking to have more of such trips. I too had an experience of outbound tourism, when I was sent to a jungle by my company for outbound training to do stuff like river crossing, treasure hunt and rappling, making the trainees work in teams. It was a fabulous experience and now people like me who are looking for more of adventure simulation trips can go get one for the whole family.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Experiential Tourism
Tourism is no longer exploring new places and cultures, but more an amalgamation of an experience driven adventure and new surroundings. The days of lazy holidays on a tropical island are still shining but people are increasingly being driven into having first hand experience of things making their trip a lasting memory rather than just another vacation. Offbeat adventure resorts and the demand for personal and customized holidays is in demand these days. In Bar Camp 5, there was presentation by a person who escorted people on experiential trips and now has a business of over 5 crore, catering to the needs of corporate trips. A couple in Paris can choose from a variety of local experiences seeing paris by night, a cruise down the sienna river or the Moulin Rouge show. Travel has turned from a business of just logistics to a complete package of an experience centered trips. The decade of the 1990's had set this trend in the west, which is catching up in India with the advent of corporates looking to give their employees a relaxing break. This corporate trend has caught up with the people who are looking to have more of such trips. I too had an experience of outbound tourism, when I was sent to a jungle by my company for outbound training to do stuff like river crossing, treasure hunt and rappling, making the trainees work in teams. It was a fabulous experience and now people like me who are looking for more of adventure simulation trips can go get one for the whole family.