Guide on Niche Tourism - Coursework Example

Niche Tourism Name Class Unit Introduction Niche tourism refers to tailoring a specific tourism product to fir a given audience or market segment. There are various types of niche tourism which includes ethnic, cultural, environmental and adventure tourism. Ethnic tourism involves an experience where tourists visits an ethnic group to have first-hand experience on their culture and in most cases is presented by visits to isolated indigenous communities (Moscardo and Pearce, 1999). An example is the Tjapukai Aboriginal cultural park in Queensland (Magowan, 2000). Cultural tourism involves visiting cultural or heritage sites to satisfy cultural needs away from home. An example is the Pune city in Maharashtra India (Babu, 2008). Environmental tourism involves conserving the environment. It is also referred as ecotourism. An example is Blue Mountains trail in Australia (Horne, 2005). Lastly, there is adventure tourism which involves an experience which involves risk taking such as kayaking in New Zealand (Bentley, Page, Meyer, Chalmers and Laird, 2001). Location Tjapukai Aboriginal cultural park This is an ethnic tourism site located in Queensland Australia. The centre has one of the world oldest living cultures and offers a unique experience of Aborigines and Torres islanders’ heritage (Henry, 2000). Pune city in Maharashtra India Pune city is located in Maharashtra India. The city has a lot of cultural festivals which makes it one of the most important cultural tourism destinations in India (Babu, 2008). Blue Mountains trail in Australia Blue Mountains are located in Australia and are one of the world heritage sites which were listed in November 2000 (Hardiman and Burgin, 2011). To minimise human impact on the environment, there have been principles adopted. Kayaking in New Zealand This is mostly in the Canterbury Rivers and coastal areas (Bentley, Page, Meyer, Chalmers and Laird, 2001). History Tjapukai Aboriginal cultural park Tjapukai was opened in 1996 and covers about 10 acres. The site was opened after a Dance theatre was opened in a nearby rainforest (Henry, 2000). The park was opened with an aim of recounting the history of aborigines and their culture. In 1987, a group of white and black Australians came up with a one hour play about the ancient spirit of barna. This involved use of aborigines words, singing, dancing and traditions. This attracted a large audience which led to interest of coming up with the cultural park. Majority of the visitors to the park are concerned with having a personal contact with the ethnic people (Moscardo and Pearce, 1999). This also includes participating in traditional activities such as cooking and other activities. The park was opened with an aim of helping people to connect with the world oldest ethnic group culture which dates more than 40, 000 years ago (Henry, 2000). Pune city in Maharashtra India Pune city has a long history of cultural events. An example is the Ganesh Ustav which is attended by a lot of tourists. The history of Pune as a cultural city has made it one of the most visited cities in India. In India, festivals are very important part of culture. In Maharashtra, festivals are common and unique which made the area an important cultural centre. The festivals have been the main attraction to Pune city (Babu, 2008). During the events, visitors can interact with the local community, gain experience and learn the customs and local culture. Pune is also a cultural city which has been at centre of freedom fighting such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak. At the moment, Maharashtra has the highest tourism in the country. The state has built social, physical and industrial infrastructure in the region (Waghchaure et al., 2006). Blue Mountains in Australia After being listed as a world heritage area in November 2000, Blue Mountains have been very vocal in encouraging environmental tourism (Tisdell and Wilson, 2002). This is due to fact that the history of conservation and its declaration are very important to its existence. The lush forests and deep canyons have continued having a lot of specific conservation campaigns. An example is the no leave campaign which aimed at minimising human impact on Blue Mountains. As the number of people seeking for beauty and exhilaration of outdoor travel increase, the popularity of Blue Mountains has risen. The Blue Mountains has one of the best nature views in the region with its deep canyons and lush forest (Hardiman and Burgin, 2011). Kayaking on Canterbury Rivers This is one of the oldest kayaking sites in Canterbury New Zealand. This is due to the coastal environment in New Zealand which has made it possible for establishment of various kayaking providers and guide. The history of kayaking to explore beautiful river and coastlines dates long time ago. New Zealand is well known in kayaking which is an old sport developed by the indigenous cultures in artic regions (Bentley, Page and Laird, 2001). Tourism turnout Approximate statistics of tourists in various areas…. Tjapukai Aboriginal cultural park 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 ≃567,889 ≃578,998 ≃586,739 ≃651,300 ≃689,700 Source: (Destination NSW, 2015) Pune city in Maharashtra India 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 ≃3782042 ≃6484921 ≃6310569 ≃9350339 ≃10057221 ≃12148973 Source: (Discovered Media, 2015). Blue Mountains trail in Australia 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 ≃2,694,500 ≃3,077,700 ≃3,102,900 ≃2,924,600 ≃3,382,500 ≃3,538,000 Source: (International and National Visitor Surveys, TRA, 2015). Kayaking on Canterbury Rivers 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 ≃2,001,567 ≃2,129,000 ≃2,340,000 ≃2,788,400 ≃2,977,000 Source: (Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, 2016). Restoration and preservation Tjapukai Aboriginal cultural park This is one of the most preserved areas in Australia. There are restoration work which is done by both the government and local community in protecting the cultural park (Magowan, 2000). Part of the revenue collected from the tourism is used in conserving the park and maintaining it. This includes taking care of the surrounding environment and building required infrastructure. The indigenous land use agreement which was negotiated by the Bama people and the Tjapukai Aboriginal cultural park and Skyrail rainforest Cableway has led to protection of the heritage and culture while at the same time employing locals. The Queensland government has been in the forefront in protecting the cultural park through funding (Henry, 2000). Pune city in Maharashtra India As one of the most visited city in India due to its cultural activities, the government has taken important steps in providing infrastructure. This includes provision of roads, among other infrastructure. Pune Municipal Corporation has been carrying out a lot of measures to prepare the city for tourism (Babu, 2008). This includes ensuring that there are adequate hotels, IT sector, museums and vibrant travel industry. Through a tourism master plan, there have been involvements of experts in urban planning, conservation, tourism management and environmental planning. All these have been aimed at making the city to be the centre of cultural tourism (Waghchaure et al., 2006). Blue Mountains trail in Australia After being listed as a world cultural heritage site, a lot of efforts have been put to conserve and restore Blue Mountains. Blue Mountains conservation society has been in the front line to protect the endangered species (Horne, 2005). This includes 33 endangered ecological communities and thee two venerable ecological communities. The society has also been keen in protecting the threatened flora and fauna in Blue Mountains. UNESCO and the local councils have been laying rules which ensure that Blue Mountains are free from encroachment which may damage its ecosystem. There have been a lot of conservation activities directed at Blue Mountains to ensure that it is well preserved as world heritage site. A lot of organisations have been encouraging environmental tourism in Blue Mountains to conserve it with minimal environmental impact (Hardiman and Burgin, 2011). Kayaking on Canterbury Rivers New Zealand has been keen in developing sports such as Kayaking and canoeing. Kayaking is one of the popular recreational activities which date back to the mid-19th century in New Zealand. New Zealand has been promoting kayaking as a sport and leisure activity. This is through provision of directory on the best kayaking sites and also ensuring security of those taking part in the sports (Bentley, Page, Meyer, Chalmers and Laird, 2001). There are also a lot of private companies offering kayaking as a recreational activity in New Zealand. Through promoting tourism based kayaking, the government and local authorities have worked together in marketing efforts. The country has been participating in Olympic kayaking winning several medals. this has promoted the sport in the country as well as internationally. Tourists who visits with an aim of kayaking are well protected and provided with adequate guidance. The local community has also been part of the conservation effort through provision of services to tourists taking part in kayaking (Bentley, Page and Laird, 2001). Conclusion Tom sum up, niche tourism has been able to thrive well in Tjapukai Aboriginal cultural park, Pune city in Maharashtra India, Blue Mountains trail in Australia and Kayaking on Canterbury Rivers. This is through the efforts of respective governments and communities. Each of the sites has its origin based on a historical event which led to becoming niche tourism destinations. The number of tourists visiting these sites has been on increased through niche marketing. There have been a lot of efforts to preserve and restore these sites. This has included both local communities and respective governments. Tjapukai Aboriginal cultural park has been preserved and restored using aborigines and the local governments in Queensland. The local authority in Pune city in Maharashtra has provided infrastructure for tourism in the city. Blue Mountains have been preserved and restored through efforts by UNESCO, Australian government and organisations. The same applies to kayaking in New Zealand which is highly promoted by the government. To sum up, the four niche tourism areas ethnic, cultural, environmental and adventure have been a major success and an example of successful niche tourism. References Babu, A.S., 2008. Tourism Development in India: A case study. APH Publishing. Bentley, T., Page, S., Meyer, D., Chalmers, D. and Laird, I., 2001. How safe is adventure tourism in New Zealand? An exploratory analysis. Applied ergonomics, 32(4), pp.327- 338. Bentley, T.A., Page, S.J. and Laird, I.S., 2001. Accidents in the New Zealand adventure tourism industry. Safety Science, 38(1), pp.31-48. Destination NSW, 2015, Visitation figures prove NSW is Australia’s number one regional destination for international and domestic visitors, Retrieved from, http://www.destinationnsw.com.au/news-and-media/media-releases/visitation-figures- prove-nsw-australias-number-one-regional-destination-international-domestic-visitors Discovered Media, 2015, Useful information for Maharashtra Tourism, Retrieved from, http://www.discoveredindia.com/maharashtra/useful-information-of-maharashtra- tourism/tourist-statistics.htm Hardiman, N. and Burgin, S., 2011. Canyoning adventure recreation in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (Australia): The canyoners and canyoning trends over the last decade. Tourism Management, 32(6), pp.1324-1331. Henry, R., 2000. Dancing into being: the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park and the Laura Dance Festival. The Australian journal of anthropology, 11(3), p.322. Horne, J., 2005. The pursuit of wonder: How Australia's landscape was explored, nature discovered and tourism unleashed (No. 65). Melbourne University. International and National Visitor Surveys, TRA, 2015, Travel to Blue Mountains Tourism Region for Year ended December 2015, Retrieved from, http://www.destinationnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Blue-Mountains-time- series-YE-Dec-15.pdf Magowan, F., 2000. Dancing with a difference: reconfiguring the poetic politics of Aboriginal ritual as national spectacle. The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 11(3), p.308. Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, 2016, Key tourism statistics, Retrieved from, http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/sectors-industries/tourism/key-tourism-statistics Moscardo, G. and Pearce, P.L., 1999. Understanding ethnic tourists. Annals of Tourism Research, 26(2), pp.416-434. Tisdell, C. and Wilson, C., 2002. World heritage listing of Australian natural sites: tourism stimulus and its economic value. Economic analysis and policy, 32(2), pp.27-49. Waghchaure, C.K., Tetali, P., Gunale, V.R., Antia, N.H. and Birdi, T.J., 2006. Sacred groves of Parinche valley of Pune district of Maharashtra, India and their importance. Anthropology & medicine, 13(1), pp.55-76. Read More