Nature and adventure tourism

Nature and Adventure Tourism

G.K.M. Fernando Uwu/ HTE /10/oo11

Nature and adventure tourism

Introduction to Nature and Adventure tourism.

Nature and adventure tourism is an increasingly popular form of tourism, in which tourists seek out wild and scenic areas such as rainforests or mountains for an active and educational trip. The tourists are usually from the North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand; their destination is often in the developing world. Nature and adventure tourism has also become popular among people interested in both environmental conservation and sustainable development. It has been called a way to save the rainforest and a "win-win development strategy for undeveloped rural areas."

Define Nature tourism

Responsible travel to natural areas, which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people. It is tourism based on the natural attractions of an area. Examples include bird watching, photography, stargazing, camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, and visiting parks. These experiential tourists are interested in a diversity of natural and cultural resources. They want what is real, and they want to be immersed in a rich natural, cultural, or historical experience.

Define adventure tourism

Adventure tourism is an outdoor leisure activity that generally takes place in an unusual, exotic, remote or wilderness setting, sometimes involving some form of unconventional means of transportation and tending to be associated with low or high levels of physical activity.

Nature and adventure tourism

Adventure Tourism can be broken down into two parts

1. Soft Adventure
   

A travel experience that goes beyond the typical tourist itinerary Is rewarding for the spirit and the mind Is safe and without excessive physical demands Examples - Camping ,Walking on gradually changing terrain

2. Hard Adventure
    

is a travel experience the has more physical challenge has a higher element of risk is rewarding to the spirit pushes people outside of the comfort zone Examples - Mountaineering ,White water rafting/kayaking ,Mountain biking

Characteristics of adventure tourism

         Uncertain outcome Danger and risk Challenge Anticipated rewards Novelty Stimulation and excitement Exploration and discovery Absorption and focus Contrasting emotions

Nature and adventure tourism

Comparison of nature tourism and Adventure Tourism

Both nature tourism and adventure Tourism share a high respect for Nature and Biodiversity. They both follow the belief that even global concerns need local solutions. Nature is beautiful and the best way to protect it is to enjoy it by discovering and knowing it. They both include an interpretation and learning effect as an important aspect of the visit. Both nature tourists and Adventure Tourists pursue "life enhancement" and share a common desire for authenticity and a complete immersion in the environment. A desire to experience novelty and uniqueness as part of the travel experience. Both nature tourism and Adventure Tourism aim to have as little impact as possible on the ecosystem and the visited country. They both seek long term and sustainable benefices. Within the context of touristic development, sustainability is then defined as the ability to use present resources without consuming them faster as regeneration makes possible. Their services are delivered primarily to small groups by small-scale businesses requiring the lowest possible consumption of non-renewable resources. Opposed to the consequences of traditional Mass Tourism, both philosophies are committed to conserve the environment as well as local culture, traditions and values. To offer work to local people and help to the development of the region.

Relationships Among Tourism Categories

Adventure Tourism

Conventional Tourism

Sustainable Tourism

Ecotourism

c Green consulting

Voluntourism

Nature Tourism

Nature and adventure tourism

World situation of nature and adventure tourism industry

 Value of the global adventure market is $89 billion.  Adventure travelers are specialty travelers and thus spend more than the average traveler on a trip.  They may return to the same countries that they have previously visited on a less adventurous vacation, but this time tries more adventurous activities (safaris, visiting cultural sites). This market offers tour operators the opportunity to reposition themselves to the market.  The adventure market is sizable, at 26% of the traveling population, the average adventure traveler age might be closer to 40, and although these people engage in adventure activities, they might not be paying tour operators and guides for their experiences, and hence not recognized, or served as an important market segment by the industry.
Source-ADVENTURE TOURISM MARKET REPORT
A STUDY BY: The George Washington University School of Business, The Adventure Travel Trade Association and Xola Consulting

Nature and adventure tourism

Latest trends in adventure tourism industry

Volunteer vacations: Volunteerism along with vacation has increased according to the
latest growing trend. There is an increase of 30% in the overall participation than the last year. This trend is growing among people under the age of 20 than people with family.

Girlfriend getaways: According to a survey conducted by the ATTA, more than 50% of
adventure travelers are women in the age group of 41 and 60. Women in this age are going mountain climbing, kayaking and surfing.

Family adventure vacations: Some families are opting for more nature based cultural,
education and learning excursions rather than going for theme parks and all-inclusive resorts. These types of excursions help in developing family bonding.

Soft adventure vacations: Many tourists are opting for vacation that centers on a theme,
such as a culinary tour in Asia or wine vacation in Israel. Yoga has also been included in the theme of vacation. Best of Both Women's Adventures has yoga on all of its trips and a specific yoga and surf vacation in Puerto Rico. Many others combine yoga and snowboarding or yoga and wine tasting.

Expedition cruising: people going for expedition cruises to Antarctica, the alapagos and Alaska. The cruises also provide vacationers details or lectures about the particular place. In these small cruises, everything that you see around is very important and focused.

Types of nature and adventure tourism

             Study tours of flora & fauna Nature photography Wild life safaris Turtle watching Whale and dolphin watching Bird watching Bungee jumping Ballooning Mountain biking & cycling Canoeing Rock climbing Fishing Hiking & trekking              Ice-skating Motor biking Paragliding River rafting Surfing Sailing Yachting Scuba diving Snowmobiling Zip-line Caving Off-road activities Camping

Nature and adventure tourism

Nature and adventure tourism in Sri Lanka

Nature &adventure tourism are rapidly going trends in global tourism and an increasing number of travelers are seeking out new eco friendly destinations like Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is a land where tourist can glimpse a wild elephant, gaze at the pristine grace of a leopard, and see a nesting turtle laid its eggs on the beach or dazzling display of peacock. The country is blessed with an abundance of natural diversity despite its small size. This astounding diversity is largely due to its dramatically different terrains ranging from coastal plains to hill country and lush rainforests to arid dry zones. Large areas rich in flora and fauna are conserved in 13 national parks across the country and over 100 other protected areas. Sri Lanka is an ideal place for adventure seekers also. The island country offers excellent adventure activities such as whitewater raftining, rock climbing, camping .surfing, etc ..

Nature and adventure places, activities in Sri Lanka

National Parks
 National Park at Yala is the best known national park in Sri Lanka. The Park is known for its elephants who wander in big and small herds.  Leopard and sloth bear are main attraction in Wilpattu National park. Established in 1954.  Gal Oya National Park gives home to about 30 species of animals. About 150 species of birds are also found in this park.  Uda Walawe National Park is known for providing home to elephants, various species of deer, monkeys, jackal, water buffalo and wild boar.  Madhu Oya National Park is the home of creatures like Sam bur, Purple Monkey, reptiles and birds. Designated as a National Park in 1988.  Horton Plains National Park is comprised of cloud forests embedded in wet grasslands.  Bundala National Park offers large variety of aquatic birds feed on the harvest of numerous lagoons in the park.

Bird Sanctuaries
Kumana, Wirawila, Bundala and Kalametiya are more known bird sanctuaries in Sri Lanka. Their location on Sri Lanka's extreme south eastern coast and abundance of lagoons and swamps declares that these have become the preferred residence of water birds. You can find large flocks of both resident and migrant aquatic birds. Two highland sanctuaries are Udawattakele and Peak Wilderness.
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Nature and adventure tourism

Sinharaja world heritage forest

Singharaja Forest Reserve, most well-known rainforest in Sri Lanka, is a living heritage. The forest has very rich biodiversity. Most vegetation in this forest is endemic to the country.

Waterfalls & streams

Several hill chains in Sri Lanka are interspersed by waterfalls and streams. Particularly mentionable are at Wetlands, Muthurajawela, Bolgoda Lake,

Windsurfing
May to September is the best period for surfing in Sri Lanka as the winds are strongest during this period. Arugam bay on the east coast is Sri Lanka's best beach for surfing. Other beaches famous for surfing are Hikkaduwa on the southwestern coast and Bentota on the western coast. Surfing gears such as surfboards, boogie boards, and wetties can be hired in the shops beside the beaches.

Diving & Snorkeling

There are several dive sites along Sri Lanka's coastline where one gets an opportunity to see fantastic marine life such as corals, ship wrecks, myriad tropical fish, coral fish, angle fish and puffer fish. Hikkaduwa and Tangalle on the west coast, Unawatuna on the south coast and Nilaveli on the east coast are wonderful places for scuba diving and snorkeling. The best time for diving and snorkeling on the west coast is from November to April and on the east coast is from April to September as the seas are calmest during this period.

Rafting & Canoeing

Sri Lanka has hundreds of rivers and small streams that originate from hills and offer excellent water sports facilities. Some of the rivers such as Kelani River in Kitulgala, southwest of Kandy, are very popular among tourists for rafting purposes. Popular sites for canoeing are the Kalu Ganga (Black River) and the Kelani Ganga.

Kite surfing
Pick a beach. Get on your board. Grab your kite it s that simple. With over 1600km of coastline around this beautiful island, there are so many places with great wind conditions; ideal for kite surfing. Find the perfect spot on a kite safari rather than waiting around for the wind to come to you. Negombo, on the west coast, is a great place to do this and isn t very far from the island s capital Colombo. Travel here anytime during the months of January through to March to experience great conditions. Many of the water sports providers in Sri Lanka tend to provide the latest equipment available.

Nature and adventure tourism

Camping
Camping is the ideal way to enjoy being close to nature. If your desire is Camping, then there is none other country than Sri Lanka for your ultimate choice. You could choose from a wide variety of experiences from nature retreat to wildlife, canoeing to Safari at National parks, bird watching to Mountain climbing. Listed below are a few of Sri Lanka s favorite camping sites among the tourists. Tree Tops - Buttala Dambana -Veddha Camp - Dambana Kalu Ganga - Canoeing Camp - Kalu Ganga Polonnaruwa Luxury Camp - Polonnaruwa Gal Oya Luxury Safari Camp - Gal Oya National Park Kitulgala Adventure Camp - Kitulgala

Caving
The fascinating activity of Caving is relatively new to Sri Lanka, but with an impressive range of caves located throughout the country it's an unusual experience not to be missed! Known to the experts as speleology', caving involves the exploration, surveying, mapping and photographing of caves situated around Sri Lanka. With some of Sri Lanka's caves dating back approximately 500 million years, this is an adventure into the prehistoric.
Examples:

Batatotalena Cave- Sudagala, Andirilena Caves-Udagama, Batadombalena Cave- Kuruwita, Pannila Calcarious Cave-Rakwana, Bogoda Cave-Jangulla, Waulpane Cave- Pallebeda, Rawana Ella Cave-Ella, Sthripura Cave- Welimada

Mountain biking
Offer world class biking trails covering, mountains, valleys, tropical rain forests, reservoirs, ancient cities, beaches and pristine remote villages. Furthermore this will be learning intervention to a 2500 year culture and an insight to a unique way of life in this land of discoveries.

Adventure Trekking and Hiking

There are many opportunities waiting in Sri Lanka's diverse and luscious hill country. The beautiful areas, located in the hill country of Sri Lanka, provides a superb base from which to try out a wide variety of hiking and trekking tours through jungle, across paddy fields and up mountains. The river and numerous waterfalls in Sri Lanka are another key attraction that allows hikers and trekkers to enjoy a refreshing dip en-route! Examples: Sinharaja, adam s peak, hortan plains, knuckles, belihuloya, bandarawela.
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Nature and adventure tourism

White Water Rafting

One can indulge in white water rafting in the boulder Stream Rivers of Sri Lanka. This way one can see the impressive environment the region offers. You can spend days of action, rafting the white waters. The novice and the experienced both can have their own adventure. One passes through so many scenic locations. Examples: kithulgala white water rafting

Rock Climbing
One can achieve plenty of joy in rock climbing. Working hard to reach the summit the mountain and in the process viewing the wonderful scenic beauty is an experience in itself. The sports demands skills and levels of fitness that few other adventure sports can match. Discover the nature in Sri Lanka while rock climbing.

Paragliding
Paragliding is new sport in Sri Lanka. The game is indulged in for its sheer fun and it being a safe medium of soaring in the air. One can fly in Sri Lanka throughout the year for the country's physical features and climatic conditions are conductive to it.

Ballooning
Hot air balloon is nice place to view the natural beauty of Sri Lanka. Soak in the wonderful natural beauty without disturbing it. View ancient lakes, dense forests and massive ruins. See the natural life in different way.

Off the road 4 WD adventures

You can be sure that these off-the-road' adventures are more than just going for a drive'.

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Nature and adventure tourism

Nature and adventure tourism operators in Sri Lanka

           Heritance kandalama hotel Alla Adventure Park Sri Lankan Expeditions Eco- team Let s go camping Mahoora safaris Plantation hotel kiyhulgala Sri Lankan adventures River garden hotel- belihul oya Royal holidays Wilderness camping

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Nature and adventure tourism

Nature and adventure Development project in Sri Lanka

 Kalpitiya Dutch bay resort development project Proposed types of tourism for the development zone     Fishing tourism Deep sea diving Nature based tourism Sports &adventure tourism

 Kandalama lake resort project The proposed project is designed to establish and operate nature friendly resort which comprises the following .      Elephant safari Boating & fishing Jungle trekking &bird watching Travel to kaudulla & wasgamuwa national parks Out door camping

 Arugam Bay development projects for surfing and eco safaris.

 The BOI has approved a resort at pasikudah in the eastern province of batticaloa which is due to open in December 2011 (malu malu resort &spa). Recreation option includes:  Diving  Wind surfing  Deep sea fishing  Other water sports

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Nature and adventure tourism

Benefits of nature and adventure tourism

Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect. Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts. Provide direct financial benefits for conservation. Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people. Raise sensitivity to host countries' political, environmental, and social climate. Support international human rights and labor agreements. Preservation of biodiversity. Has minimal impact on the environment.  Money from the tourists go back into the conservation of the area.        

Limitations
    Sometimes it can be damage to the nature. Influence to local life style and culture. Unregulated garbage removal Over gathering of particularly attractive.

Suggestions
 Develop and conduct training, research and education programs on nature and adventure tourism.  Established some authorized organizations to confirm tourist safety in adventure activities.  Sponsor Sri Lankan youth who are interested in adventure sports and activities  Develop infrastructure and superstructure. To future needs.  Improve education, recreation and health practices.  Need attention of management for improving accomodation, food service, and information service. As expected by foreigners and locals.  Offer special investment incentives to investors who invest in nature and adventure new project.  Build up public and private partnership.  Upgrading Trincomalee airport to international level  Long run potentials for tourism along the East coast are considerable.

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Nature and adventure tourism

Conclusion
 Nature and adventure tourism is a popular form of tourism; in which tourist seeks to get new experience.  Nature and adventure tourism is one of the best ways to develop rural areas.  Most of the time adventure tourism is the part of the nature tourism.  Adventure tourism can be broken in to two parts. (Soft adventure , hard adventure).  In adventure tourism tourist can get new experience with danger and risk.  There are various types of Nature and adventure tourism.  Study flora & fauna  Photography  Bird watching  Canoeing  Rafting  Surfing, etc ..  Volunteer vacations, Girlfriend getaways, Family adventure vacations, Soft adventure vacations, Expedition cruising are latest trends in adventure tourism industry.  Sri Lanka is an ideal place for adventure seekers also.  There are lot of places and activities for nature and adventure tourism in Sri Lanka.  National parks  Snharaja rain forest  Water falls  Rafting  Diving  Camping , etc

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