Health tourism is a multifaceted sector encompassing the travel of individuals to destinations outside their home country for the purpose of receiving medical treatments, undergoing wellness and spa experiences, or participating in programs aimed at enhancing their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Health tourism is becoming increasingly popular around the world. It has become a major industry in the recent past. There are many reasons for this, but some of the most compelling factors include cost savings, shorter waiting times, and quality care.

What can it be?

• Medical treatments (cosmetic/ dental procedures)
• Wellness and spa (wellness retreats, yoga, meditation)
• Rehabilitation services (physical therapy, addiction treatments)
• Traditional and alternative medicine
• Health and wellbeing resorts

Dark tourism 

Dark tourism is a type of tourism that involves travelling to certain destinations associated with death and suffering. Dark tourism has a wide range of spectrums. Furthermore, dark tourism sites are all associated with tragic history.

One of the worlds most popular dark tourism attractions is the 9/11 memorial in the United States of America. 

• Opened on September 11, 2011 (10 years after the 9/11 attacks)
• Water flows down two walls and disappears into a void at the centre of a memorial
• Located 70 feet underground
• Was closed in 2020 due to financial losses during the pandemic
• Every name of the people lost during 9/11 can be located by the panel on which it is inscribed
• 1100 people thought to have died in the disaster remain unidentified
• In 2018, 6.6 million people visited the memorial
• Known as one of the world’s top dark tourism attractions
• 2996 people died

Cultural tourism 

Cultural tourism is a fascinating aspect of travel which allows people across the globe to explore and appreciate the diversity and the types of different cultures. 

What can Cultural tourism be? 

• City breaks
• Food/ drink tasting
• Community tourism
• Volunteering
• Exploring heritage sites 
• As well as being able to educate people on the different types of cultures in the world using cultural tourism, cultural tourism also significantly contributes to the global economy (particularly the tourism sector). Furthermore, cultural tourism often involves exposure to different languages. Travelers may learn basic phrases, engage with locals, and experience the linguistic diversity of a region.  

Adventure tourism

Adventure tourism is a type of tourism involving travel to remote or exotic locations in order to take part in physically challenging outdoor activities. There are 3 types of adventure tourism including physical, nature and extreme sports. Furthermore, adventure tourism often involves an element of risk and requires physical and mental endurance. Some popular destinations for adventure tourism include New Zealand, Nepal, Costa Rica, Australia and Switzerland.

What can it be?

• Trekking
• Climbing
• Rafting
• Scuba diving
• Water sports
• Skydiving

Many of these adventure sports bring a major economic boost to their local economy as well as the global tourism economy. This is due to people coming and using local resources such as accommodation and supermarkets as well as supporting airlines. 

Sports tourism 

Sports tourism is a type of tourism which involves observing or participating in a sport whilst remaining part of the tourist' usual environment. Sports tourism is a rapidly growing sector worldwide and equates to approx. £7.68 Billion. 

What can sports tourism be? 

• Supporting a family member who is playing a sport
• Participating in a tournament/ game
• Watching a sporting activity

Sports tourism has grown in popularity over the years, the atmosphere at stadiums, the historic nature of the teams, and stadiums make it a focal point of sports tourism and generate billions every year. There are many popular sports tourism destinations around the world! Some of these destinations include: 

• Barcelona, Spain: Known for their football culture, home to Barcelona FC (one of the most successful football teams in the world) 
• Tokyo, Japan: Host of the 2020 summer Olympics, widely varied  sports culture (modern and traditional) 
• London, England: Many iconic sports venues such as Wembley stadium and Wimbledon stadium. 

Religious tourism 

Religious tourism refers to travelling to destinations of religious significance for pilgrimage or spiritual purposes. There are many popular religious tourism destinations around the world. Some examples include Jerusalem, Mecca, Varanasi, Vatican City as well as Kyoto. These places hold great religious significance for different faiths. 

What can religious tourism be?

• participating in religious ceremonies
• pilgrimages
• exploring religious history
• seeking spiritual enlightenment
• different types of religious temples
• visiting religious history

This form of tourism allows tourists to connect with their faith, learn about different types of religions and experience the cultural aspects which are connected to religious traditions. It can be an deeply meaningful journey for many tourist across the world. 

Culinary/ food tourism 

Food tourism is a type of tourism which allows people to explore different destinations to experience different culture's food and beverage across the world. 

What can food tourism be? 

• Traditional cooking classes 
• Local food tours
• Tasting traditional dishes
• Visiting food markets 
• visiting wineries

Culinary tourism is about immersing yourself into the experience of trying food as a way of understanding a certain culture. Furthermore, it enables people to gain a better understanding of a certain destination by experiencing their unique flavours in a traditional way.  

Volunteer tourism 

Volunteer tourism is a form of travelling where people participate in different forms of volunteering whilst getting the opportunity to explore the destination they are in. Many people use volunteer tourism as a way to give back to a community and contribute to meaningful projects across the world. 

What can it be? 

• Teaching in schools 
• Conservation projects
• Healthcare 
• Animal welfare
• Hospitality 

Volunteer tourism can provide you with a variety of skills which can be used in many aspects of life. Some of these include learning about different cultures, gaining new perspectives on other peoples experiences in the world as well as developing new personal skills. These can be building confidence or becoming more open to new things.  Volunteer tourism is something to be celebrated and provides people with memories which can last a lifetime!