What is extreme tourism?
Traveling to dangerous places and participating in extremely daring life-threatening activities fall under extreme tourism. It is also termed as Shock Tourism as it is associated with shocking levels of danger. The element of motivation for extreme tourism comes from a quest for dangerous thrills. A kick of adrenaline is what the tourist looks for and is bent on exploring places where a normal tourist will not have the guts to venture.
Setting boundaries
However, there is a distinct line of divide between extreme tourism and foolhardiness. Daring to swim for example in the crock infested River Nile without any protective measure would be insane.
Taking a leisurely stroll amid the treacherous Sunderbans, India mangrove through its core area would be just another foolish dare and not an extreme adventure. The Sunderbans tiger is perhaps the most vicious and cunning predator on earth. It is a classic terrifying beast designed to kill and eat!
Places and tourist spots associated with extreme tourism is a bit way apart from the usual pleasant getaways in terms of the nature of the place, the terrain, the quality of tour and the degree of risk involved. The sun scorched deserts, ocean depths, dangerous cliffs and mountain peaks, deepest of the forests and sheer drops down a thousand meters that would leave your head spinning and your gut all stuck up at your throat in a tight knot of fear would be the classic examples of extreme tourism.
Should you go for extreme tourism?
But extreme tourism would call for a lot of deliberation before actually going for one. There are specialized extreme adventure clubs with considerable exposure to the threats waiting ahead and the ways to combat them. Proper medical care for the victims of extreme tourism should be made available. First aid measures, safety gears and techniques to handle potent risks also come as a part of the entire package.
Efficient guides and extreme tour operators make these tips handy with their clients who are inspired by the perils and the ecstasy of a dodgy endeavor. Alternately referred to as shock tourism, extreme tourism includes participation in dangerous events as well.
Popular extreme tourism dares would involve risky sports like Bungee jumping, ice diving in the White Sea, observing lion behavior from close quarters in the African savanna within the confines of well armored shell modules or diving deep in the blue with a hope to watch the great white shark, the angel of death in action! Well of course you have a secured durable steel cage around you and can even touch the Leviathan monster with a prod! But are you too sure the cage could withstand the mammoth bite pressure and there lies the buzz of it.
Extreme tourism is catching up in popularity in the Latin American nations and the countries of earlier Soviet blocks. Some of the other extreme tourism attractions would be a trip around Chernobyl reactor infamous for its terrifying nuclear disaster. Walking along the plank of Mt Hua in China and the death tour road of Bolivia would certainly feature as hotspots of extreme tourism.
Do you have enough courage to take a dip and wade across the devil’s pool in the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia? An assortment of dangerous sports features under extreme tourism such as sky diving, paragliding, speed riding and twister storm chasing. These are too dangerous a passion to run for but nevertheless highly exciting.
But extreme tourism is sometimes thought detrimental to the planet as it leaves prints of negative impacts by the tourists which are not a very healthy sign for the future of tourism industry. There has been a more and more inclination among tourists to explore the Antarctica with its biting cold temperature practically chilling to the bones. This place is a model example of extreme tourism destination in terms of endurance against relentless nature.
However, a considerable degree of concern is put forward by the environmentalists for the diseases brought in this unspoilt icy landmass by the over enthusiastic throng of extreme adventure seekers. The effect of global warming would be disastrous for this pristine locale, and this issue must be given a serious thought before planning extreme tourism in this difficult and yet exotic destination.
Extreme tourism sees holidays and destinations as an opportunity to indulge in dares. The location itself may be dangerous like depths of primitive Amazon for example. An activity in a civilized location may well be dangerous like paragliding off a New York high-rise terrace. It could also be a combination of both. However extreme tourism is a relatively novel concept gaining acceptance by leaps. The surge of adrenaline pushes the extreme tourist to the remotest and most difficult corners of the globe. It seems the ecstatic kick of the venture more than offsets the perils and hardships.
Our earth is a bizarre cosmic piece, and it shelters even stranger souls. People with enormous wealth at their command feel restless until and unless their thirst for risky adventure is quenched by some matching dare supplied by extreme tourism!
In extreme tourism, the psychological drive has its source in the fact that life is a unique gift from God. So there is every reason to live life to the fullest exploring the most dangerous corners of the earth, and draw enough kick to sustain the desire as long as the flesh would take on the endurance test.
Prior to launching an extreme tourism, the tourist thoroughly analyses the risk profile of the trip to design means to mitigate the peril ensuing from it. A wrong evaluation of the scenario may mean one thing death. Therefore, utmost precautionary steps are essential. There are cases where people have died meddling with the auto unfolding system of a parachute through a vertical drop. So before indulging in such dares, the tourist should be 100% aware of what he is supposed to do.
Source: https://drprem.com/travel/extreme-tourism-guide/
