A Complete Guide to Extreme Tourism by Dr Prem – Definition, History, Key Features, Planning Tips, Destinations and More

This is a dare for those enthusiasts having a strong cardio health with the right age not anywhere near the verge of senility. The extreme tourist is not too young either to bear the shock of this jolting experience! It is adventure tourism to extremely dangerous places bordering on threats ranging from physical and psychic impairment with death at the farthest end.

The guide informs you about the following:

A Complete Guide to Extreme Tourism by Dr Prem – Definition, History, Key Features, Planning Tips, Destinations and More

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.

History of extreme tourism

Extreme tourism ensues in a rush of intense excitement which almost drives you crazy until you have accomplished your testing voyage. This desire is inherent in us. The degree may vary from person to person depending upon his genetic makeup and the environment he has been exposed to since infancy.

Adventure travel is one of the forms of extreme tourism. It is an act of traveling to isolated spaces or natural environment aiming specific adrenaline rushing physical activities and exploration of the new place. According to UNTWO, historically adventure and travel have been entwined since centuries as we come across the adventure stories of Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus and James Cook.The creation of The National Geographic Society in 1888 provided an impetus to extreme tourism which gained popularity among the modern age travelers.

Interesting fact behind the history of extreme tourism:

From the very inception of the human race coming into to existence, the drive for wild adventure and death flouting sports has always captured his predilection. Extreme tourism and extreme sports have included a variety of dares from early days. Sports and ventures like Bungee jumping, mountain biking, mountaineering, paragliding, bush walking and sea surfing are only a few examples among many.

Hatch river exploration set by Don Hatch and his brothers in 1953 was the first commercial business for extreme tourism having National Park concessioner permit for rafting. Following this, other influential adventure tourism or extreme tourism companies came into existence like Ker and Downey in 1946, Micato Safaris in 1966 and OARS in 1969 as reported by UNTWO.

History of different forms of Extreme Tourism:

Bungee Jumping

Bungee Jumping was actually a maturity ritual for the male. The jump from a sheer height of around 30 meters marked the journey from adolescence to adulthood. It was a courageous act to let one go off such an incredible altitude with only a length of liana fastened around the ankles. Sometimes the boy sees success and sometimes doom.

According to a myth far off in the island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific, a tribal girl climbed up a tall tree to escape the fury of his envious husband. Meanwhile, she secretly fastened her ankles with strong bush vines and waited for the fuming hubby who followed her up into the tree.

Before the man could touch her, she leaped from the branches followed by the husband who jumped as well. While the woman was suspended midway in her fall entangled by the creepers the man straight went down to meet his maker.

Thus, the daring sport of bungee jumping was born. Later in 1985 two friends Chris Sigglekow and A J Hackett pursued their death- defying passion for the jump using elastic ropes. There were a lot of experiments and improvements on the technique of the jump and the material of the fastener. Many valiant jumpers had tried their luck and pluck over the years. There were stories of both success and failure. There has been a historical evolution of a daring sport, which was initially started among the tribal population of the South Seas.

Mountain Biking

Modern mountain biking has a long-chequered history as far back in the 1950 s and 1960 s. The thrill of the rough bumpy rides and racing along sharp meanders did enough for an ecstatic adrenaline surge! Still earlier way back in 1896 there was a mountain biking expedition by Buffalo soldiers from Montana to Yellowstone all along the rugged and rocky landscape.

Throughout the 40s, 50s and 60s there was a sharp rise of the trend in mountain biking, and heavy-duty cruiser bikes invaded the scene. Off the normal track rides and stunts, freewheel turned immensely popular. Mountain biking, which is certainly a risky ride, offered scopes of extreme adventures right from the beginning of the 20th century.

Paragliding

Paragliding has been both a daring and entertaining sport as early as in 1952 when DominaJalbert worked on a model of a chute for sideways soar through the air. The gadget had monitoring latches to guide its movement.

Back in 1961, Pierre Lemoigne, a French engineer improved on the designs, and paragliding trips met a roaring applause from those watching their heroes soar. Both in America and in Europe this sport became trendy among dangerous sports buffs. Paragliders took off cliffs into the sky and the glides triggered enough thrill to be included under extreme sport!

Exploring inhospitable terrains

The concept of walking through inhospitable terrains for a continuous stretch has also been developed far back in the eighteenth century. The changing landscape however difficult and hostile it might be fascinated man. His spirit for the wild adventure was given wings. His love for the long ramble through nature in all its rugged, trying and unfriendly form was, in fact, seen as an expression of romanticism.

Australian bush walking was an old concept too. Long walks through wild outback with the relentless sun burning overhead with blazing fury were loved by nature lovers. Long walks were organized, and walkers willingly participated in the ordeal. The concept has been a history now.

Back in the year 1778, an English cleric named Thomas West first organized a long ramble through the lake districts. These walking tours initially feels pleasant but gradually turns out challenging and difficult as you put more and more kilometers behind you!

Storm Chasing

Storm chasing could be well included within the purview of extreme tourism. It is a dangerous passion that drives an adventure enthusiast in pursuit of rough weather conditions like tornados and devastating twisters. Apparently, it is crazy but for the storm chasers it is entirely an element of euphoria.

The intense pleasure triggered off could only be shared with likeminded adventure hunters. It is the American David Hoadley to whom the credit of first authentic storm chasing was bestowed upon. Born in 1938, this pioneer storm chaser was recorded to have been after the powerful North Dakota storm way back in 1956.

His efforts were well organized and scientifically planned on technical facts and figures collected from the Bureau of weather forecast and from airport weather offices. He was the father of storm chasing madness and founded the storm track periodical.

No less credit goes to Neil B Ward who brought storm chasing officially to foreground as a regular adventurous enterprise with zeal. That was way back in 1950s and 60s when he sought assistance from Oklahoma highway patrol to get an insight into the pattern and behavior of the most menacing storms.

Why extreme tourism matters

Extreme tourism is an interesting tourism niche. It is actually a significant source of life blood that sustains the tourism industry. It brings about several billions of tourist dollars boosting a country’s annual gross national product.

Mountaineering is a burning example of extreme tourism. It requires grit, guts and endurance. It certainly generates employment as well. In a country like Nepal down with the stigma of acute poverty and illiteracy, locals are fruitfully engaged in work related to mountaineering. They are much in demand in jobs of guides and porters for the toughest of rock climbs.

Their knowledge of the mountain is incredible; they know it like the back of their hands. The climbers and hikers from outside find these local guides and Sherpas extremely helpful. They unhesitatingly pay them generously in cash and sometimes in kind. Clearly the local economy is enhanced through extreme tourism. Extreme tourism helps amplify growth in local business built around the theme of daring adventure.

Safety gears and equipments are in great demand as their use is inevitable in daring sports. Extreme tourism helps expand daring sports equipment industry and consequently generates employment. If the risk factor of extreme voyages is kept well under control, the pleasure and thrill involved would be a much sought after fodder for a daring exploration keen mental mind. A recent study has revealed extreme tourism has a beneficial impact on physical and mental health of tourists.

Extreme tourism exposes tourists to challenging depths of oceans, difficult mountainous terrain, dense jungles and extreme climatic conditions. These craggy encounters turn the nerves into a bundle of steel wires, tough and seasoned ready to take on future hardships with a relative ease. The mental and physical resistance multiplies and your endurance level reaches its optimum.

Actually, once you take on extreme tourism you get to know the real mettle. Your mental grit and physical strength is elastic. They will expand when put to the toughest of tests. The latent potential in you will remain buried unless tried and exploited.

What you need to have is a crucible to carry out these risky experiments and put your luck to some acid test. Extreme tourism exactly provides you with this crucible. Don’t you think this is a good enough reason to opine extreme tourism really has some conceptual substance into it?

It is a widely accepted fact that strenuous exercise like mountaineering and long stressful walk through rough terrain improves your cardio health. Your leg and back muscles get the power and endurance. A relaxing massage post extreme tour would tone up your flesh and spirit. You do a stressful stroll and a ravenous appetite and sound sleep are guaranteed.

Extreme tourism often invites dangerous uncertainties. You may need to take vital decisions in a jiffy, which may make a difference between survival and death! This certainly enhances your mental ability in face of the harshest situation. The harrowing experience makes you a battle hardened veteran. The intense ordeal makes you mature, tough and seasoned. It is not a myth but has been proved through research that extreme tourism increases the size of your brain. Your mental capacity rises. Uncertainties and risky moments in extreme tourism increase forbearance, and its helps in taking fast analytical thinking and momentous verdict.

Extreme tourism is a big departure from the routine bland schedule that we everyday pull through. No one wants to be a ‘mamas pet’ and in some point of life craves for an exciting sojourn full of risks and packed with life threatening peril. Extreme tourism is a break from the ordinary ones. We reflect back into the past and ride high on some daring flashbacks. This gives us a huge mental relaxation.

Extreme tourism goes viral. As you describe your friends the kicks of excitement you received from a daring adventure you feel they devour your experience with rapt attention. Next thing they would probably do would ask you how to reach this extreme destination. Unknowingly, you have built a platform that promotes extreme tourism. The industry gets the benefit and the stakeholders are left happy.

Extreme tourism is certainly a capacity builder. The tourist enjoys a new height of an all round performance once he has been through the hardships of extreme tourism. At least once in lifetime we should dare to embark on extreme tourism. There is a big chance we enjoy the high voltage thrill that no other form of tourism can possibly offer. Bigger the danger, greater is the risk and more is the thrill bringing complete gratification.

Currently, extreme tourism has proved its potential worldwide. It has been a big source of money. The host countries have upgraded the infrastructural facilities and the tourists feel the experience wonderful and feats achievable. You could well be one of these tourists and see for yourself that extreme tourism really matters!

Key drivers of extreme tourism

Many of us have raw adventure in our blood. The sight of rugged landscapes and inhospitable wilderness wakes up the sleeping explorer in us. Most of us have a bit of Stanley and Livingstone in us. These characters have become legends. The characters who have lost almost a third of their expedition team to wild life and local tribal assaults and a sizeable portion of the entourage succumbed to diseases like yellow fever, sleeping sickness and incredible hardships of the voyage.

Yet they succeeded in traversing the entire east- west length of the Dark Continent of Africa and made a name for them out of their unfriendly death-defying voyage.

The wildest and most daring of the explorations definitely turn us on. For example, we like to see high adventure on the silver screen.

Fascinating blockbusters

Movies like the Jurassic Park, King Kong and the Poseidon Adventure had always fascinated us. For the same reason, documentaries on treacherous treks, high-risk sky diving and deadly shark encounters had always been popular among the audience. In this respect, National Geographic and Animal Planet channels had drawn hot cake viewership.

High adventure clippings had big hits in the box office. This is a clear indication of the fact that in the real world we would very much like to be a part of the daring expeditions. However, at the back of your mind you have a subconscious desire that you should get unscathed and unharmed in an expedition despite the world collapsing around you. You cherish a fervent wish to feel a disaster, absorb all the heat and enjoy the kick of a do or die spree. And yet the catastrophic consequences should not touch your life!

A parallel line of thought applies in case of extreme tourism. The destination of your choice should promise you a wild adventure insured by some sort of guaranteed safety arrangement. You won’t hesitate to pack your luggage and book your next flight to your dream destination. You are driven by sheer thrill and feel a rush of adrenaline already pumping. At the same time, you look around for security.

Mindset

The tourist needs to get assured of the combined elements of thrill, perilous sport and high adventure and safety measures in the same expedition package. The support of the government, ministry of tourism and the daring sports/excursion clubs should join in to make extreme tourism an attractive venture.

The combined effort of the apex bodies would be the key drivers to extreme tourism. They should firmly establish a contact with the prospective client and turn on the key inside him; the key that would open up a vent to his quest for a risky expedition and challenging and daring sports.

Promoting attractive packages

Constant inspiration and encouragement should come in attractive packages. There is ample scope of marketing the potent appeal of extreme tourism. In the age of internet access when fast electronic media has its reach throughout the length of the globe in a split second, the gospel of extreme tourism would spread like wildfire. A word of caution, an accident or sabotage would largely tarnish the image of an extreme tourism destination.

Destination safety

An impression is earned over the years by efficient service and close customer care. Every precautionary measure should be exercised to ensure the ventures are conducted in safe mode and well taken care of. The equipments, gears and gadgets should be put to periodical inspection to certify their safe and efficient workability. A regular monitoring of equipment stock to be done and outdated inventory replaced.

The pricing policy on equipment and excursion booking should be reviewed from time to time. The charges should be fair enough to justify the quality of a daring trip. The tariffs must not be set with an intention of deceiving the adventure buff.

Infrastructure

The general infrastructural setup, the quality of accommodation, availability of good food and beverage has a definite say in driving tourists from all over the world. Equally important would be the existence of complementary sightseeing arrangements. For example, existence of a crystal-clear lake surrounded by pristine greenery would be fine. An opportunity of a horse ride around the periphery of the lake would be an added bonus. It would be an exciting key driver too.

Quality guides

However, the most significant driving aspect would be the availability of quality trained instructors or guides who would win your trust and take you through the extreme jaunt. Much of your success and safety would rest on how well the tour guide handles the situation.

He should possess high technical knowledge and would teach an amateur tourist the correct method of maneuvering equipment for example a parachute or a paraglider, a motorcycle or a horse. His capability of efficiently reading a situation and managing crisis would earn him a name and fame for the destination as well. These factors would most certainly be the key drivers instrumental to the popularity rise of an extreme tourism destination.

Much-needed diversion from monotony

Extreme tourism is, in fact, a wild extension of the traditional adventure tourism. It has added an exciting new dimension to the old concept. The dangerous stunts that the tourists did not have the guts to try in the past are now riding the helm of tourist acceptance. Tourist visit graph for extreme sport has made a sharp improvement over the past few years.

Extremely risky sports like micro lighting, tele-mark skiing, ice climbing, white water rafting, cliff jumping and power kiting have become hot pursuits. Now exactly what factors have driven tourists to these life risking sports is a thought provoking question.

One possibility is the stereotyped adventure tourism has become monotonous. The consumer desires a sharp evolution from the traditional typecast definition towards something more daring. He is insanely driven by a passion to try out something more dangerous and hostile!

Physical fitness

Key driver to extreme tourism is also described by the specific tourist segment targeted. Research has revealed during the coming decade the tourist falling in the age group of 45 -64 years will be fiercely drawn by extreme tourism. This segment is health freak and always in the quest of new and exciting experiences. These combinations of factors provide a base for driving more and more tourists towards extreme tourism.

Another factor is also quite significant. It is the economic potential of the tourist. The age group just described would probably be in a well off financial bracket. It is an undisputed fact that paying capacity of a tourist is certainly a key driver.

The legal aspects of a daring tour, the responsibility of the daring tour organizer and a risky ride provider could be key drivers as well. The tourist should not be under any false impression. He should have a clear cut idea of who is going to pay compensation for damages and injuries? The insurance aspects covering the risky tour should be clear and express. This could well be a key driver to extreme tourism.

Essential components of extreme tourism

The potent factor having a direct bearing on extreme tourism is the element of dare. It is perhaps one of the leading essential components in absence of which extreme tourism will not just materialize. This drive for high and risky adventure is in the blood of the extreme tourism enthusiast. It is all there in his genetic makeup.

Of course, a portion of this love for dangerous kick can be definitely attributed to his childhood exposure. The mental makeup is way apart from the ordinary average psyche, and these tourists are not gonna be the ‘mama’s pet’ in the truest sense of the phrase. It is this addiction for the risky and nerve testing trips that fires the fuel within the tourist to accept the toughest of challenges that lie in wait in the monstrously treacherous and unfriendly destinations and certainly merit the topmost rank in the essential components of extreme tourism.

The component that comes next in the priority ranking is how daring would be the destination after all? Will it be worth launching a travel program with expectations duly met? The analysis of the degree of danger linked to a destination or to a daring death defying act would feature as an essential component of extreme tourism. Dangerous and hazardous destinations are at galore and scattered across the globe in a random distribution pattern.

The treacherous climbs for example up the mighty Himalayan, the Andean and the Alpine countries are for sure acid tests for a daring tourist in love with hazardous journeys. Many perish while doing the trek not being able to bear the colossal strain of the exploration.

Some are lost under avalanches, and there are examples of the entire crew being wiped out in the face of terrible snow blizzards and desert storms. And there are still the hardcore ones or the toughest survivors who taste victory, receive the electrifying kick and land back home to gob smack the enthralled listeners with their tale of nerve wracking experience.

Precarious mountain treks are just one among a number of dares that may be termed as essential components of extreme tourism. There is the danger flouting bungee jumping! The technique of leap is equally important. A wrong method would be catastrophic. The daring tourist would end up with a snapped backbone or a shattered waist joint!

A very popular and yet chilling dare would be watching a great white shark under the marine environment with scuba tanks and other fitments installed, and you are studying the demon fish from a steel enclosure whose strain points have been put to laboratory test and have been approved.

However, the bite pressure of a great white shark is phenomenal! You never know the sanctified limit. There is a fair risk that all the test results and laboratory data for steel would just go off in a wisp of smoke making you feel the terrible pressure around your gut as the lethal jaws close in! The possibility pumps adrenaline in your blood, and there lies the shock thrill of these types of extreme challenges and certainly can be put as an essential component of extreme tourism!

Tightrope walking across the towering multistoried structures or walking around hazardous nuclear and dangerous chemical plants would trigger extreme thrill, and there is always a chance of slipping into the jaws of death which is sure an essential component of extreme tourism.

The set up available in the extreme locations is a significant component. Extreme tourism invites hazards and frequent injuries.Medical and standard first aid facilities should exist to take care of the wounded extreme tourist in case he meets with an accident while on a daring venture.

Adequate arrangements and training camps should be present to coach the enthusiast in the daring sport of sky diving, paragliding, surfing, scuba diving, mountaineering and similar types of daring sports and voyages. Side by side with ample training, the availability of correct gears, gadgets, safety equipment and tackles is an essential component of extreme tourism to handle disaster in case it strikes the tourist.

Other components of extreme tourism would be the arrangement for accommodation, inland transport, food joints, law and order and attitude of the government and the locals towards extreme tourism.

Role of the tour operator specializing in extreme tourism is an essential component as well. A string of additional responsibilities rests with the travel agent as he is supervising a very dangerous exploration which may well take the life of a client. His guidance is very crucial. The necessary legal and insurance formalities are handled by travel agents ensuring that the client tourist is duly benefited if misfortune strikes.

The stance of the government of the extreme location is certainly an important component. If the government is not confident enough that it could provide the right support to take care of the disasters associated with such kind of tourism, it will start discouraging the tourists indulging in such daring ventures.

The volume of tourists will naturally drop, and the industry will face a financial draught. Encouragement by the local government and a positive attitude of the ministry of tourism would see a surge of tourists to their country looking for extreme dares. An efficient disaster management team at the service the tourists would amount to a key component.

The accessibility of the danger zone is another important component too. The risky destination should be within the tourists’ reach and not cordoned off else the place will just stay secluded from human eye like a myth never tried by human efforts. The essential components combine together to give a platform to extreme tourism the success of which will depend upon a thorough analysis of each unit.

How to get more information on extreme tourism

Extreme tourism is no longer a next to impossible expedition reserved for only a select few, the boldest of the wild adventure seekers. With the media coming up powerful and fast with a wide user coverage, the information on extreme tourism is available handy and authentic. The easiest way to get information on the subject is through the electronic media.

The internet will be the most accessible solution to most of the info you are on a hunt on daring and life risking expeditions. Dedicated websites exist giving you the details regarding what all to see and do. Information regarding availability of decent accommodations and infrastructure pops up in a moment at a single click! If you want to have an in-depth glimpse into the specifics, you need to engage your search engine in a more filtered mode. The proper key words are important while looking for particular information on extreme tourism.

If you want to know about the countries promoting wild adventures and dangerous sports, just type the key words on the search section and you get all the detail you are seeking. Illustrations often accompany texts to give a more visual appeal to the display.

Dedicated websites on extreme tourism have a blog section, open chat forums and FAQ section. You can participate in the blogs and chats and shoot your queries with the expectation of a solution. In most cases, you get authentic information and a few handy tips. You get a fair idea of all you want to know about extreme tourism.

Extreme tourism clubs exist and are scattered across the globe. All you have to do is to locate these organizations. If you are impressed by their activities and the management appears resourceful, you can always apply for a registered membership. Not necessarily the extreme tourism club should be localized in your town. You can still establish contact and get to know the existing members through net communications. Pick up the important contact numbers from the club website for an interactive conversation.

Trivia, data and details would flow in from their archives much to your benefit. Options are open. You may choose to plan your next visit to an extreme destination with the club members. Alternatively, you can organize it on your own in the company of your friends and relatives. Nevertheless, the valued information collected from the club data bank would serve your purpose.

Catching hold of a person who had been through extreme tourism recently could open up a store house of first hand information. Contacting a friend who knows of someone doing an extreme tourism could be an answer. The information in these cases would come neutral and fact based. It will not be silver lined with promotional hypes as the tourist whom you contacted has nothing to gain or lose from exaggerating his experience.

A great source of more information on extreme tourism would be the world of books and magazines. You rummage through bookstores and libraries for quality updates on extreme tourism. You get an ocean of information on extreme tourism dealt specifically subject by subject backed up by glossy illustration. Books and periodicals contain vital data on the destinations marketing extreme tourism.

Legal and safety aspects are discussed at length. The right kind of outfit for a specific death defying sports is analyzed and explained. Even for laymen these books are very helpful. They inspire a flame of risky adventure in a tourist. You can become a member of a library for information hunt on extreme tourism. You can also buy the book which may be bit expensive but the choice is yours.

The travel agents are the trusted source of more information on extreme tourism. The tourist should look for a tour operator having enough experience in extreme tourism. The travel agency’s website will be useful in this context. Sensitive issues like availability of compensation and medical benefits in case of disasters could be put forward. The scope and extent of insurance policies covering an extreme tour is a much sought after issue. The FAQ section of the travel agents websites would take care of these areas.

All the pieces of information flowing in on daring trips are not sacrosanct. The tourist should be prudent enough to set apart genuine data from trash. The only way to do it is to handle as much information as possible from different sources. Observe keenly what each and every data has to say. Bigger the population of data more accurate will be the chance of your prediction about an extreme tour destination going right. You can now form an opinion and take a concrete decision.

Various extreme tourism camps are run throughout the globe. You need to keep a sharp eye on such events. If you are an extreme tourism buff, it won’t be much difficult for you to locate such camps. Discussions, opinions and issues taken up would feed you with the necessary facts you are after while organizing an extreme tourism yourself. Your physical presence in the camp is not required. Every bit of it is expected to get uploaded in the media.

Importance of planning in extreme tourism

Planning in extreme tourism plays a vital role in much of its success. Realization of your long-cherished dream would depend on how well you have thought out your entire itinerary. A crystal-clear foresight is much in demand. Planning an extreme dare would require a broad- based comprehensive program.

This may often be a time-consuming exercise. It is not like one day you wake up from a dream that you are paragliding off a dangerous cliff in all your heroic glory, and the next thing you decide to give shape to your dream and pack your luggage in haste.

Attuning your mind and body

Extreme tourism activities are often subjected to harsh tests putting your flesh and spirit to the breaking point of your endurance. A proper training of your mind and body is a must. This aspect constitutes an inseparable part of your total planning premises.

Destination selection

There is a wide range of extreme tourism activities and destinations to choose from. Before booking your trip know exactly what you are looking for. Different locations offer different types of thrills. If you are madly turned on by parasailing, your destination should be a beach resort where it should have this adventurous sports arrangement. If you have a passion for paragliding, you should select a mountainous destination with the right kind of support system.

Activity selection

Different locations are known for their unique charm. There are vast and arid landscapes for a treacherous trek. Dense patches of shrubbery and continuous forests exist offering excellent opportunities for bush walking. Sometimes these adventure trails are inhabited by wildlife and local hostile tribes. Rugged mountains and foothills strewn with boulder and gravel offer a scope for the toughest of mountain biking trips.

There are still more serious life-risking experiences from what have been described so far. You have sites infamous for nuclear disasters; Chernobyl culprit reactor for example. Shark watching from confinements of a steel cage dropped mid-sea is a different kind of story altogether. Here you feel death from a few feet distance off the coasts of South Africa and Northern Australia.

Destination accessibility

While planning your trip, you got to select your dream extreme location carefully. Its accessibility and the right time to visit should be a crucial part of your planning effort. You need to know as much as possible about your destination. Internet search, books, magazines, texts and any source of data available handy should be critically explored and analyzed.

The planning exercise will almost be like knowing everything about your destination before really hitting it. There certainly would be few unanswered issues in your planning outline. Do not worry as these unattended gaps will be answered gradually as you progress with your trip.

A continuous exercise

Planning for extreme tourism is important, but it is not like you close the chapter, follow your plan guideline and embark upon the mission. Planning should be a continuous exercise subject to modifications depending upon situational demand.

Effective planning in extreme tourism would require inch by inch description of your trip detail that you envisage. This will help you adhere to the set programs when you implement them into action. Of course, chances of digression are not ruled out. Still you have a broad outline of itinerary and certainly feel you are not left blindfolded in total darkness. Sequence of activities would become visible with a concrete tour plan in hand.

Guide selection

Extreme tourism involves risky actions. The tourist may suffer severe physical and mental impairment in the absence of proper assistance. In short, it would be extremely dicey to undertake an extreme tourism venture all by yourself. So quite naturally, the need to avail guidance of a clued-up travel agent becomes imperative.

This travel agent should be a key player with specialization in organizing extreme tourism. Planning extreme tourism would start with locating the appropriate travel agent. You may take help of the internet for this purpose. It will make your travel easy having a proper direction. Your planning exercise should take up corroborating the credential of the agent his field. This will make all the difference between the success and failure of your trip.

Financial planning

Financial estimate of your trip to take care of tour expenditure is an important part of planning. Source of funding your budget would be the next natural effort. Without proper financial planning, your extreme venture would be like a vehicle running without fuel. Having your financial outlay planned, the next planning step would be how much to carry in cash and how much to draw on site by bank or credit cards. Plan your duration of stay properly as it will have a direct impact on your cash outflow in terms of accommodation bills and food.

Discussion with team members

Most important point while planning is not to keep it undisclosed to your team partners. Your plan should be conveyed so that the team members can prepare themselves accordingly. The entire team movement should be synchronized which is possible only if your plan is made crystal clear to the team as a whole. In your planning framework, you should always include the possibility of a mishap.

Accident prevention measures

You are going for extreme tourism and a slight mistake or lack of alertness may cause accidents. Overconfidence often leads to foolhardiness, which is a breeding ground of invited disaster. You should make necessary plans to handle a crisis. Think of the remedial measures available once a misfortune hits you and your team. There should be adequate first aid support to counter any accident or injury. This will certainly benefit you in a great way.

Budgeting in extreme tourism

The primary fuel for extreme tourism would be the stock of money with you. Your spending pattern should match with the optimum pleasure drawn from your daring adventure trip. There should not be no shortage of funds and not a surplus of it either. It is prudent you carry as much money you require with a suitable safety buffer stock built around. The decision as to how much to carry in liquid currency and how much in bank cards would need a more or less accurate prediction of the expenditures that are going to come up on your extreme voyage.

Extreme tourism should embrace a combination of exercises like fixing up an experienced and efficient travel agent seeing through your passport and visa mandates, booking flights, accommodation, inland transport, procurements and grub and eventually launching the dare you have been looking for. The entire range of physical activities needs to be broken up into fragments. More the number of fragments, your budget forecast would a hit a higher level of precision. A deviation from the initial estimates of physical activity stipulation will ensue a deviation of actual expenditure from the original estimates.

Suppose you plan to stay in a jungle resort for seven days for taking Zambezi Hippo snaps from dangerous proximity. You have almost spent the week with your wild pursuits met when you learn on the sixth day that there is an opportunity to watch a pride of wild lions at a nearby waterhole striking for kills from behind bushes and shrubberies.

The temptation is too strong a bait for your adventurous mind and you extend your stay. Your actual expense graph on hotel bills climbs leaving the original estimates far behind. These types of schedule disruptions are normal depending upon the worth of the expedition, and you need to be prepared for the enhanced expenditure and factor it suitably in your budget plan.

Accommodation rental would occupy a sizeable slot in your expenditure schedule. Plan your stay carefully so that you do not land up empty purse right in the middle of the itinerary! Right from the start, try to negotiate hotel room rentals. The price tags are not always rigid. They shrink provided you give a sincere effort.

Try to fix up your accommodation at an optimum distance from the airport and the exact location you would like to have your dangerous experience. This would save your inland transportation cost on cabs and public buses. Select your preference for decent buses over cabs as this mode of travel would be comparatively cheaper.

In extreme tourism, you need to have protective gears like safety belts and shoes, shark watching steel confinements, scuba outfits and tanks, paragliding equipments and other supports that help you through your dare on a smooth ride. You need these accessories, and generally, they can be rented at a price. Think of the cost involved in the above areas while framing your budget.

Likewise, fee for trainer and guides who will steer you through the dangerous ventures should find a place in your extreme tourism budget. Since you are going voluntarily for extreme tourism and are likely to engage in dangerous sports and dares, there is a fair chance you are exposed to injury that could be severe. You should prepare for the likely heavy medical expenditure to survive the wounds and work it out in your tour budget.

Extreme tourism and particularly the extreme sports have been roaring on the popularity meter. If you talk about Russia, and you may select this country as your next extreme tourism destination and budget the likely expenses. If you have selected mountain skiing as your daring venture in the cold Soviet sloppy terrain, you need to pay rentals for a decent set of sport kit like ski sets, poles, helmet, suits, ski masks and gloves, and the entire equipment set may cost you around 700 to 1000 US$ depending how well can you negotiate.

You may select deep sea diving in the Russian waters where the price for coaching and special sea diving kits would fluctuate depending upon where you are going to dive. In the warm waters of the Black Sea, the expense is low compared to the freezing north Arctic where the price for the same facilities would mount sharply, and you need to keep all these facts in your fingertips while drawing up the budget.

If you are inclined to the thrills of windsurfing, all you need to do is hire a surfing plank and leap. You glide on it riding on the air current and so be ready to pay a price between US$ 20 to US$50 in a Russian Black Sea windsurfing club.

There are organized aviation clubs in Moscow where you experience sheer excitement in the adrenaline pulsating parachute jumping that comes at a price of around US $ 50. For the middle-income bracket, walking trips amid dense jungles and wildlife reserve can give you enough kick to carry back home and reflect back for the rest of your life.

The adventure trip comes at a moderate price package. A weeklong walking trip would cost you around US $ 250. Equally ecstatic would be horseback rides along treacherous Russian terrain at a modest price of US $ 350 for a two-week ride.

You need to collect all the updated information regarding pricing your death defying dream ventures and incorporate them in your budget to get a fair estimate of the likely expenditure on extreme tourism.

Routine budgets involving the expenses on engaging experienced tour operators, flight booking costs, expenses on accommodation and food should be worked out. Discounts should be availed where you get an opportunity.All the expense estimates should be translated into a meaningful financial picture by applying relevant currency conversion rates.

Preparations for extreme tourism

Before deciding on extreme tourism, preparatory actions are much in demand. Without adequate preparation, you may be in for a nasty surprise just midway through your journey.

The fundamental steps needed for preparing you for the extreme tour could be outlined as under:

1) Extreme tourism could be highly technical requiring a lot of training and mind setting prior to the trip. An extreme venture all by yourself could be a big folly. Be conversant with a travel agent specialized in this field. Check on his service record. If you are hundred percent satisfied, then only book an extreme venture through him.

2) Next preparatory step would be the selection of your destination. Here, of course, your travel agent would guide you. Usually, they have a select list of extreme tourism destination with a standard itinerary drawn out for you. Minor modifications could be allowed to suit the requirements of a situation and circumstance.

Do not sit idle and wait until the agent takes you and drops you onto the destination. Be acquainted with the destination you are about to visit or the daring sport you are gonna play. Take out a map and consult the internet, books and magazines. Get the latest updates on the climatic conditions, the right time to visit, the exact things to be done on site to taste the thrill of extreme tourism.

3) Get general information about the quality of guides who would take you through the extreme travel. For that matter, the experience of the instructor who would guide you through an extreme sport is very important. Incidents of accidents, availability of medical and insurance support are very significant factors.

4) Prepare yourselves adequately with stocks of drinking water, fluids and fruit juices in case your extreme tourism means a long trek along open grassland with the sun overhead burning in its most relentless form. Take enough salt supplements as a guard against possible dehydration.

5) Take common medicines for cold and cough, fever, nausea, malarial infection and creams for severe sunburn. Knee high shoes would do you good in long treks through savanna.

6) In case you are carrying your gadgets and gears to be used in extreme tourism, see that they are in top condition. Motorcycles, helmets, hiking boots, ice breaking axes, mountaineering kits and climbing ropes must not fail you.

Check on their workability and get them approved from some competent authority prior to use in a daring venture. There is no room for experiments in a dare. Unless you are hundred percent sure of your equipment, do not risk its use.

7) All your important documents, permits, passports, bookings, payment vouchers and bank cards must be securely handled. Keep photocopies along with originals and leave a copy back home with a trusted person.

8) One of the most important preparations in extreme tourism would be your financial preparation. Make sure of the source of funding, and you should get the supply in the right time and in right amount when you need it at the time of incurring expenditure.

9) Give extra weightage to the weather aspect. Weather has an enormous impact upon extreme sports like gliding and surfing. Ensure you hit your destination in fine weather or else these daring sports would remain a dream.

In case your trip for a long treacherous ramble happens to be in a rainy season, carry waterproof jackets and headgear. Knee length rubber boots would be ideal for treading along the muddy terrain.

10) Extreme tourism imposes considerable stress upon body and mind. A weak body and mind would surrender before the inhuman hardship. So train your body and prepare your mind for the harsh ordeal ahead.

11) Extreme tourism would certainly see some high voltage actions from you which need to be captured. It would be a sheer blunder not to capture these priceless moments glorifying you in heroics. Take your photographic kit and see it functions in excellent condition. Your daring jumps and strenuous long rambles need to be preserved for ever.

12) Extreme tourism often demands traversing the wild. All you see around is the ubiquitous dense bushes, waist high grasslands and hostile greenery. Soon you realize these green patches are not exactly picnic spots and could offer real trying situation. It is imperative you carry mosquito nets and mosquito repellent creams. You may need to camp in the open wild at night. You need to keep the droning army with excruciatingly painful needles at bay.

13) In extreme tourism, there are instances of tourists trying to be too brave. It is extremely dangerous to try something beyond the instruction of the guide. Carrying a photograph of your family displaying their smiling faces would serve as a psychological shield against your urge to try something foolish and perilous. This photo will constantly remind you of someone waiting for you back home.

Travel arrangements in extreme tourism

Extreme tourism and the enormous scale of thrill that goes with it have taken the tourist’s liking like a storm. The concept has basically invaded the tourist psyche. The demand for extreme tourism has seen a sharp rise over the years as a consequence. There has also been an increase in tour operating agents to keep up with the frantic pace.

The travel and tour arrangements in extreme tourism have a well- structured platform. The travel agents that operate in the field are quite organized and resourceful. Here, they have an additional responsibility normally extending beyond the routine commitments of a trip organizer. These organizations handle the elements of risk inherent to the nature of daring sports and challenging adventures.

They operate with trusted recruits who have been specially trained for the purpose. At one end, they aim to leave the risky adventure enthusiast happy through a gratifying trip. On the other hand, they keep a keen eye on the safety aspects. Failure to organize an accident-free daring trip with other parameters covered would mean disaster to their business! Travel agents in extreme tourism are well connected with their franchisees through global network.

Updates in latest developments in extreme tourism are collected. They try to customize services to their clientele in the light of these updates. Travel agents in extreme tourism can be reached online. Most of these agencies have comprehensive websites. The sites are decked with typical illustrations, range of services covered and the crew profile and contact nos.

There is a FAQ section for communicating with customers. Generally, the subjects touched on extreme tourism are elaborated in detail. The customer gets a fair idea of what their extreme tourism would be like. The services offered by travel agents are planning your extreme tour, booking flight tickets and accommodation and inland transport.

They usually act as intermediaries between the tourists and field organizers of extreme sports and venture. Tourism arrangement is turning personalized in extreme tourism with clients with a decent spending potential. The judgment whom to go with is as important as where to go in extreme tourism.

Unlike other forms of tourism, the extreme ventures have technical complications. You may slip into dangerous traps unless you have an efficient travel organizer to guide you. Let him handle the crisis and that’s what he is paid for. There are competent trip organizers who have led enthusiasts into the dangerous African bush.

Trekking among wild buffalos, elephants and pride of lions is quite an experience! Your blood pressure mounts, elements of thrill builds up a wild ecstasy in you. This is possible only in extreme tourism in its wildest form. Credit certainly goes to the trip organizer. Travel agents often hire local guides thoroughly conversant with the bush. Sometimes they have an educational background in ecology, animal behavior, ethnic culture and anthropology. Their dexterity is honed to gratify a wild adventure fanatic. There should not be any complaint against the quality of service matching a specifically priced extreme tour package.

Good travel agents in extreme tourism deals with your foreign exchange issue. Visa and passport formalities are managed, and in some cases insurance aspects are taken care of. Travel agents may go as far as financing your extreme tour. Loans are extended, which you pay back in installments according to their policy stipulations.

Trip organizers may become your gear guide in extreme tourism. They guide you on the kind of outfit to be selected for extreme tours like mountaineering, jungle ramble, white water rafting and paragliding. In high adventure mountaineering, there are a number of qualified travel agents who can be entrusted with the work of arranging official tour formalities. Important assignments like booking a peak for climb, securing permits and offering camp logistics are taken care of by these agents.

In white water rafting, the organizers provide you with efficient guides. They help you through the most treacherous grades with fine smoky water droplets practically blocking vision, and the deafening roar plugging your sense of hearing. In India, the Association of professional rafting outfitters and the Indian mountaineering foundations make sure that while undergoing an extreme adventure trip the code of ethics, an eco-friendly attitude and safety norms are complied with.

Extreme tour organizers of various sizes and capacities have practically mushroomed around the globe. They offer a wide range of treks, hikes, rafts and paraglide for the tourist to decide on. One good thing about really efficient travel agents is that they view the entire itinerary from the viewpoint of a tourist. Possible problems and issues are figured out. Workable solutions are set to counter the hitch.

A sort of simulation model is constructed to deal with a crisis as and when it would arise in actual extreme trip. Organizing trips along the offbeat track is a challenging exercise. The institutions those have dedicated their services in extreme tourism are unique. The offices are equipped with trekking gears and experienced team of crews and instructors. They provide detail itineraries for specific ventures with valuable instructions, which would be vitally important in a risky trip. Ultimately, they ensure the holiday memories leave a lasting impression on the client.

Stiff competition keeps the extreme tour arrangers continuously strive for better service profile. The pressure imposes a need to survive and a necessity to update resources, knowledge and expertise. Pricing is not a major issue. The customers are affluent and willing to pay. What they look for in extreme tourism is quality service from the agents.

They want back at least their money’s worth of kick from high risk adventures if not more. Those matching up to the customers’ requirement flourish in their enterprise. Eventually these tour operators become the key players in the field of extreme tourism. The incompetent ones lose the battle and automatically get turned out from the scene.

In a nutshell, tour organizers exist and can be reached through the internet. They have an efficient operating circuit. But not all are good in terms of services offered. You need to pick up the right one from the crowd to make your extreme venture a triumph.

Activities in extreme tourism

Extreme tourism offers you an opportunity packed with an assortment of hair raising activities! Just watch for the wave of adrenaline with a range of high buzz sporting lures and actions. Here we go with some of the most electrifying activities to be enjoyed in choicest of destinations:

Bungee Jumping

This is a traditional manhood ritual of New Zealand. It was performed with gusto by the ethnic community. Currently, this daring sport is one of the trendiest tourist draws. Practically jumpers of all age group are on an almost insane drive to fasten rubber straps to their ankles and jump off from shocking altitudes! High podiums and bridges are the most popular jump stations.

You may choose to do the Bungee Jumping all by yourself or you may even select to operate in a team. All you do is tie an ankle strap to a long elastic cable. The other end of the cable is tied to the platform stilts.

The length of the cable is extremely important. Cables running over a length more than your distance from the ground would mean death or serious physical injury! You may look for a change and straight go for a bungee jump where you squarely land on a water body. This might reduce the risk of the fall.

Simply draw in extreme pleasure from the dramatic landscape all racing up past you through your rapid descend for about ten seconds. Initially, you will panic but after a couple of falls you will start liking every moment elapsed by. You may even wish the time span of free fall expands! Up in the rocky landscape of the Nevis valley you find here the loftiest bungee platform of New Zealand erected up an incredible height of 134 meters.

You may well try it out. Surely, it will be a hell of an electrifying experience! You may even select to hit Queenstown nestled at the base of the magnificent remarkable mountain range and enjoy the rippling waters of Lake Wakatipu. The traditional cult of bungee jumping in New Zealand is founded on flexible premises. It is designed to match the requirements of all interested.

Sky Diving

One of the most favorite activities of extreme tourism is skydiving. This intrepid sport has been on craze among extreme tourists. Good news is that all your tangible dreads are confined within a controllable standpoint.

Zorbing

For a departure, you may even try out Zorbing. You may find this shock of mirth in Durban, South Africa where Groovy Balls Park organizes this extreme sport drawing a substantial crowd of tourists bubbling with enthusiasm.

This is an extreme sport where a huge and transparent ball is the chief attraction. The participants are caged inside in a cluster and the ball is eventually rolled downhill. It is highly invigorating laden with wild fun. At the end of the show, you may go a bit wobbly but the delight of the roll more than compensates.

Big Swing

Then there is the Big rush big swing that takes you up on cloud nine. It is certainly an experience of a lifetime and a unique swing of its own kind. It is the largest swing installed in a stadium that exposes the tourists to a sequence of surprising joggles! It is mandatory you sign an indemnity waiver Form. Do not worry as there will be qualified crew available for support.

Parasailing

To feed your wild sporting appetite, you may go for parasailing. This is an extreme sport too and may well fit in your cart of extreme tourism activities. You are dragged at the rear end of a high-speed boat and fastened to a uniquely devised chute also known as parasail wing. As the boat propels forward you experience a haul and borne aloft into the sky.

There is fun galore. However, an element of risk cannot be totally dismissed. For a security measure, you need to have a patrol boat chugging below on your trail. Its aim is to rescue in case of a disaster. You can enjoy parasailing in a number of European seaside resorts. In Asia, this daring sport is experienced off the coast of Goa and Kovalam in India. The sea beach at Pattaya in Thailand and beaches of Philippines is where you get to parasail.

Mountain biking

This could be a sure-fire exciting ride in extreme tourism. You may opt for cross country trail ride, full-fledged mountain ride, gravel jumping and downhill free ride. This sport would demand stamina, an all-powerful torso, bike maneuvering aptitude, a thorough grip on balance and self-confidence.

Since the rides along tracks where civilization is nonexistent and harsh nature rules, the rider needs to be a master of his machine. The rider will have to face the toughest of issues and handle situations all by himself. There won’t be possibly any garage and repair shops. You will need to repair your bike and change spares all by yourself! It is always better to bike in groups than being a loner along the unfriendly terrain.

Bush Walking

You may visit the Australian outback for the strenuous bush walking which is another typical example of extreme tourism. It puts your endurance to a severe test. Bush walking covers vast plains, barren lands and hostile territory with patches of stubs and shrubbery scattered here and there.

The trail may well run into weeks in which case it is imperative you carry enough stock of food, water and a portable tent. In bush walking, you are far away from human settlements so you should be prepared to handle inhospitable situations without expecting any local support.

Cage Diving

Nevertheless, it is a challenging enterprise releasing enough adrenaline in your blood stream. Just pull yourself together and opt for going down into the depths of an ocean to experience the spine-tingling Great White Shark cage diving. You may select waters off the coast of Gaansbaal in South Africa or Aussie coasts.

You are put into custom built strong enough steel cage and dropped into the blue with a breathing tank and marine outfit. You feel your heart skip a bit as the monster fish glides right towards you. Be relaxed. The cage is all steel, but who can guarantee its invincibility against the crushing power of enormous jaws!

Extreme tourism would call for exciting activities that no other form of tourism would promise. All these exciting activities should be rounded up with a bit of photography be it on still shots or through movie camera. This is one important activity that you execute with your photography kit. The target is to preserve your death defying acts for the rest of your life.

Best practices in extreme tourism

Best practices of extreme tourism would combine high adventure with social service. The support comes from the stakeholders. Regular forums and workshops are run. The idea is to make extreme tourism destinations more attractive. A parallel objective is to improve the quality of lives of the locals. Improvement in quality of training and certification would see more efficient instructors and extreme venture guides coming up locally.

This endeavor would improve the profile of extreme destination in terms of the availability of qualified guides who would help you through a daring and risky trip sustaining the thrill. At the same time would ensure chances of accidents are minimized.

A concerted effort by the local ministry of tourism and ministry of sports should move in the direction of upgrading and popularizing extreme voyages and daring sports.

A guaranteed flow of tourist dollars in the right direction is to be monitored and ensured. Involvement of intermediaries needs to be minimized. These less productive conduits eat up much of the cash flow before they reach the primary service providers. Follow-up measures are to be installed to see the hard working and life-risking instructors who guide you through a daring sport are not deprived.

Focus should be shifted to the welfare of the equipment and extreme sports gear manufacturers. It is important they are adequately remunerated to maintain a high level of craftsmanship. There will be laborers busy fixing parts, assembling kits putting in dexterity, patience and toil to give a final shape to the fun gadget you will ride on risking a chance of an accident.

These primary craftsmen should be properly motivated on their job. They should be fairly paid. They are absorbed in a high skill job ensuring quality of the sports kit and eventually the safety of your extreme passion. A slight flaw in craftsmanship would invite disaster. Your dream for extreme tourism would turn into nightmarish clippings from the Abyss!

Extreme tourism has a lot of hot money flowing into it. Properly handled, promoted and encouraged, it could bring in dramatic changes in the profile of a destination so far as its wild appeal among tourists is concerned. Training schools backed up with adequate resources, qualified instructors and professionals handling the psychological aspects of a death defying stunt should be set up at extreme tourism locations.

The role of the tour operator to implement the best practices of extreme tourism is a point to reckon. Custom designed tour itineraries are set to make your daring trip thrilling as well as contributory towards the local benefits. Horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking and trekking through rugged landscape includes a charitable drop at the rural and remote human settlements that come in your route.

The location of these hamlets is sometimes incredibly harsh. You wonder the colossal hardships encountered by the inhabitants just to pull through a single day. The strenuous exercise of gathering food and firewood would just leave you speechless.

At the same time, it will encourage you on your own hard hitting venture. Interaction with the villagers would certainly be an eye opener. You get an in-depth insight into the local lifestyle, rituals and beliefs, food habits, culture, thoughts and philosophies. Their awareness and ignorance of a modern contemporary world may surprise you.

On your hectic trip schedule, you may still make for some time to educate the local children. If you can make them literate, it will certainly be a great achievement for you to brag on. This would be a great practice filling your heart with a happy conviction that you have contributed something substantial and positive.

One of the best practices of extreme tourism is to go by the rule book. The insane beauty and feral isolation of Mother Nature may entice you to turn a little more adventurous crossing the limits of safety norms. Here, you must draw the line and do not embark upon any daring venture of which you had been previously warned by experienced travelers.

Correspondingly, when you are all set to go for a paragliding dive, a parasailing float or a high sea surfing, the words pouring out from the instructor’s mouth is your gospel. Do not try anything heroic and deviate from the standard set of instruction else you may be welcoming a mishap.

During extreme tourism, you should keep an eye on the impact left by you and your team of cohorts on the environment. It is quite natural you ride high on adrenaline rush and pay little attention to the entire storm collected along your boisterous trail. Especially on a long wild walk through nature with the ubiquitous greenery around, refrain from littering the ground with garbage.

Reckless mountain biking with a lot of ecstatic yelps and wild fun may disrupt the ecological balance. In mountainous terrain, the vibration of your bumpy ride and the noise echo off the rocky walls. There is a fair chance you dislodge the boulders and cause a mess. This could be fatal and must be avoided.

Perking up the marketing strategy for making the concept of extreme tourism appealing enough to the customers may be included as one of the best practice strides. Once the destination is identified as a potent source of high- risk fun, the next exercise would be to explore the tourism market.

Customer segments recognized and tourist psyche closely understood.

Why some tourists are driven by life threatening ventures? Are they a breed apart? Or is it some childhood experience had made them that way in the latter part of their lives? A match needs to be worked out between the number of potential dare chasers and locations offering the exact level of thrill raptures they are after. Perhaps the most important practice is to realize extreme tourism as a source of hot pursuit for everyone. It is not the odd man out in the legion of different tourism niches.

Things to do post extreme tourism

On completion of extreme tourism, you feel at the top of the world. Feats achieved, heights scaled and inhospitable grounds explored bring in a fresh shot of triumph in you. You turn a role model overnight among your friends and relatives. They practically flock around you. You narrate your hair-raising experience as vividly as possible to spellbound listeners devouring every word pouring out of your mouth.

The audience you impress would have a few sincere extreme tourism enthusiasts keen on setting up records in their personal daring trip lists. You may well explain to them the technicalities of paragliding and parasailing. The subtle techniques of high risk mountain biking would flood them with a mad drive to try on their machines up rugged terrain for that matter.

Safety tips would be vital pieces of advice which would be much appreciated. The right kind of gear and equipments would update them on their next venture fired by inspiration founded on the first hand field information you enlighten them with.

You may make your live wire narration even more interesting with the help of your extreme tourism clippings recorded on a movie camera. There is an ample scope of making your experience lively by demos, and for this you will need the clippings projected on life-sized screens set up in your drawing room. Fixing up adjacent display boards where you sketch out diagrams and models would add an educative quality to all that you have to convey.

Connect with your audience with vibrant conversation giving an ambiance of a serious instruction class of extreme tourism. Expect rapid fire questions shot at you, which you will have to handle confidently and convincingly. You will be able to do it as you are supported by your personal experience enriched with bits of practical training you had from a qualified and efficient field instructor.

Post extreme tourism, you may reach out to an even bigger circle of audience provided you take the help of internet. Social net working circuits will be left spell bound. Your bold endeavor will meet accolades, applauds and sincere appreciation. Extreme tourism exposes you to a very high profile adventure all charged with a thrill and rush of adrenaline. You are one of those tourists standing out with a sort of halo around you that you are somehow way apart from the ordinary.

The trip being done you may think seriously of a career in extreme tourism. It is lucrative and exciting. You can hone your skills in sports that extreme tourism has offered you like mountaineering, paragliding, bush walking and parasailing. A short course and a certificate and your passion for daring ventures could see a budding instructor in you out on a successful career hunt evolving gradually into a future extreme tourism organizer.

You can set up an entire website entirely dedicated to extreme tourism. Your hands on experience would certainly feature as blogs, anecdotes, illustrations, demonstrations and clippings in motion. You will have millions of queries fired at you. Updates referring to extreme tourism locations, availability of accommodation, likely expenses, facilities of extreme sports and daring ventures, quality of guides and instructors, availability and price of gears and equipment and the safety measures will crowd your website. You will enjoy answering these queries feeling you have contributed substantially towards extreme tourism.

Even a first-time exposure to extreme tourism loads you up with tons of updates. Depending upon what you have felt and done in your first daring venture, you can always plan your subsequent itineraries. The best accommodation available at optimal prices, the best quality outfits and gears, the best instructors around and of course the exact sites for a daring action would be preserved in your personal holiday planner to be referred to in your future ventures.

Do not forget to take the contact details of your instructor for future communication. Post extreme tourism, you can always renew your touch about new developments in the field.Every subsequent trip to extreme destinations will fill your bucket with ever-expanding volume of knowledge in the field.

Someday you can start your own extreme tour club. Your knowledge in the field and your organizing skills which you have developed over years of extreme trips will draw more and more enthusiasts to your club for membership. Once you have a big team eager for extreme tourism, many issues that you confront on tour will be shared and so would many of your extreme tour expenses.

Certain extreme endeavors like mountaineering and long endurance walks demand top physical conditions. This would require the right combination of physical workouts and a healthy diet regime. Post extreme tourism you may concentrate on these two areas back home. You may supplement your effort with more reads on the subject. On your next venture, you come out with flying colors!

Countries promoting extreme tourism

Countries blessed with extremes of natural features and challenging landforms have realized their worth. They could easily see the enormous appeal their country has on the tourists out for a hunt to explore the death-defying challenges offered.

No sooner the realization struck and the huge potential in extreme destinations assessed, efforts for marketing extreme tourism had been on the rise.Some of the countries on an all-out promotional campaign to make them extremely popular to the daring lot are as follows:

Russia

By its very location with a vast east west stretch of hostile landmass, Russia is an excellent ground for extreme tourism. Promotional tools have been utilized heavily to capture the media. It is an excellent platform for propagating challenging voyages and dangerous dares. Television, magazines and the internet websites have been relied upon heavily. The sole object is to lure more and more tourists and offer them the most challenging of the dares presented in a world class quality travel package.

Sometimes the extreme tour equipments and gears have been inspired with logos of Russian role model adventure enthusiasts. There is an all out support from the government and the ministry of tourism to encourage extreme tourists from outside and from within the country as well. World class accommodation and infrastructure have been set up answering the needs of an interested tourist.

Nepal

This wonderful paradise on earth is nestled in the lofty Himalayan range and is a tourist’s temptation. Nepal is a gateway to scaling some of the world’s legendary mountain peaks. The exploration poses dangerous mountaineering trips, and sometimes the crew gets lost under deadly avalanches and snow blizzards.

Visits to Manas Sarovar and scaling Mt Everest and Mt Kanchenjunga are perhaps the biggest challenges. Your chance of survival hangs on a thread. But this small country is tourist friendly trying its best to cooperate with the outsiders. Promotion of extreme tourism is a top priority both for the government and common people.

Extreme tourism is practically the bread earner for the locals. They strive hard to put their country at the top in the global map of adventure tourism. The all-year-round excellent climate smiles upon the tourist. The same friendly smile is reflected by the poor locals through warm gestures of hospitality and amity towards the foreign adventure aficionados! The Nepali media is also ensuring that the country becomes well known to the world as a prime destination for extreme tourism.

Ethiopia

In the Dankil desert in Ethiopia, the tourist surely meets the perfect definition of hell on earth. The Ethiopian government is showcasing this nightmare to the extreme tourists. The money flowing in could mitigate poverty and hunger of the miserable local population.

The place is a weird mix of fuming pungent sulfur lakes, salt flats, barren hostile plains and dormant volcanoes. The place is extremely hot and inhospitable. Addis Ababa, the capital organizes a two week trip to this creepy destination at a fee of £3000. Media is employed vigorously to spread the notoriously tempting reputation of this place among extreme adventure enthusiasts.

Australia

The rugged Aussie landscape and the wild out backs have been a perfect ground for the daring enthusiast to indulge in extreme tourism. The continent down under is keen on exploiting its resources and weird land features to draw a large volume of tourists interested in dangerous adventures.

Particularly, the continent has an ample scope for the tourists enthusiastic about dangerous sports like bungee jumping, sky diving, high sea surfing and rock climbing. High tech cities like Melbourne and Victoria had been marketing these perilous ventures quite aggressively to the tourist customers. State of the art facilities and an efficient support platform backs up the promotional drive.

Electronic media is intelligently and extensively employed. The network of infrastructural support is modeled on the latest technical developments and the standard of tourist accommodation and the quality of food and beverage is top grade. The strive to improve this tourist support system is a continuous endeavor. The tourists are held enchanted with the trill and danger of extreme venture in one hand and the luxurious staying facilities on the other.

New Zealand

The wonderful island below the Australian landmass is literally dotted with mountains presenting a stunning landscape. The country offers an opportunity for bungee jumping, mountain climbing and skydiving. It is here where this daring sport of bungee jumping had been originated. It was wildly popular among the ethnic Maoris, and the danger of getting killed always lurked behind this sporting practice pumping enough doses of euphoria and adrenaline!

New Zealand too has hottest amenities and high-tech support system to draw a multitude of wild adventure buffs. Latest outfits and gears approved on international safety standards are available to the tourist to have the hair rising thrill and at the same time mitigating chances of accidents.

Norway

This country with a stunning landscape, incredible Fiords and dangerous cliffs provides an ideal destination to try out some extreme daring activities. The temptation is potent enough, and adventure freaks have been strongly lured to scale the precipices and eventually take a wind aided dive!

The insanely menacing roads meander with sharp corners and snake through an enchanting and yet a dodgy backdrop! It is a high voltage action ground for excitement. Voss, a location in Norway is marked for being a huge hit with the adventure tourists loving to be on the verge of extreme peril.

The kick of adrenaline is guaranteed. Tourism promoting drive is virtually felt in the air.High benchmark is set in promoting and making a specific destination a trademark of extreme adventure.Lucid targets are set on a global scale by highlighting the distinctive features of the place. Voss’ matchless individuality has been a blazing auratoday in the field of extreme tourism. Needless to say, it is a fruit of sincere marketing efforts.Even the unique outdoor type character of the local residents of Voss is vigorously marketed. Their love for wild adventure. which moves to the brink of craziness has been phenomenal. It is a powerful element of appeal for the adventure buffs.Norway’s focus in promoting extreme tourism had paid rich dividends. It has in fact strengthened the nation’s tourism industry.

Top extreme tourism destinations

Extreme travel destinations are an obsession with some of the diehard adventure lovers. They ensure they land on their dream destination at some point of time in their lives. Here we go with the top ten destinations for extreme tourism. However, this is not an exhaustive list:

Mount Thor, Nunavit, Canada: The peak on earth with the sharpest gradient.

Although it is not the loftiest point on the earth but in an attempt to kiss the moon it offers an undisputed back breaking climb up an impossible gradient almost perpendicular to the ground.It makes an angle of 105 degrees to its base. Just imagine the scale of concentration, effort and alertness the climber should have to achieve this daring feat!

It is one of the most popular of the toughest destinations despite its location in a little secluded corner far away from easy accessibility. However, if climbing such a treacherous slope is not your cup of tea, you can always relax in the base camp!

Drag race- North Carolina, US

Foleys Drag racing training school in North Carolina would coach you into a fearless dragster and perform awesome drag races. The organizers set up drag races along tracks scattered across the US at different venues and time schedules. The price range starts upward from US $ 349. For grub and exquisite landscape photography you need to pay extra. This is a very thrilling and dangerous sport, and you can book an entire drag race holiday offering you an electrifying experience.

Shark baiting in Roatan, Honduras

This is an entire thrill packed shark watching deep down in the marine waters at a rough depth of 1500feet with the messenger of death slowly gliding towards you. Just off the coast of Roatan, Honduras you are carried down to the depths of ocean in a submarine arranged for you by the Stanley’s submarines and you feel like live bait luring dangerous sharks.

The body knocks by the ocean beast rock your marine vessel back and forth as you watch the lethal fish with raw wide eyed horror through the submarines with 9 viewing slots each measuring 30 inch across.

Space dive in Moscow

Yes, the dare is possible and had been custom designed for the enthusiasts by the Russian space agency hydro lab in Moscow. You get a real life exposure of how it feels to operate like a professional astronaut immersed in an alien and frightful weightlessness. Here, you are released in a 12 meter deep neutral buoyancy tank where you bob up and down with a strange kind of heart racing feel.

You will be allowed to having same kind of training with a coolant swimsuit with biometric sensors installed in it provided you are of the right height weight mix. It is a terrific fun, fear and a thrill punch where you have a near feel of experiencing a sojourn to a space station!

Death defying fire fighting-Orlando, US

If you have enough guts and a drive for the challenging profession of a fire fighter trapped amid lethal flames and blinding smoke, you can experience it all in the fire fighting training institute at Central Florida fire academy in Orlando.

It all comes in a very exciting package as you fight your way through dense smoke with flames lashing at you. Your mission is to rescue the trapped victims and finally drive away in a blood red fire engine. At the end of the hectic and daring activity schedule, you are just delighted to find a sumptuous fire house dinner waiting.

Drive a Tank, Minnesota, US

Here, in Kasota in Minnesota, you experience the thrill of extreme venture where you navigate under the efficient coaching of a qualified instructor, a 60 mt of British army tank named Larry, and bull doze right through an obstacle laden path trampling anything and everything that comes your way. You feel a rush of adrenaline motivated by a wild instinct of pleasure and destruction that normally invades the psyche once the enemy gets crushed! You feel like a battle hardened veteran and get to know a lot about tank engineering and architecture and the subtle technicalities of warfare.

The coldest place on earth- Oymyakon, Russia

How about a dare to visit the coldest place on earth in North Russia? Possibly you cannot simply imagine the sheer degree of heart stopping freezer as on a typical January night where the temperature averages around an astounding drop of minus 60 degrees centigrade!

Almost round the year here we have temperature far below zero with frosts inflicting their chilling bites everywhere around. However, the residents of the villages around Oymyakon are quite spirited and enthusiastic.

They realize their out of the ordinary local territory could well be a potent lure for the enthusiasts turned on by the toughest of challenges thrown by Mother Nature. To promote extreme tourism, they organize a Cold Festival every year. The extreme destination offers you opportunities of riding a reindeer sledge and the exciting ice fishing. For tourists on a hunt for extreme adventure amid treacherous nature, this is sure the right place to be in.

The Hottest place on earth- Dallol, Ethiopia

This is the real patch of skin blistering scorcher on earth located in Dallol an arid landmass in Northern Ethiopia. The average temperature year round shoots at a blazing 35 degrees centigrade. The locals are the Afar tribesmen a nomadic desert dweller who’s economic mainstay is rearing sheep and collecting salt.

This place was once a gulf in the prehistoric era. During many a tectonic plate shifts the floor of this gulf shot vertically up and this landmass was thus formed. Geologically this place is unstable and vulnerable to seismic threats. Volcanic eruptions have occurred in the past and springs throwing hot water gush up in forceful even today.

The place with the most snowfall-Mt Baker, Washington

This all-white place is certainly a dream destination for the extreme tourist on an insane quest for the snowiest place on earth. In fact, Mt Baker in North West of Washington boasts to be the place experiencing heaviest snowfall. During 1998 -99 the place had a record snowfall of 1140 inches covering the ground!

Most dangerous shark infested waters- Gansbaal

Undisputedly the water off the coast of Gansbaal in South Africa is literally thick with dangerous great white sharks as they appear ubiquitous. There is an abundance of fur seals, the favorite food of the great white. It is estimated that schools of around 50000 of these jolly furry mammals abound. The food chain is secure. Some tour agents even offer cage diving experience with surefire encounters from proximity! You practically feel the ripples as the messenger of death swim past you. Back in March 2013, a shark rammed into the cage and broke it open. Luckily, the tourist escaped and survived the trauma unscathed. The experience was one hell of a shock!

A Complete Guide to Extreme Tourism by Dr Prem – Definition, History, Key Features, Planning Tips, Destinations and More

What is extreme tourism?

Setting boundaries

Should you go for extreme tourism?

History of extreme tourism

Interesting fact behind the history of extreme tourism:

History of different forms of Extreme Tourism:

Bungee Jumping

Mountain Biking

Paragliding

Exploring inhospitable terrains

Storm Chasing

Why extreme tourism matters

Key drivers of extreme tourism

Fascinating blockbusters

Mindset

Promoting attractive packages

Destination safety

Infrastructure

Quality guides

Much-needed diversion from monotony

Physical fitness

Essential components of extreme tourism

How to get more information on extreme tourism

Importance of planning in extreme tourism

Attuning your mind and body

Destination selection

Activity selection

Destination accessibility

A continuous exercise

Guide selection

Financial planning

Discussion with team members

Accident prevention measures

Budgeting in extreme tourism

Preparations for extreme tourism

Travel arrangements in extreme tourism

Activities in extreme tourism

Bungee Jumping

Sky Diving

Zorbing

Big Swing

Parasailing

Mountain biking

Bush Walking

Cage Diving

Best practices in extreme tourism

Things to do post extreme tourism

Countries promoting extreme tourism

Russia

Nepal

Ethiopia

Australia

New Zealand

Norway

Top extreme tourism destinations

Mount Thor, Nunavit, Canada: The peak on earth with the sharpest gradient.

Drag race- North Carolina, US

Shark baiting in Roatan, Honduras

Space dive in Moscow

Death defying fire fighting-Orlando, US

Drive a Tank, Minnesota, US

The coldest place on earth- Oymyakon, Russia

The Hottest place on earth- Dallol, Ethiopia

The place with the most snowfall-Mt Baker, Washington

Most dangerous shark infested waters- Gansbaal

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