Types of Tourism

Agro-Tourism

Agro-tourism is a fast growing concept in the tourist industry and Malaysia offers all its visitors a whole range of activities related to the agricultural and plantation sectors. In spite of the rapid industrialisation of the country, Malaysians have always felt very close to 'Mother Earth", as it was the rich, fertile soil that provided the sustenance throughout its colourful history.

The agricultural sector for tourism has become popular especially to the city dwellers who wish to have a taste of a kampung life. It provides the opportunity to see and learn something - different - something in which our forefathers have had the opportunity to experience without any hassle.
One of the places that you can visit is the one in Melaka state. The Melaka Agropark, Sg. Udang, located just 20 km away from the Melaka city centre; the agropark is part of the Sungai Udang Agriculture Training Centre. Occupying 65 acres of green undulating terrain, the park consists of fruit orchards, vegetable farm, a man-made lake, ponds, gardens, children's playground, a camping site and fascinating habits of wildlife animals in their natural habitat.

During the fruiting season you will be able to savour the freshness of local fruits such as durians, rambutans, mangoes while sitting under the trees and eating to your heart's content.

For the adventure buffs, facilities are available for camping, fishing, canoeing, paddle boating, jungle tracking and even tree climbing.

Eco-tourism

Eco-tourism is ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas that fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation. It is defined as responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people.
In Malaysia, the idea is not that difficult to implement in fact it is somewhat timely; in view of the vast acres of greeneries still covering the country's soil. The concept embraces the principles of sustainable tourism, which distinguish it from the wider concept of tourism.
It contributes actively to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, that includes local and indigenous communities in its planning, development and operation thus contributing to their well-being.

Eco-tourism interprets the natural and cultural heritage of the destination to visitor and lends itself better to independent travellers, as well as to organized tours for small size groups".

Health-tourism

Realizing how important health is to a nation's prosperity and growth; the Malaysia's government has embarked on programmes that combine activities relating to health care and tourism. Unique in all sense, the Health Tourism incorporates both aspects of the programme. As a result of this, it will amplify the wealth of the economy.
The idea was first mooted in 1997; it includes activities that enhance health such as trekking, cycling, jogging, and swimming thus complements it with medical services treatment like health screening and massages, spa and sauna.

Later in the next year, the Government has introduced the National Committee for the promotion of health tourism in 1998. The Director General of the Culture, Arts and Tourism Ministry heads the Committee.

The Ministry of Health, Matrade and Tourism Malaysia undertake promotions of the programme, which accordingly brings the concept abroad. A network of Tourism Malaysia offices and Malaysian embassies or consulates worldwide also provides information, distributes brochures with the names and contact numbers of the hospitals.
Last year, the Committee had gone for successful trade missions to countries such as the Middle East, covering Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Home-stay Program/Home-stay tourism/Rural Tourism

It is not a peculiar concept anymore to have someone foreign staying in your house, mingling with your family or experience dining on local dishes with their hands!

Malaysia is rich with its multi cultural and multi racial society and they live harmoniously as one. The people's friendliness knows no boundaries and their willingness to share their livelihood demonstrates genuine kindness and sincerity.

At the Homestay programme, you will get a chance to experience Malaysian's well-known warm hospitality and unique cultural identity. Malaysians love meeting people, establish new friendship and learn new cultures. No one is a stranger when welcoming guests into their homes. For those of you who would like to experience the unassuming kampung living, you are most welcome. Acquire the ability to eat with your hands, wearing the oh-so-comfortable batik sarong and play kites with giggly children along the bund of vast paddy fields.

In Malaysia, the main purpose of this concept is to support the tourism-based activity, which is directly linked to the community. The programme involves local people's participation; to manage and host the programme to make it a success. In return, they will be the primary recipients of the benefits derived from the tourism activity.
You will also get the chance to be involved in local community activities that may ranges from cooking classes to being an honourable guest to a traditional wedding. You can also watch a local cultural dance or even participate in the mesmerising silat, a form of local Martial Arts or simply unwind with a traditional herbal massage.
Homestay programme has grown dramatically to the fact that there are now such programmes in every part of the country. It has benefited the local communities tremendously and given them vast exposure to other cultures.

Business Tourism

Business tourism is the name given to all forms of tourism that are work-related. , such as when people are not primarily motivated to recreational pursuits but travel because of their work, especially to attend meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.

The acronym MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) is sometimes used in business tourism to cover these four core market areas. According to World Tourism Organization, business tourism accounted for 16% or 120 million international tourist arrivals in 2004. The World Travel and Tourism Council estimated business travel spend for 2006 at US$672 billion.

In Malaysia, business tourism is being promoted by the government as well as tourism operators such as travel agents, hotels and conventions centers due to its’ ability to draw large number of tourists to functions held in various locations. Besides that, the tourists will increase spending and extending their stays in Malaysia.

The success of business tourism depends heavily on the availability of infrastructures, facilities, attractions and excellent level of services.

Alternative Tourism

Alternative tourism is a creation against mass tourism and its detrimental impacts on destinations. Coming from a range of prospective (ethical, ideological, political, environmental or anthropological), proponents of alternative tourism advocate a necessary change in tourism practices such as not visiting overcrowded places, not exerting pressure on fragile environment by redirecting flow of mass tourists, practice community tourism by empowering residents, educating tourists and promote caring for the environment.

Alternative tourism is underpinned by the principles of sustainable tourism development as translated in ecotourism. There are numerous terms used or rather interchangeably in the 1970s and 1980s to express the idea of alternative tourism such as appropriate tourism, integrated tourism, adapted tourism, controlled tourism, equitable tourism, green tourism, and responsible tourism amongst others.

Cultural Tourism

Curiosity and education are the main motivation of cultural tourists. They want to learn about other people and their culture. Cultural tourism is not just high arts, as preserved and presented in museums or as performed on stages but it may also include popular folklore, traditional events, festivals, music, food, handicrafts, daily work and so on.

Unfamiliar cultures often need to be explained and interpreted hence the need for culture brokers or tour guides without whose mediation, the educational purpose of cultural tourism cannot always be realized.

Cultural tourism may be broken down into sub categories in order to distinguish between different centers of interest such as ethnic tourism, heritage tourism, industrial tourism or other niches of special interest tourism such as garden tourism or food tourism.  In fact most recreational holidays do include cultural elements either incidentally or systematically. There are occasions where difference between cultural and recreational elements is not always clear cut such as attending bull-fighting in Spain can have both elements.

Extreme Tourism

Extreme tourism is a type of active sports tourism, the phase is increasingly used to refer to holidays which involve travelling to dangerous places such as caves and deserts and or participating in extreme sports such as ice-diving, parachuting, white water rafting, deep sea diving and abseiling.

As a form of special interest tourism, extreme tourism is also called shock tourism can be broken down into subcategories and niche markets according to the environment or to the activities.

Heritage Tourism

Heritage tourism is sometimes called historical tourism may be defined as a form of cultural tourism with a particular, focus on cultural heritage. It fulfils travelers’ interest in history and historical attractions such as monuments and sites for important past events, as well as in traditions and their various expressions through the arts or popular lifestyles.

Jungle Tourism

Jungle tourism is a form of nature-based tourism defined by the type of environment in which it takes place. Jungle tours have become popular in tropical areas such as in South America and South East Asia. The socio cultural and environmental impacts of jungle tourism tend to be low and overall positive from an economic viewpoint.