Abstract

Symptomatic of sustained growth in tourism over many years has been the development of a wide range of different tourism forms or types designed to represent the spectrum of attractions that tourists seek. Indeed, Boyd (1991) argued that upwards of 100 different types of tourism could be identified. For many, the need to develop and use new terms in tourism at the expense of others has complicated the landscape, especially in regards to those forms of tourism that rely on the natural environment as the foundation for the experience. This section presents a number of different forms of tourism all with direct ties to the natural world, and culminates with a meaningful treatise on tourism and romantic myths of nature, with the aim of providing clarity around the characteristics of each form.