Extreme tourism

An area of the Sierre Madre jungle

Bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge in Zambia/Zimbabwe

Extreme tourism (also often referred to as shock tourism, although both concepts do not appear strictly similar) is a niche in the tourism industry involving travel to dangerous places (mountains, jungles, deserts, caves, canyons, etc.) or participation in dangerous events. Extreme tourism overlaps with extreme sport. The two share the main attraction, "adrenaline rush" caused by an element of risk, and differing mostly in the degree of engagement and professionalism.

While traditional tourism requires significant investments in hotels, roads, etc., extreme tourism requires much less to jump-start a business. In addition to traditional travel-based tourism destinations, various exotic attractions are suggested, such as flyovers in MiGs at Mach 2.5, ice diving in the White Sea, or travelling across the Chernobyl zone.

Additionally, extreme tourism includes visiting "dangerous" places, such as those on the US Travel Warning webpage. This includes destinations such as Somalia, Iraq and others.

Extreme tourism is a growing business in the countries of the former Soviet Union (Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, etc.) and in South American countries like Peru, Chile and Argentina.^{[citation needed]} The mountainous and rugged terrain of disputed Kashmir region has also developed into a popular extreme tourism location.

Some of the Extreme tourism famous attractions in the world:

• Chernobyl Tours - Ukraine.
• Base jump from the Juche Tower in Pyongyang - DPRK (Democratic People Republic of Korea)
• Swimming in the Devil's Pool in Victoria Falls - Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• Walk the Plank at Mt. Huashan over 2,000 meters - China.
• Death Road Tour - Bolivia.
• Bungee Jumping into an Active Volcano - Chile.
• Swimming in Shark Infested Waters - Florida, USA.
• Climbing Mont Blanc - French/Italian Border.
• Volcano watching - Philippines.
• Volcano Helicopter Tours - Hawaii, USA.
• Cliff Jumping at Bash Bish Falls - Massachusetts, USA.

See also

• Trekking, Hiking, Via ferrata
• Canyoning, River trekking
• Paragliding, Bungee jumping, Skydiving, Base jumping
• Canoeing, Rafting, Diving, Snorkeling, Boating
• Urban exploration
• Caving, Speleology
• Skiing, Snowboarding, Speed riding

External links

• elementmoscow.ru: Extreme Tourism
• BBC News: Russian tourists salute army boot camp