Definition and types of excursion tourism
Cultural excursion tourism is a short trip or longer trip to see the best attractions of a city or area. Tourists get acquainted with historical, cultural and natural attractions by traveling by bus, car, boat, and sometimes on foot. In many countries, excursion tourism began to develop centuries ago; it is one of the most ancient types of recreation. For example, in Europe it has long been the custom to send a student who has completed his studies abroad to become acquainted with the best cultural achievements of other countries. This tradition was also widespread in Russia.
The rapid development of excursion tourism throughout the world, including in Russia, occurred in the 20th century. This is due to the advent of modern transport: a developed network of railways, aviation, fast steamships and boats. Traveling long distances has become more accessible, and hotels with restaurants and other infrastructure in popular tourist destinations make vacations more comfortable.
If we look at the ranking of the main destinations of excursion tourism in recent years, we will see that it covers the whole world. These are Paris, London, New York, Istanbul, Dubai, Bangkok, Tokyo. In our country, excursion tourism is also developed.
What can excursion and educational tourism be like?
There are different classifications of excursion tourism. For example, tours are distinguished by duration: one-day, weekend and multi-day tours longer than three days. A one-day tour is the easiest to organize, since you do not need to worry about overnight accommodation. For the same reason, the trip is inexpensive. It is convenient to combine it with beach and other recreation during the holidays. Weekend tours give you the opportunity to see more interesting places and are easy to find time for. And multi-day tours can be designed for a week, two or more and include visits to different cities and countries.
Features of excursion tourism greatly depend on the number of participants. Individual tours are most comfortable when the guide offers services to one person or family. The program is built in maximum accordance with the preferences of vacationers, but the services are more expensive. The best value for money are tours designed for small groups of up to 15 people. In this case, the costs are divided among many participants, but the organizer has the opportunity to pay attention to everyone. Groups of several dozen people are the most economical, but you shouldn’t count on individual service.
Excursion tourism programs depend on the expected age of the participants. School tours are usually educational and do not involve any risk. These may include visits to attractions, zoos and other children’s entertainment. Youth tours most likely include visits to nightclubs, restaurants, and bars. Travel for two can include excursions to the most romantic places. Family tours, like programs for seniors, are usually relaxed, with minimal physical fitness requirements.
Excursion tourism varies by type of transport. The most common are bus tours for large groups and car tours for small ones. In cities with many attractions concentrated in a small area, walking tours are convenient. Sometimes public transport is used, such as trams. Often there are combined tours in which visits to various monasteries and natural attractions are combined with trips on bicycles or horses. Popular excursions along the coast by water transport, which can be a small rented yacht, river boat or cruise ship.
There are also more exotic programs. For example, driving through the snow on a dog sled or flying in a hot air balloon and viewing beautiful places from a bird’s eye view. Organizers are constantly striving to come up with something new, so every year it becomes more and more difficult to list everything that relates to excursion tourism.
Where can I go?
Cultural and excursion tourism varies geographically. By travel distance it includes the following types:
- Suburban and local. Gives you the opportunity to see attractions in the city and at some distance from it – up to 150 km for commuter tours or up to 300 km for local tours. Trips are usually for one day or a weekend.
- Long-distance tourism involves traveling longer distances and requires more time. The destination is usually reached by plane or train. This is a good choice for a long vacation.
- International tourism. Such trips are more difficult to organize, so they are almost always designed for a long vacation. But there are countries where you can travel from Russia without any difficulties with visas or transport.
To relax abroad, you can choose a tour operator who will organize transport and accommodation. Another option is to get to your destination on your own, and then use the services of a local Russian-speaking guide. There are many such offers on our website. We list several countries where you can go for sightseeing and educational tourism.
Turkey
This is one of the best places where you can go for sightseeing tourism. The territory of this country, washed by four seas, has been inhabited since ancient times, so many ancient buildings and cultural monuments have been preserved here. The ruins of the legendary Troy, temples of the Byzantine Empire, palaces of the Ottoman sultans, beautiful parks and embankments capture the imagination. It is convenient to combine sightseeing in Turkey with different types of recreation. You can sunbathe on the beach, go hiking along one of the ecological trails, spend time on local delicacies, rent a yacht or fly in a hot air balloon.
India
Another successful destination for cultural tourism and excursion activities. There are so many interesting places in India that you can only see a small part in one trip. In 1-2 days you can get acquainted with the main attractions of one city. For example, Agra with the legendary Taj Mahal. If you have 4-5 days, you can already explore several cities. The Golden Triangle: Delhi, Agra and Jaipur is considered a classic. If you plan to spend 10-15 days in India, then exploring the cities should be combined with a trip to nature. The marvelous Andaman Islands, the backwaters of Kerala or Little Tibet with Buddhist monasteries – choose what you like.
Jordan
A trip to Jordan will be remembered for a long time, because it is a country of sun, antiquities and exotic landscapes. The legendary city of Petra, carved into the rocks, attracts people from all over the world. There are few places where ancient temples, palaces and tombs are so well preserved. The trip provides an opportunity to relax on the shores of the Dead Sea and see the impressive landscapes of the rocky desert. We recommend planning your trip for at least a week.
Abkhazia
If you want to travel abroad with minimal hassle, Abkhazia beats most other destinations. There are no problems with documents or language barriers. Even the time is the same with Moscow. Abkhazia is famous for its natural attractions: waterfalls, canyons, caves, and the beautiful Lake Ritsa. There are also man-made monuments, the most famous of which are the New Athos Monastery, the Anakopia Fortress, and the Castle of the Prince of Oldenburg. Excursion programs are varied: you can choose a one-day or two-day tour, and devote the rest of the time to a beach holiday. To get to know Abkhazia better, take a 10- or 14-day tour.
Georgia
This country is famous for its unusually beautiful nature with mountain valleys, glaciers, ancient fortresses and Orthodox monasteries. Georgia is no less famous for its excellent cuisine and wines, which are valued all over the world. Therefore, excursion tours to Georgia are often combined with a gastronomic program. You can’t visit here without trying khachapuri, khinkali, chakhokhbili, kharcho and other famous dishes. The hospitality of the locals will make the trip even more enjoyable.
Armenia
Those who love mountains and history should visit Armenia. In addition to exploring Yerevan, tours in this country include trips to the most beautiful places in the mountains, gorges, lakes, caves and medieval monasteries. The world’s longest cable car “Wings of Tatev”, included in the Guinness Book of Records, deserves special mention. It will provide you with a breathtaking experience. The guides include excursions to wineries and cheese factories with tastings. Since the distances between attractions are significant, it is most convenient to travel in small groups in comfortable jeeps.
Azerbaijan
There are many attractions in Azerbaijan. This is a country with a distinctive culture and history that goes back centuries. Numerous museums, of which there are more than a hundred, ancient temples, mosques and mausoleums help to get an idea about it. All this is combined with bright southern nature, sun, ripe fruits, and oriental sweets. You can choose a tour of Baku and the surrounding area, visit the routes of the Silk Road, relax at a ski resort or on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Guides usually offer programs of 2-5 days, although there are longer options.
Import
The main reason to go to Kyrgyzstan is to get acquainted with untouched nature and the way of life of nomads, which has not changed for many centuries. Lovers of natural beauty have a lot to see here: numerous routes run through mountain meadows and groves, along picturesque gorges, clear lakes, and silvery rivers. The most famous attractions:
- Lake Issyk-Kul,
- Ala-Archa gorge near the capital,
- Jety-Oguz gorge with Martian-like landscapes,
- Burana Tower, built a thousand years ago
- even more ancient petroglyphs.
Excursion tours in Russia
You can see many sights in Russia; you don’t have to go to other countries for this. Excursion tourism in our country is developing and attracting more and more supporters. And there are so many destinations to go that you can choose a new region year after year and always see something unknown. We list the main tourist destinations in Russia:
- Krasnodar region. In addition to the Black Sea beaches and ski resorts, the Krasnodar region offers guests a large selection of excursion programs. You can get acquainted with the sights of Krasnodar and coastal cities – Sochi, Anapa, Novorossiysk. Nature lovers should see the Parus rock in the vicinity of Gelendzhik, Cypress Lake near Anapa, Lake Abrau and Mount Akhun, which has more than 30 caves.
- Russian North. Karelia, the Arkhangelsk region and the Kola Peninsula are extremely beautiful. In addition to the extraordinary scenery and elements of local culture, you can see the northern lights. Most often, this natural phenomenon occurs during the winter months at night. Many organizers offer tours where everything is provided for comfortable observation of the sky.
- Caucasus. There are many attractions in the Caucasus related to the beauty of these places and the memory of the people who lived here. During the excursion you can see Orthodox churches, monasteries and other architectural monuments, mountain peaks, picturesque gorges, caves, waterfalls, and mineral springs. It is convenient to combine acquaintance with them with active recreation – trekking, skiing, rafting, horse riding, mountaineering.
- Altai. This is a destination you should definitely visit at least once in your life. There are so many beautiful and famous places here that it is impossible to list them all. Particularly famous are Mount Belukha, Lake Teletskoye, the Katun River, Shavlinskoye and Multinskoye lakes, the Ukok Plateau, and Denisova Cave. You can go to Altai at any time of the year – you will definitely find something to do to have a wonderful holiday in the mountains.
- Ural. The Ural Mountains are not the highest, but they are extremely beautiful and original. The landscapes here are unlike any other. Many territories received the status of nature reserves or national parks. Since the Urals is a vast territory, to get to know it you can go to the Orenburg region, Bashkortostan, the Komi Republic, the Chelyabinsk region, the Perm region, the Sverdlovsk region or the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug.
- Baikal. There is a lot to see around the world’s largest lake and its islands. The main attractions await you in the village of Listvyanka, on Olkhon Island and on the east coast, where the nature is especially beautiful. If you have the opportunity to go to Baikal, be sure to take it! You will see breathtaking landscapes with bays, lagoons and cliffs, Buddhist stupas, rare animals and birds.
- Kamchatka. A unique region that arouses interest among nature lovers from all over the world. Here you can see extraordinary landscapes, untouched by man. Traces of seismic activity are especially interesting and unusual: active and extinct volcanoes, geysers, black sand beaches. There are many bears, red fish, rare birds and other animals in Kamchatka. Getting here is not easy, but such a trip is definitely worth your time!
- Moscow and St. Petersburg. It is in these cities that the main cultural and architectural attractions of our country are concentrated. If you have not yet visited any of the capitals, this definitely needs to be fixed. It will take at least a few days to see all the iconic places. Then you will probably want to repeat the trip.
The concept of excursion tourism is constantly enriched. Many guides offer unique programs with visits to attractions and additional activities not covered by mass tours. This could be rafting, trekking, fishing, participating in festivals, wine tastings or organizing photo sessions. Conducting such tours requires significant experience and qualifications, but our website presents proposals from travel experts of the highest level. Choose a suitable tour on the Guides Club website, book it online and go on an unforgettable journey!