Cultural,Tourism,Visiting,the, travel,insurance Cultural Tourism - Visiting the Remote Tribes of the World i

Like any American, traveling occasionally is just what I love doing and I bet you share the same stuff with me. But traveling does not mean that you would be safe. Escaping from our job and other stressful activities is just something that w Torres del Paine is among the biggest of Chile’s national parks, occupying almost 600,000 acres (242,000 ha) of land in the south on the border with Argentina. It is also among the most important, receiving a significant proportion of domes

The various tribes of the world that havemanaged to remain unscathed by the ravages of civilization are preciousrepositories of eco-friendly life styles. These earth-friendly cultures are asfascinating as the intricacies of the Universe itself. Increasingly, thoselooking for respite from too much civilization are drawn to these pre-historiccaches of human life. As a result there have been instances where tourists rushin where locals fear to tread, and invariably leave a trail of destruction intheir wake. There's more to be gained from cultural tourism if it is approachedwith a certain amount of sensitivity that may be termed responsible tourism.  In past centuries cultural or tribaltourism was often motivated by sheer curiosity and had a voyeuristic elementwhich failed to appreciate the down to earth lifestyles of the tribal people.There was a decided feeling of superiority and relief at not being "uncivilizedsavages" themselves. Others felt an overwhelming need to civilize the "savages"or bring them into the folds of religion. So, for whatever reason, there was apressing need to interfere in these indigenous lives to make them better.   Fortunately in the last few decades thistrend has been overtaken by a healthier attitude marked by a genuine interestand responsible mindset, tinged with respect and appreciation for the subject. Aquest for understanding has taken tourists to the remote corners of Africa, Americas,and Asiato discover information regarding alternate ways of life. Anthropologicalstudies and television documentaries have kindled an ever increasing interestin cultural tourism, fanned even more by tour companies and state governmentsthat see new economic opportunities in their backyards. Celebrities contributetheir mite by bringing new places to the attention of the world either byadopting kids or touring these remote lands. Cultural tourism has surelyarrived, even grown by leaps and bounds. How does this affect the tribes themselves,if at all? In the northwest region of Namibia,live the tribe of Himba. They inhabit the wilderness of Kaokoland and have doneso since time immemorial. The Himba women adorn themselves with a great deal ofjewellery and elaborate braids, taking a lot of pride in their femininity. Theyrub their bodies with a mixture of ochre, butter, and fragrant herbs to givetheir skin a translucent perfection. The Himba lived off the fruit of the landin isolation till the tourist descended on their idyllic hideaway. With thebest intentions in the world, they introduced candies to the children andliquor to the men, besides a whole lot of processed food all around. Now Westernmodernisation has swept the Himba young into its fold, while only the oldtimers cling to their traditions.  The San, or the Bushmen, are another tribethat have lived in Namibia for at least 30,000 years. They can now be visited as one of thehighlights of a safari in the Etosha National Park.The Owambo people, who live in thatched dwellings in a fenced kraal with asacred fire in the centre, are another attraction.                In the heartland of Australialive the majority of aboriginal tribes such as the Arunta, Arrarnta, Yolgnu,and Aranda, who have persisted in the rhythm of their pre-historic cultures tothis day. Marked by a considerable amount of ceremonies, rituals, songs, anddances, their culture has survived intact in certain areas where outsiders areforbidden to watch them. However, European colonisation has robbed other tribesof their identities and totally destroyed at least some of their tribalsanctity. The central and north-eastern states of Indiahave a wealth of ancient tribal cultures that continue survive as their peoplelive more or less the same lives led by their ancestors. There are strongholdsof ancient cultures thriving in the remote interiors that are untouched bymodernity. The government has taken steps to preserve these as national treasures,and so you have areas like Jharkhand and Chattisgarh where about 70% of thepopulation belong to various tribes. There are a number of organized tours thattake tourists there. You can interact with the local tribes and take part intheir ceremonies at select opportunities. These tribes are quite willing toshare their lives with outsiders but think twice before adopting foreigncultures, which helps preserve their cultural integrity.  Tourism that takes you to the backyards ofother people, whether it's an Amish village, Native American Indian sites in North America, or the aboriginalsof Australia, is best done with the same respect and responsibility we wouldshow when we lean over the fence for a friendly chat or enter a neighbour'skitchen for a cup of tea. We most certainly would not pluck her prize roses,walk all over her vegetable patch, or leave with her pet goldfish. Responsibletravel is merely taking these good manners with us when we visit anothercommunity and remembering our common humanity while striving for understanding ofa culture so different from our own.  Tribal people have customs, rituals, sacredplaces, and holy days that we may have no idea about. Even the local people whodo not belong to the tribes might be quite vague about details. The governmentsmay not publicize these issues for fear of driving away tourist dollars. Touroperators just do their jobs. So it is pretty much up to us as responsibletravellers to ensure we take into account these factors and aim to treadlightly on our planet with respect and understanding.