It's all in the mind
Seasoned travelers suggest you try something more than soaking in the sun, admiring seascapes, going shopping, or museum hopping on your summer holiday this year. This something more is an exciting concept, called ‘mind tourism’, which goes far deeper than regular tourism does. Mind Tourism is when people explore a country beyond its historical monuments, breathtaking architecture gorgeous scenery. It is about understanding the psyche of the country they are visiting, appreciating its culture and its social practices.
With travel for most Indians being largely about shopping and gleaning some cultural insights along the way, it will be some time before mind tourism finds substantial takers. But there are plenty of opportunities for all kinds of tourism in the special packages that most agencies offer these days. Among these are customized packages for a ‘mind’ tourist too. For the mind tourists, traveling is more about watching people, striking up conversations with them, spending time with there families, dining with them or just doing unusual things in another country. It is the best way of understanding the mind of the locals they are visiting and getting social insights no travel brochure can fully convey.
Ayappa Somaiah, general manager, Kuoni Destination Management, Bangalore, explains, “we have a concept called ’experience’ or ‘interactive’ tourism, which is perhaps based on the same concept. In this kind of holiday, we have people going to different parts of a country and experiencing what’s happening there. They interact with the locals and understand their culture. We’ve started the concept in India now. There are places we have designated across India where tourists can learn to dress in the traditional costumes, wear their jewelry, interact with a local family, eat their food and learn their customs. People love it, and though this tourism is at a nascent stage, it is catching on. We have places like Mysore and Rajasthan where this kind of tourism is underway. Tourist learns to love another country, feel it and remember it more because they have experienced it first hand.”
Adds Ghanshyam Arora, vice-president International Travel House Ltd, based in Chennai and headquartered in Delhi, “these days a lot of people like to go and live in villages, learn the culture and mingle with the locals of any country they are visiting. The locals love it too. They convert certain rooms in their homes as places where tourists can stay and experience life. It is one way of understanding a country.”
Source - TIMES NEWS NETWORK, Asha Chowdary, asha.chowdary@timesgroup.com
