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The concept and practice of alternative tourism arose from a response to the ▶ impact of ▶ mass tourism and as an expression of rebellion and search for adventure (Dernoi 1981). It involves tourism that respects the values of local people and nature, favoring encounters and exchanges and building experiences (Smith and Eadington 1994). Origin and development Alternative tourism is a consumer choice that is outside regular tourism channels. Since the consolidation of mass tourism in the late 1970s, there have always been some significant tourism practices which have not followed the usual lines of purchase and consumption of institutionalized tourism (▶ tour operators, ▶ travel agencies, etc.). This kind of tourism has often been epitomized by drifters, hippies, or adventurers;