Study Snapshot: Adventure Tourism Market Study 2013

The newly released 2013 Adventure Tourism Market Study, produced by the George Washington University (GW) and the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), estimates the value and provides an updated profile of the adventure travel market.

According to the study, which included three key outbound regions: Europe, North America and South America, growth in the adventure travel market has accelerated at a 65% yearly rate since 2009.

The study estimates the value of the global outbound adventure travel sector to be US$263 billion, excluding airfare, up from US$89 billion first reported in the benchmark consumer study. When this US$263 billion is combined with the estimated $82 billion spent for related gear, apparel and accessories, adventure travelers spent more than $345 billion in 2012 for travel related to adventure.

The GW/ATTA’s market value results reflect the growth in the international tourism market which reached an all-time record of more than one billion international tourism arrivals in 2012, as reported by the UNWTO. Also viewed as a key contributor to this significant growth pattern is the increase in the percentage of European and South American travelers classified as adventure travelers, an increase in the average spending by adventure travelers globally ($593 per trip in 2009 to $947 in 2012), recovery from the global financial crisis, and the emergence of new source markets.

Highlights from the Adventure Tourism Market Study include:

• Adventure travelers are younger than non-adventure travelers, with an average age of 36;
• In 2012 nearly 42 percent of travelers from the three regions reported an adventure activity as the main activity of their last trip (the activity would have been one of those identified in the survey as hard or soft adventure options);
• The average length of a soft adventure trip was ten days in 2012 compared to eight days in 2009;
• Adventure travelers read publications such as National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler and Men’s Health, which cover traditional adventure and recreation topics, as well as unrelated but popular publications such as Cosmopolitan and Vogue;
• Nearly 54 percent of travelers plan to participate in an adventure activity on their next trip, compared to the 42 percent of travelers currently participating in adventure activities. The increase in interest comes largely from soft adventure activities;
• 73 percent of adventure travelers plan to participate in an adventure activity on their next trip. Only 22 percent of adventure travelers plan on doing the same adventure activity as their last trip;
• 45 percent of adventure travelers plan on using a tour operator on their next trip, compared to only 31 percent of non-adventure travelers;
• The percentage of adventure travelers using Facebook (78 percent) has more than doubled since 2009.

Access the Full 2013 Adventure Tourism Market Study

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Trending: Adventure Travel & Responsible Tourism

Supported by a global trend towards itinerant traveling, back to nature and authenticity, responsible travel markets showed encouraging signs for the summer season: adventure tourism and trekking continues to attract travelers interested in nature and in local community meetings; voluntourism is democratizing and developing a growing number of customers on a really niche market; eco-tourism is doing well despite the crisis, affecting less the higher income travelers; participatory tourism especially in urban areas increases but is still very dependent on the weather and individual last minute bookings.

Within a difficult economic climate, travelers are looking to cut costs without losing quality of services; looking for travel adapted to their expectations, they are increasingly likely to move toward tour operators specializing in tailor-made travel. At the same time, atypical, original and environmentally responsible accommodations are still valued in regions where the territory’s identity turned to authenticity, the landscapes and to sustainable development policy.

When leaders of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), WWF International and Google addressed more than 600 tourism industry professionals during the 2012 Adventure Travel World Summit in Lucerne, Switzerland in October, a common refrain emerged: “adventure travel” had arrived as a new face of responsible tourism.

“Adventure tourism is what tourism should be today and definitely what tourism will be tomorrow,”said Mr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) referring to inevitable shifts in the leisure tourism market toward more experience-based, responsible and lower-impact – environmentally and culturally – travel.

Later in the week, WWF corroborated the trend toward more responsible tourism, upping the ante by introducing a new travel division with new leadership, while Google’s chief of travel, Rob Torres, indicated serious consumer trending toward more experience-based, responsible tourism. In additional keynote and concurrent sessions, tourism, conservation and technology leaders such as Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of Jacques-Yves Cousteau and co-founder of Blue Legacy and Darrell Wade, CEO of PEAK Adventure Travel indicated a shift in attention on the global stage to the power of adventure travel as an economic driver, as a force of sustainable development and one that delivers to travelers transformative experiences in nature, culture and active travel.

Sources: ATTA, TIES

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New Study Reveals Pervasive Social Media Use Within Adventure Tourism

Representing the most current and comprehensive social media usage study yet conducted within the adventure tourism trade sector, the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA),Resmark Systems and Convince & Convert today released, Travel, Tweets & Trends, a report indicating that social media usage among adventure tour operators is pervasive, while its efficacy remains relatively uncertain.

Travel, Tweets & Trends explores opportunities, concerns and best practices about social media usage within the adventure tour operator industry – an industry where adoption of social media is relatively new and immature among tour operators, many of which view social media as experimental at this time. Among its peculiar findings, representing input from 220 adventure tour operators across five continents, the study revealed that:

• 48% of North American travel tour operators participate in social media on a daily basis, and 77% participate in social media at least weekly,
• 69% of companies are spending 10 hours per week or less on their social media programs,
• despite widespread usage of social media, operators are uncertain about its impacts on business, with only 43% of respondents citing social media as quite or extremely important to business success, and 18% reporting they do not know yet whether social media has bottom-line impact,
• just 13% of companies cite social media as generating 10% or more of their revenue,
• blogs remain an important, yet under utilized tool,
• uploading videos to YouTube is a growing trend among those embracing social media,
• monitoring, ‘listening’ and responding to traveler review sites appear to be lagging behind what would be expected, though tour operators outside North America are more prone to do so, and
• 75% of respondents indicate that their budgets (including human resource wages) for social media will increase in the next 12 months.

Additionally, survey respondents indicated their primary objectives of social media usage include, in order of priority, generating consumer awareness (83%), connecting with existing customers (70%), connecting with current customers (61%), and sending out special offers (53%). Meanwhile, only 32% of respondents are using social media as a customer service tool, which, according to industry experts, is a missed chance to reduce customer service costs while satisfying customers.

Travel, Tweets & Trends offers narrative interpretations of social media usage trends, numerous adventure tourism tour operator case studies, plus prescriptive measures for how the adventure tourism trade can become more effective at using social media to improve business results. The executive summary is available for free, while the complete, 41-page whitepaper is available for purchase ($50) at www.adventuretravel.biz.

Commissioned by tour operator software company Resmark Systems and the ATTA, the study was conducted by Convince & Convert, a social media consultancy led by Jay Baer, one of the world’s most accomplished social media experts. Further analysis was provided by the ATTA, Resmark and tourism, digital media and marketing industry professionals. Review board participants included: Kevin Johnson, Deluxe Digital Media; Alexia Nestora, Lasso Communications; Kathy Dragon, TravelDragon; Jason Reckers, Adventure Travel Trade Association; Christina Heyniger, Xola Consulting; and Chris Noble, World Nomads.

 

Study Snapshot: Passport to Adventure, Industry Trend Report 2010

There is expected to be 70% increase in participation in adventure travel over the next 3 years, while demand for ethical and environmentally sensitive travel will quadruple in the same period, according to a study – Passport to Adventure, Industry Trend Report 2010* – commissioned by seven of TUI’s adventure-oriented travel companies.

Here are just a few selected highlights from the consumer trends report:

How did the credit crunch affect the market?

Adventure Travel was affected by the global economic slowdown with a reduction in consumer spending over the last 18 months. This is a function of the relatively high cost of this type of holiday and the aspirational nature of many of the journeys.

In 2009, passenger numbers and revenues were down on the previous year across the market.

The nature of adventure travel, however, attracts committed enthusiasts who are now coming back for more, as evidenced by much stronger early bookings for 2010 departures. The recessionary environment has created demand for:

Value driven destinations

• Non Eurozone destinations, Turkey (+40% year on year), Poland and Slovakia

• Mid haul growth in Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco (+80% year on year)

• Longhaul growth in Cambodia, Nepal, India (+40% year on year) and Kenya

More content and memorable experiences from holidays

• From our research 80% of activity holiday consumers cite their holiday as memorable (vs only 54% average for all holiday types) Returning back to the list of ‘must dos’

• Clients who delayed their ‘once in a lifetime’ list of iconic destinations are now back in earnest; in demand destinations include Kilimanjaro, The Inca Trail, Everest Base Camp, India’s Golden Triangle, and Cambodia’s Angkor Wat.

A Growth Sector

The YouGov survey shows a predicted 70% increase in participation in adventure travel over the next 3 years. Based on our survey responses, compared to the previous three years,

• Participation in either Activity Holidays or ‘Off the Beaten Track’ Holidays or Special Interest Holidays to nearly DOUBLE over the next three years • Similarly, participation in either an Adventure holiday or Eco friendly/Ethical holiday or ‘Discovery’ holiday is predicted to TREBLE over the next three years

• Small Group travel is forecast to increase to nearly eight million adults over the next three years. Although this includes all small group travel types, it is strongly indicative of the popularity and acceptance of holidaying with like minded travellers.

•   The Adventure Companies’ own brand data shows an increased interest and confidence from
consumers’ booking patterns: in December 2009 forward bookings for 2010 are trending solidly ahead
year on year for the same period. Customers have ‘bucket lists’ of ‘do-before-you-die’ iconic trips, and
although stalled for a year, they are now back with gusto.”

Decline in Self-Packaging

5% more consumers will choose tour operators for adventure travel in the next three years because:
-Customers don’t have the time or inclination to organise trips themselves with ease of booking cited as being the most important factor

From our research we know that those bookings through a tour operator in the next three years there will be:
-30% increase in the importance of Comfort; growing demand for active days and comfortable nights
-40% increase in the importance of the Security offered by a bonded tour operator
-40% increase in the importance of Destination Knowledge

*The report has been commissioned by The Adventure Company, Exodus, Imaginative Traveller, Peregrine Adventures, Geckos, Quark Expeditions and Headwater, referred to in the recently released report as “The Adventure Companies”. Sources include YouGov market research, tour operator booking figures, tourist office figures and Google search trend reports.