Adventure tourism – the next big thing

THE adventure tourism
sector has grown 195%
from 2010 to 2013,
with further growth expected,
although trends show
that adventure travellers
are increasingly booking
direct. These are some of
the findings in the UNWTO
Global Report on Adventure
Tourism 2014, released last
month by the World Tourism
Organisation, together with
the Adventure Travel Trade
Association (ATTA).
According to the report,
in 2010 the first global
adventure tourism market
sizing study was conducted
by ATTA, The George
Washington University and
Xola Consulting. It found
that the global value of
adventure tourism was
US$89bn (R991bn). The
study was repeated in
2013 and found that 42%
of travellers departed on
adventure trips, making the
sector worth US$263bn
(R2,93 trillion). This was
attributed to increases in
international departures for
travellers on adventure trips
and in average spending.
The report showed growing
markets for adventure
tourism to be mainly from
Europe and North and South
America. South America,
particularly, saw an 11,6%
increase in the adventure
travel population between
2009 and 2010. “With rising
levels of disposable income,
many emerging economies
have shown fast growth over
recent years, especially in
markets in Asia, Central and
Eastern Europe, the Middle
East and Africa,” the report
states.
In the adventure tourism
sector, the trend has been
towards ‘disintermediation’,
meaning the removal of the
middle man, a tour operator
or travel agent who has
traditionally connected the
consumer in the source
market to the provider
or ground handler in the
destination market. As
the traveller can access
information and trusted
consumer reviews online, he
is more likely to go straight
to the provider.
The AdventurePulse: USA
Adventure Traveller Profiles,
a study of the US adventure
travel market, indicates
that 71% of US adventure
travellers are making
arrangements solely on their
own. This trend is more
prominent in developed
adventure travel markets
but will likely cause change
in developing countries’
supply chain in the coming
decades.
While emerging economies
are slowly outpacing
developed economies for
departures and spending,
UNWTO predicts that, by
2015 adventure arrivals in
emerging economies will
exceed those in advanced
economies. By 2030, 57%
of adventure arrivals will be
in emerging economies. To
accommodate the surge in
demand, supply is expected
to increase.
Growing adventure travel
activities include cycling,
backpacking, trekking and
hiking. Cycle tourism is on
the rise across the world,
with an increased number
of adventure tourists
embarking on both road and
mountain biking tours and
taking part in or observing
events.
In 2010, the University
of Wisconsin-Madison
released a study, The
Economic Impact of Bicycling
in Wisconsin. According
to Dr Richard Weston of
the University of Central
Lancaster: “This study
shows that cycle tourism
is more sustainable
environmentally, socially and
economically. Being less
reliant on air travel, cycle
tourism disperses visitors
to areas that traditionally
do not attract tourism and
supports employment in
local economies.”
Growth is focused on
developed nations. However,
for growth in emerging
markets, more knowledge
about adventure tourism and
investment is needed.