The Rise of Adventure Travel
Gone are the days of people thinking there’s anything exotic about two weeks in Benidorm. In this age of cheap flights and short attention spans, people are seeking bigger and bigger thrills from their holidays. Here we take a look at the phenomenal rise, highs and lows of the adventure travel experience…
What exactly is adventure travel?
The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) defines adventure travel as a holiday that “includes at least two of three elements: physical activity, natural environment and cultural immersion”. Activities such as hiking, trekking, biking and kayaking are extremely popular, as are wildlife safaris; but by this definition, art, photography and wine tasting tours can also fall into the adventure travel bracket. Basically it’s an experience in a foreign country that offers something more interesting and challenging than sitting on a beach… and all the evidence suggests we’re loving it.
A growing industry
A recent survey by the Virtuoso Active and Specialty Travel program in the U.S. revealed that over the last year, 95% of travel agents and suppliers have seen an increase in sales of adventure and active holidays. Demand for this kind of holiday experience is predicted to increase further over the next two to three years.
The story is the same in the UK, where according to a survey by Pyramid Travel Products, the adventure travel market grew 65% between 2011 and 2015. 80% of tourism boards now consider adventure travel as a standalone sector, and ATTA estimates the industry is now worth $263 billion in the U.S. and Europe alone. Travel providers are having to adapt to changing consumer tastes, offering more and more adventure travel provision as holidaymakers’ preferences are definitely shifting away from the traditional sun, sea and sand.
Reasons for the rise
The massive increase in popularity of adventure travel can be put down to several factors. Firstly, the cost of flying has halved in the last 30 years, making long-haul destinations far more accessible for much of the population.
In addition, technological advancements have raised people’s awareness of destinations and activities that they may previously never have known about. Google Maps and GPS technology have made the world a much smaller, less remote and safer place, while the popularity of travel blogs, and everyone sharing their experiences and amazing photographs on social media, has opened people’s eyes to the kind of holidays they could be enjoying if they were a little more adventurous. As Holly Richter, Director of Adventure at EXO Travel, explains: “With global, immediate access to information, I feel each of us is looking for different ways to travel. We search for something new, something unique, surprising – but now, in addition, we look for ways to un-plug, reconnect to something larger, push ourselves out of our comfort zones, or try something out of the ordinary.”
However, the main reason thought to be driving the increase in adventure travel is the increased health and fitness of older people, who are keen to cram as many experiences into their lives as possible. This is borne out by the results of the Virtuoso survey, which revealed that a massive 41% of adventure travellers are aged 50 to 65, with 21% aged 65 plus. Only 14% of those booking adventure holidays are under the age of 35.
Niall Douglas, Managing Director at luxury holiday company Full Circle Travel, agrees that the adventure travel market has had to adapt from catering solely for gap-year backpackers to offering experiences that suit the older traveller. “The biggest shift, I think, has been the over-50s, who are now happy to walk the Inca Trail, explore the South American jungles or trek through Indochina,” he says. “They’ve got some income, and they want the best trip possible.”
In addition, multi-generational family adventure holidays are becoming increasingly popular. Parents in the over 50 age bracket were really the first generation of backpackers when they were young, and they’re now taking their children to the same places in order to share the experience.
Popular destinations
The Virtuoso survey revealed that the number one destination for adventure tourism was Iceland, where hiking, nature watching and Jeep safaris around the volcanic regions are all popular pursuits. Amongst the rest of the top ten destinations, most were in Central and South America, including the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Chile, Peru and Cuba. Other popular adventure spots included the North and South Poles, South Africa and Australia.
The pros and cons
Adventure travel can enhance your life in a variety of ways. Obviously there are great health benefits to being physically active, but having a new experience can also take you out of your comfort zone and equip you to face life’s uncertainties more effectively. The achievement of ambitions is also likely to give you more confidence. Children can also benefit through being taught to explore and enjoy the outdoors, as they are less active these days than ever before.
In addition, adventure travel could be highly important when it comes to saving the planet, as visiting new and often natural environments creates an awareness of nature and wildlife that will make people want to take action against climate change.
Some people are understandably afraid of adventure travel; much of it involves a degree of personal risk. Even if you’re not participating in any extreme sports, you’re likely to be visiting places that are off the beaten track and experiencing conditions very unlike those you’re used to. It’s important to prepare yourself for the experience before you travel and research insurance options. Be honest with yourself about whether you are fit and healthy enough for the experience you want, and seek medical advice if necessary. In addition, make sure you book with a reputable company who will have experienced guides who speak your language, have the latest safety equipment and provide you with the right nutrition.
If you do your research and prepare yourself properly, an adventure holiday can literally be the trip of a lifetime, and all the evidence suggests it’s something a lot more of us are likely to be doing in the future. Benidorm had better up its game.