Adventure travel 'a solution' for overtourism

Adventure travel can be a solution for overtourism, according to Shannon Stowell, Chief Executive of the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), the world's largest body representing adventure travel and tourism.

Speaking at the recent AdventureElevate summit, Stowell explained "many destinations are seeing overtourism problems, yet they still need the tourism economy to deliver. This is where I feel the adventure industry is vital going forward.

“It takes 100 cruise customers to leave $10,000 in an economy. It takes nine overnight package tourists to leave $10,000, and it takes just four commercial adventure travellers to leave the same amount.

“As destinations look at what what's going to be valuable for the future, especially if overtourism is a challenge or a problem, adventure travel is one of those solutions because you can have fewer tourists, and ones who really respect that destination."

Stowell pointed to the fact that adventure travellers often venture to less-visited areas, something that can help combat overtourism by dispersing visitors, noting "it’s all about leakage – the amount of revenue that leaves a destination.

Stowell cited that for mass tourism, leakage is reported to be 80 to 90% while, for adventure travellers, trips average a leakage of 30 to 35%.

Stowell also pointed to adventure travellers often venturing to less-visited areas, something he said can help combat overtourism by dispersing visitors and delivering income to outlying areas and support local business.

Staged in Austria last month, AdventureElevate, ATTA’s first summit in Europe, attracted 250 participants from 39 nations.

State of the Adventure Travel Industry
ATTA has also released its annual State of the Adventure Travel Industry Snapshot Report for 2024, exploring booking expectations, travel trends and consumer motivations, based on a survey conducted from late March through early May 2024 that asked tour operator respondents about their 2023 business operations and sales.

While the Mediterranean, Western Europe, and Scandinavia are consistently top destinations for adventure travellers, the research found that cooler weather destinations (such as Scandinavia) are specifically becoming more popular due to the increase in global temperatures.

By contrast, other parts of the world embroiled in regional conflicts, such as the Middle East, Russia, and Eastern Europe (near Russia) are seeing a decrease in popularity.

Top activities and motivations for adventure travel also remain relatively steady, with a few exceptions. Electric bikes (e-bikes) for cycling are surging in popularity, especially in Europe. Culinary/gastronomy activities have also been consistently increasing over the past few years. On a more somber note, ‘last chance travel’ appears in the top motivations for adventure travel this year, again showing an awareness of the effects of climate change.

Click here to download the report.

Image: The Jebel Jais Flight in Ras Al Khaimah.