You’ve just booked that once-in-a-lifetime adventure in the Amazon and you are beyond excited. You have your vaccinations against exotic tropical diseases, your passport is current, and you just stopped by REI and picked up the industrial strength bug spray. Then your sister calls and she drags you from your euphoric high in 30 seconds. “Why on EARTH would you want to go there? Why can’t you go to Paris like everyone else?” Despite your best efforts to explain your fascination with the rain forest, she just doesn’t get it.
Sometimes it’s difficult to relate the excitement you have for sloshing through the muddy undergrowth of the rainforest or hiking through knee deep snow next to the watchful eye of a Polar Bear guard. It sounds like heaven to you, but your friends think you have finally gone insane. Know that you are not alone in your interests. Whether the reason is a need to get away from cities, experience a wild corner of our planet, travel in a sustainable fashion, or just an increased ability to get into areas previously inaccessible to tourists, adventure travel is quickly becoming a driving force in the industry.
According to a consumer report compiled by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and George Washington University, the adventure travel market grew at an incredible rate of 65% annually from 2009-2013. The industry continued to see double digit increases until 2020 when COVID closed borders and sent those adventurous souls to their dens.
ATTA’s definition of adventure travel includes two out of three of the following elements: connection with nature interaction with culture a physical activity. And while it’s lure is expanding to wider demographics, Adventure Travelers do share some common traits. Adventure travelers tend to skew younger, male (57%), and international (over 70% of those booking adventure trips carry passports). But where there are trends, there are outliers.
Thanks to expedition cruising, more older travelers are choosing to visit such distant landscapes as the polar regions, Papua New Guinea, or Greenland. The older population also has the time and finances needed to make these adventures. Family adventure travel, while a smaller segment of this larger adventure industry, also has seen gains. Parents wanting to give their children a solid environmental understanding, or wish to introduce them to new cultures, are opting for a family sail through the Galapagos or an East African Safari over the annual trip to Disney.
One thing is certain – after a year of sitting, not so patiently, all these travelers are starting to look into the future. Several indicators are pointing to heavy bookings in the second half of 2021 and stretching well into 2022. The Automobile Club of America just released a report saying the most popular travel booking they are seeing for 2021 is camping in the US wilderness. While it’s not international, there is no question that the US has a lot of adventure travel for the adrenaline and nature junkies.
It will be interesting to watch how the travel industry as a whole, and the adventure travel segment recovers from COVID in the months ahead. But rest assured, if you have been dreaming of wandering through the old medina in Marrakech Morocco, you won’t be alone. Of course your sister will ask why you go THERE when there’s a perfectly good replica of the Medina at EPCOT in Orlando. It’s okay, there’s adventure for everyone. You can compare your photos when you both return home.