15 Oct
2019

The growing trend of adventure travel – what does it actually mean? 

Written by Giles Hawke, Chief Executive, Cosmos, and former Chair, The Association of Touring and Adventure Suppliers (ATAS)

Nobody can deny that adventure and experiential travel is on the rise.  The question is, what does ‘adventure travel’ actually mean?

Whatever your perception of adventure travel, it’s usually a safe bet that it will be different to the view of the person next to you. 

For one person, a trek to Everest base camp would be an adventure of a lifetime. For another, only summiting Everest itself would count as a true adventure. For you, an adventure might be scuba diving to 60 meters to discover what lurks deep beneath the surface. Your travel companion, however, might be pushing their limits doing a day of snorkelling in open water.

Whatever your view of what constitutes an adventure, there is no denying that this is a fast-growing segment of the travel industry. Adventure covers such a broad spectrum of experiences that there truly is something for everyone – the key is really understanding what your customers want to do on their holiday rather than just where they want to go. The most important thing to focus on is the experience. Find out what they want to do and then look to create the adventure for them. Don’t be put off by adventure not being your key forte, just make sure you understand the scale of the experience that your customers want, and look to deliver them their own unique adventure within their level and capabilities.  

I am delighted to be moderating ABTA’s first Adventure Travel Conference next month. The one-day event will help cement the knowledge you need to deliver a wide range of different kinds of experiences to your customers and inspire them to book their next adventure!

The Adventure Travel Conference will be taking place at Japan House in London on Tuesday 19 November.  Find out more, download the agenda and register your place now at abta.com/abtaevents