A guide to adventure travel

Old fashioned outdoor recreation has evolved into adventure travel, ecotourism, and nature-based tourism. Spending time in a natural setting to learn about the environment or participate in adventurous activities is not a new concept. But the names given to such experiences have changed dramatically, and some activities and ethics involving outdoor travel have been developed. Nevertheless, the creative marketing power behind private enterprise tourism has pushed outdoor recreation into the consumer consciousness as new and improved "adventure travel" and "ecotourism".

The many facets of adventure travel including the dynamics of the adventure travel market, the motivations for adventure travel, the providers of adventure experiences, the realities of adventure travel, the equipment needs of adventurers, the issues of sustainability and environmental ethics, the economic development potential of nature-based tourism, and the managing and marketing of adventure travel enterprises are introduced here. A brief explanation and commentary are presented on each topic in an encyclopedic format so that the reader might become acquainted with these subjects.

The Adventure Travel Market

More than half of all U.S. traveling adults, or about 73 million people, have taken an adventure trip in their lifetime. A recent study conducted by the U.S. Travel Data Center found that of these 73 million, about three-quarters had taken an adventure trip in the last two years. In fact, the market for adventure travel and ecotourism is considered enormous. And the multitude of businesses and entrepreneurs flocking to these types of special interest tourism are evidence of their popularity. Another U.S. Travel Data Center study on tourism and the environment found that more than 85% of travelers claimed that they are likely to support or patronize travel companies that help preserve the environment. Moreover, these consumers were willing to pay on average 8% more for travel products and services provided by environmentally responsible travel suppliers. This 1991 study suggested that the environmental movement has entered the mainstream of global life and concluded that "the growth in the number of these green consumers and travelers has stimulated businesses to respond to this target audience with an avalanche of image positioning, through advertising and promotion and to change their products, services and practices accordingly."

Adventure travelers are more likely to be married and have children than other travelers. They also are more likely to be female than the average traveler profile. On average, adventure travelers are 40 years old, include two or more wage earners in the household, are college educated, and have professional or managerial occupations.more than half of adventure travelers take their spouses along on their vacations. Children, grandchildren, and non-family adults are also popular companions. Only a small percentage take adventure vacations alone.

The U.S. Data Center study also found that adventure travelers spent on average $871 per trip. Older Americans and those with the highest incomes spent most, while the youngest study participants and those with the lowest incomes spent the least. The range of expenditures starts at less than $500 per trip and grows to over $5,000 per trip.

Adventure Travel Motivations

People take vacations for fun and entertainment and to get away from the stress of work and the tedium of daily life. Sometimes they are motivated by the need to enhance relationships with family and friends, to learn something new, to explore oneself, or to meet new people. The desire to do something healthy or to add to one's self-image also may be motivating factors. Adventure vacations often include all of these travel motivations, but thrill seeking plays a unique and important role.

Many pursuers of adventure travel list thrill seeking as their reason for participating. Thrill seeking may be meeting the needs of self-actualization, achievement, and catharsis. Research indicates that the stress that comes from fear in situations of real and perceived risk may be necessary to achieve this self-actualization. Participants in adventure activities may evolve from an introductory stage of low risk, low personal control and sociable settings through a stage of skill development and on to a stage of commitment with high risk, high personal control and less sociable settings. As the right mix between challenges and abilities are met in adventure activities, "flow" experiences can develop.

Activities

The activities of adventure travelers are as broad as the imagination allows. Virtually anything that is done outside conceivably might be part of an adventure vacation. Activities on land, on water, or in the air provide things to see and do for nature-based travelers. From horseback riding and camping to whitewater rafting and waterskiing, from skydiving to hot air ballooning, outdoor recreation activities are nearly numberless.

Ecotourism activities are often a combination of low impact outdoor recreation activities and intense educational experiences in natural history and ecology. Some ecotourism includes service projects designed to benefit the environment being visited.

Sometimes a distinction is made between "hard" and "soft" adventure travel. Soft adventures are those with low levels of risk usually sold by a tour operator to different kinds of groups. These are usually suitable for family involvement and offer an introduction to new and unique activities. Examples might be whitewater rafting in oar powered boats on Class II and III rivers, horseback riding on a guided breakfast ride, or hot air ballooning with a commercial outfitter. By contrast, hard adventures require real skills in dangerous situations. Participants usually join together because of an intense interest in some activity outside the confines of commercial outfitting. Examples might be a climb of Yosemite's El Capitan, rafting Cataract Canyon in a private group, or hang gliding in the Telluride cirque.

Providers of Adventure Travel

At one time attempts were made to keep track of the commercial providers of adventure travel experiences. Buzzworm and Outside magazines published catalogs of adventure travel companies, but an explosion of adventure travel and ecotourism companies and trips now make that task impossible. Outside still highlighted 100 to 200 adventure vacations in its February issues, but no comprehensive lists can be maintained. Tour operations provide real opportunities for creative entrepreneurs to start a business so that the entrance of new enterprises into the industry has been staggering in the past five years. Not only have commercial establishments grown precipitously, but offerings from non-profit organizations such as environmental groups, universities, and wilderness therapy groups also have expanded. The Sierra Club offers hundreds of trips all over the world each year to its members. Besides commercial and non-profit providers of adventure, the vast majority of adventure travel takes place through independent trips among family and friends.

Realities of Adventure Travel

The idea of adventure travel or ecotourism vacations is certainly romantic. Images include exotic locations, ideal weather, exciting activities. The realities of adventure travel, however, are another story that should be an important consideration of nature-based travel. Exotic locations are far away and difficult to get to. The weather is usually unpredictable and more integral to one's ability to recreate safely and happily than one anticipates. Extremes in cold, heat, and especially rain can bring discomfort and misery to many vacationers. Exciting activities can be turned by injury or sickness into unpleasant situations. Fortunately, memory tends to dim the pain and enhance the exhilaration. After a few months even the most unpleasant experiences often become amusing stories that travelers will tell throughout their lives. It should be noted here that humor and positive outlook are perhaps more important to nature-based travelers than to any other types of vacationers for successful tripping.

Equipment

A great danger in outdoor recreation activities is the development of "gearhead" mentality. Although some of the finest outdoor experiences can come in simple journeys, the majority of adventure activities require specialized gear. A prosperous industry has grown up providing the equipment for outdoor recreation. Only computer manufacturers are better at making last year's hardware obsolete with this year's new models. High technology is a factor in making outdoor gear lighter, stronger, and better.

Sustainability

A major issue in ecotourism and adventure travel is that of sustainable development. A driving notion in ecotourism is that tourism will develop a symbiotic relationship with the natural environment that will provide for the preservation and conservation of that environment. Whether this relationship develops in very many situations is a matter of hot debate, but the theory that nature-based tourism ought to be developed in a way so that the natural and cultural environment will endure is intuitively appealing.

Closely tied to all nature-based tourism is a need for the development of individual environmental ethics. Although many ecotourism and adventure travel providers donate some profits to protect the environment and demand low-impact camping and activity practices be conducted, others are driven by business pressures to only appear friendly to the environment. Therefore, the individual ethics of all those involved in nature-based tourism is very important. The attitudes and morals of business owners, employees, and vacationers are critical to the preservation of adventure travel settings. It really is hard to teach an old dog new tricks, and wilderness education and environmental consciousness are most effective when taught to children and reinforced throughout the learning processes.

Economic Development

Especially in rural and developing areas, nature-based tourism can provide an important pillar of economic support. Unfortunately, most communities and regions wait until other economic sectors are suffering and failing before turning to tourism as a last hope. Ideally, tourism acts as an additional support to an existing economy by diversifying agriculture and manufacturing. Tourism businesses cycle; and those that depend on the volatile changes of public tastes and preferences especially are vulnerable. Only rarely does tourism function successfully as the only economic sector in a community or region. Nevertheless, because of tourism's labor intensive production and high numbers of small business entrepreneurs, it can be an excellent economic development tool. Rural and developing areas often contain the best settings for adventure travel and ecotourism. By encouraging the local development of tourism businesses and support enterprises, economic developers can magnify the economic impact to the area significantly.

Planning for adventure travel and ecotourism at the local level is seldom adequate. Economic developers cannot be convinced that tourism might ever be bigger than they would like. Yet, in many cases, communities are caught trying to control tourism after it is already too late. Excellent guides to help in the planning of sustainable tourism have been developed by the World Tourism Organization and The Ecotourism Society.

The creative skills of successful tour operators and outdoor outfitters are equally important to adventure travel and ecotourism operators' success. Specialized adventure skills and ecological knowledge such as whitewater rafting abilities and bird identification proficiencies must be linked with adequate business acumen in accounting, finance, personnel management, and marketing. When ecotourism has become eco-sell, however, the bottom line of business likely has overshadowed environmental ethics and wilderness skills in the company. Some traditional tour operators have expanded into the nature-based market because it seems to be a profitable fad; they are likely to be experts at marketing, but may lack the commitment of those with adventure skills seeking to turn an avocation into a vocation. A balance of managing and marketing expertise with adventuring proficiency provides the best foundation for successful nature-based tourism enterprise.

All forms of nature-based tourism, specifically adventure travel and ecotourism, are booming. Understanding this phenomenon requires several different perspectives. A business or entrepreneur is interested primarily in the market for adventure travel, equipment needs and opportunities, and the techniques of managing and marketing. Sustainability and ethics come second, third, or fourth. Citizens and economic developers near natural areas are concerned with the economic development potentials of the area but should not forget the sustainability of the development. Environmentalists focus on the sustainability of any tourism development and the environmental ethics of all involved. Last, but certainly not least, the adventure travelers and ecotourists themselves want to understand how the experience will influence their lives, what activities they might be able to try, who the providers are, what equipment they will need, and what to really expect from an nature-based vacation. Truly, one's view of adventure travel depends on where he or she stand.

Types of Adventure Travel Activities

On Land:

Rock Climbing Windsurfing Wildlife Viewing Treasure Hunting Backpacking Waterskiing Mountain Biking Spelunking in Underground Lakes Horsepacking Water Tubing Hiking Cliffdiving Downhill Skiing Canoeing Rapelling Snorkeling Bike Touring Ice Sailing Mountaineering SCUBA Heli-Skiing/Boarding Sailing Hunting Surfing Camping Pearl Diving Nature Photography Gold Panning/Mining In Air: Snowshoeing Cross Country Skiing BASE Jumping Steam Locomotive Traveling Skydiving

Parasailing On Water: Paragliding

Bungy Jumping Deep Sea Fishing Barn Swinging Fly Fishing Hot Air Ballooning Kayaking Whitewater Rafting (developed by Adventure Travel

students at the University of

Nebraska at Kearney, Fall 1994)

Adventure Travel Tips

Overseas Adventure Travel offers a booklet with "101 Tip for Adventure Travelers." Some of these include: * Compare cancellation policies. * Check out the trip leader. * Check to see if your health insurance covers illness or injury overseas. * Get in shape. * Thoroughly break in your hiking or walking shoes. * Take along medications for travelers' diarrhea. * Instead of a suitcase, carry a big, soft, rugged duffel bag. * Take along a generous supply of Ziploc plastic bags. * Bring a pair of compact, lightweight binoculars. * If you don't know, just ask! * Don't make phone calls through you hotel switchboard. * Keep a journal. * Wash you hands frequently. * Don't take photos of locals without their permission. * On a wildlife trip, don't wear perfume or cologne. * Send yourself a postcard home.

Definitions

Adventure: Adventure implies breaking into unpenetrated ground, venturing beyond the boundary of normal aptitude, extending oneself to the limit of capacity, courageously facing peril. - Robert Marshall, 1930

Nature-based Tourism: Travel away from one's local environment that includes interaction with a natural environment for education, observation, or recreation.

Ecotourism: Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people. - The Ecotourism Society

Adventure Travel: Travel away from one's local environment that includes activities adventurous to the participant.

Hard Adventure: Refers to activities with high levels of risk, requiring intense commitment and advanced skills.

Soft Adventure: Refers to activities with a perceived risk but low levels of real risk, requiring minimal commitment and beginning skills; most of these activities are led by experienced guides.

No-Impact Participation: Attitudes and behaviors in outdoor recreation activities that leave no trace or impact on the natural environment.

Environmental Ethics: Individual and societal morals relating to the natural environment; includes public and personal rules which govern interactions with the natural world.

Sustainable Tourism Development: Development that meets the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs - Brundtland Commission

Catharsis: The purifying or relieving of the emotions; the alleviation of fears, problems, and complexes by bringing them to consciousness and giving them expression. - Webster's Dictionary

Organizations

Adventure Travel Society 6551 South Revere Parkway #160 Englewood, CO 80111 (303) 649-9016

The Adventure Travel Society is a trade association that addresses the issues related to ecotourism and adventure travel. Tour operators; travel agents; resort planners; travel writers; indigenous people; representatives of tourism boards, recreation organizations, travel corporations, universities, conservation organizations, and natural resource management agencies; government officials of tourism, economics and environment, and others interested in adventure travel and ecotourism can benefit from membership in the Adventure Travel Society.

The Ecotourism Society P.O. Box 755 North Bennington, VT 05257 (802) 447-2121

The Ecotourism Society is an international, nonprofit membership organization, fully dedicated to finding the resources and building the expertise to make tourism a viable tool for conservation and sustainable development. The Society is documenting the best techniques for implementing ecotourism principles by collaborating with a growing, global network of active professionals in the field. The Ecotourism Society has directed workshops on ecotourism planning and management in the U.S., Latin America, Africa, and the South Pacific.

COPYRIGHT 1995 National Recreation and Park Association
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group