When making decisions, not only about travelling, but making investments in the tourism sector, it’s always advisable to know the sector trends in depth. On this occasion, the growth in the tourist demand for adventures has caught our attention.
Firstly, and according to the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), an adventure trip is considered to be one that involves at least two of three elements: physical activity, the natural environment and cultural immersion. ATTA also distinguishes two types of adventure according to the degree: soft or hard. To make a “soft” adventure trip, such as participating in an archaeological visit, or going to an adventure park, no special skills are necessary. Whereas, climbing Everest, for example, is clearly a “hard” adventure trip.
In this regard, through specialised tour operators, ATTA has documented four main trends: a greater growth of soft adventure activities, a personalisation of experiences, an increase in demand from multigenerational groups and, finally, a mounting interest in cultural immersion. This is the qualitative evolution regarding adventure trips whose depth, however, we only reach if we observe the trend from a quantitative point of view.
The indicators are clear: according to a study by ATTA, what in 2010 was a market of just 81.4 million euros, in 2013 it became 240 billion, and in 2018, (in this case according to the firm Allied Market Research), to be 536 billion euros, with annual growth rates of up to 65%. These figures make the adventure tourism segment the fastest growing in recent years.
Therefore, according to the aforementioned, there is a clear global trend towards a rising demand for adventure tourism and active entertainment. Adventure parks respond perfectly to this growing demand. In them, tourists and users find a safe way to perform unusual activities, test their skills, explore new scenarios and stimulate their senses, features that they seek in this type of activity. If we take into account the increase in the demand for adventure travel, especially “soft” adventure, it’s not surprising that adventure parks are multiplying throughout the world.
Sources: Blooloop, Noticias de Turismo, Hosteltur, ATTA, Tripsavvy, Giseletschopp, Allied Market Research
