July 19. The adventure travel industry appears to have fully rebounded from the pandemic-era downturn.
An annual industry snapshot published by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) shows that revenue, trip fill rates, and staffing have all substantially increased and are nearing 2019 levels.
Conducted in April in both English and Spanish, the ATTA survey reached 144 of its member operators and invited them to share information about their company’s well-being, their 2022 guest profile, and which consumer motivations, activities, and destinations are trending for the current year.
Highlights of the report include:
- The most popular adventure travel itinerary is priced at a median of $3,000 and involves an eight-night vacation.
- About 76 percent of that $3,000 (or about $2,280 on average) is spent with local supplier
- On average, trips were 65 percent full (up from 52 percent in 2021), and only 1 percent of respondents had zero guests in 2022 (down from 9 percent last year and 16 percent in 2020)
- The most popular consumer motivations for traveling were new experiences, to go off the beaten track, and to travel like a local
- The hottest trending destinations were the Mediterranean, Western Europe, South America, Scandinavia, and Central America
- Globally, 74% of respondents expect their 2023 net profit to be equal to or better than 2022, and 63% expect it to be higher than 2019
The ATTA industry snapshot also reveals that operators are taking steps to ensure future success— an effort that includes 85 percent having a documented safety and risk management plan and 68 percent already having or working toward a sustainability certification (up from 45 percent one year earlier.)
Source: Travel Pulse
