Adventure Market Overview
Area Attractions Luncheon
May 22, 2014
Julie Thorner
WHAT WE’LL COVER
1
Understand the value of the global adventure
market
2
Recognize key adventure traveler demographic
profiles and preferences
3
Comprehend the importance and opportunities
presented by following best practices when
operating in sensitive wilderness and cultural
environments
4
Understand the size & economic impact of the
local rafting industry, Pigeon & Ocoee Rivers
SECTION
1
INDUSTRY TRENDS
IN THIS SECTION
•
Global market value and growth projections
•
Information on adventure travelers:
demographic and psychographic profiles
•
Adventure traveler preferences for activities,
community engagement
DEFINITION OF ADVENTURE TRAVEL
RESEARCH METHOD
THE ADVENTURE TRAVELER PROFILE DATA
PRESENTED IN THE FOLLOWING SLIDES WAS
DERIVED FROM ORIGINAL SURVEY
RESEARCH.
In 2013 the George Washington University and the ATTA
collaborated to conduct a global survey of adventure travelers.
An internationally known behavioral panel provider was used to
survey a representative sample of international travelers aged
18 years old or older, who have traveled outside the country in
their home country in the recent past. The surveys were
translated into the native language of the participant’s home
country. Respondents came from North America, Europe and
South America.
1,739 surveys were collected of which 845 valid surveys were
extracted. Seven responses were discarded due their outlier
status. The final sample size is 838, yielding a combined margin
of error of 3.4%. Regional sample sizes are as follows:
North America Respondents – 213
Europe Respondents - 423
South America Respondents – 202
ADVENTURE TRAVEL COMPARED TO
MAINSTREAM TOURISM
[
Adventure travel is the fastest growing segment
of the tourism industry.
]
Growth
?
Adventure Tourism: 65%
growth in 2011 and 2012
42% penetration
Adventure Tourism: 17%
growth in 2009 and 2010
26% penetration
Time
1950s
2000s
2010
2012
2050
ADVENTURE TRAVELER DEMOGRAPHICS
40.6% of travelers worldwide can be classified as adventure travelers
[
Survey respondents were classified as “adventure travelers” if
they cited one of the following activities as the “main” activity
on their most recent trip.
Archeological expedition
Backpacking
Birdwatching
Camping
Canoeing
Caving
Climbing
Cycling
Ecotourism
Environmentally sustainable activities
Fishing/fly fishing
Heli-skiing
Hiking
Horseback riding
Hunting
Kayaking/sea/whitewater
Kite surfing
Motorized sports
Orienteering
Paragliding
Rafting
Research expeditions
Safaris
Sand boarding
Sailing
Scuba diving
Snorkeling
Skiing/snowboarding
Standup paddle boarding
Surfing
Trekking
Volunteer tourism
]
ADVENTURE TRAVELER AGE SEGMENTATION
The majority of adventurer travelers are 31 – 50 years old
[
The table below provides further detail on the age breakdown of people
within the 46.6% of all travelers classified as adventure travelers.
>50 Years Old
33%
20-30 Years
Old
21%
31-50 Years
Old
46%
]
ADVENTURE TRAVELER TRIP
PLANNING BEHAVIOR
[
For all age groups, online search is the most popular method with all
age groups. Surprisingly, “friends” were not cited as a top source of trip
planning information for people age 28 – 40.
]
How else did you prepare for the last trip?
Age Range
Friends(*)
Online
Newspaper
Travel TV
DMO
Book
Air+Hotel
Online
Less than
28
56%
67%
22%
22%
11%
33%
11%
22%
28 - 40
18%
77%
36%
32%
23%
41%
36%
23%
41 - 50
63%
63%
19%
23%
11%
19%
23%
12%
51 -60
70%
67%
20%
34%
12%
39%
27%
12%
More than
60
70%
70%
30%
27%
13%
37%
25%
12%
Use Guide
DID NOT
PREPARE
ADVENTURE TRAVELER
ACTIVITIES OF INTEREST
[
Volunteering is popular with almost every age group; backpacking and
camping are popular with people age 28 – 60.
GENERATIONS
AGE RANGES
ACTIVITIES
Gen Yers
Less than 28
Volunteer Tourism
Environment
28 - 40
Camping• Hunting
Sandboarding
Volunteer Tourism
41 - 50
Archeology • Backpacking
Canoeing• Cycling • Horseback riding
Volunteer Tourism
51 -60
Camping, • Cycling
Backpacking • Volunteer Tourism
More than 60
Archeology • Volunteer Tourism
Environment • Hiking
Gen Xers
Boomers
]
Note: Sample size for age GenY and GenX age segments was small, therefore results are indicators of trends but not conclusive.
ADVENTURE TRAVELER
TRAVEL STYLE
[
GenX and Boomers 41 - 60 travel with family,
while GenY and Boomers 60+ travel in pairs
]
GENERATIONS
AGE RANGES
MOST LIKELY TRAVELING
PARTNER
Gen Yers
Less than 28
Partner
28 - 40
Spouse/partner
41 - 50
Family
51 -60
Family
More than 60
Friends/Partner
Gen Xers
Boomers
SECTION
2
THE IMPORTANCE OF
BEST PRACTICES
The following slides provide basic
information on the need to adhere to best
practices when leading adventure trips
and the benefits that observing best
practices can bring to a destination.
ADVENTURE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
INDEX FRAMEWORK
[
The ATDI describes 10 factors necessary for adventure market development;
adherence to best practices is especially important in the areas of Safety,
Natural , Cultural, and Adventure Activity Resources
Sustainable
Development
Policies
Entrepreneurship
Image & Marketing
Humanitarian
Safety
Health
Adventure Activity
Resources
Cultural
Resources
Infrastructure
Natural
Resources
]
BEST PRACTICES TO SUSTAIN NATURE,
CULTURE AND ADVENTURE RESOURCES
[
Adventure travelers and companies can influence the protection of
land, culture and biodiversity - the base assets upon which
adventure tourism is built
]
TYPES OF BEST PRACTICES EVERY ADVENTURE BUSINESS MUST CONSIDER
BEST PRACTICE AREA
Environment
Wildlife
EXAMPLE
• Leave No Trace
• Best Practices for Marine,
Mountain, Jungle Environments
METHOD OF MONITORING
Community members track changes in
specific indicators, for example monitoring
volumes of trash, demand for wastewater
treatment
Guides instructed not to bring
guests too close to wildlife, or to
Health of species populations
lead groups through known
nesting grounds
Guest Safety
Guides possess wilderness first
aid and technical skills for the
trips they lead
Annual training tests for guides
Community
Communities are involved in the
tourism supply chain
Regular interaction with community groups to
gauge their satisfaction with tourism
SECTION
3
LOOK AT LOCAL RAFTING
INDUSTRY IMPACTS
• Total Guest Rafting Numbers for Top
US Rivers
• Pigeon River Historical Growth
• Ocoee River Economic Impact Study
Statistics provided by America Outdoors
Association
Rafting Guest Numbers Since 2009
Source: America Outdoors Association
The Pigeon River: Consistent Growth Far
Surpassing All Other Top Rivers
Source: America Outdoors Association
The Pigeon River: Explosive Rafting
Growth at 750% Since 1995
Source: America Outdoors Association
Let’s Extrapolate: Using the
Recent Ocoee River TN Impact Study
Source: America Outdoors Association
Total Measured Economic Impacts
of Ocoee Rafting
Source: America Outdoors Association
Leveraging Local Adventure Tourism
Natural Assets to Market this Region
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park: over 12-13MM visitors/year,
the most visited park in the entire US NP system.
• Within a day’s drive of most of the East Coast
• Whitewater Rafting: Pigeon, Ocoee, Nolichucky TN; French Broad,
Nantahala, Tuckasegee NC; Chattooga, Hiawasee GA
• Mountain Biking & Hiking trails
• Camping: backcountry (USFS, NP), campgrounds as base for day
trips
• Adventure Courses, set in natural locations, Ziplining, Ropes
Challenge Courses, Adventure Aerial Parks
• The combination of outstanding adventure tourism natural assets, a
world renowned National Park, developed entry level adventure
product, and exceptional shopping and theme park attractions next
door is hard to beat for the vacationing public! Only the Southeast
has this…
Try out a local adventure trip/product
soon!
Questions/Ideas:
Julie Thorner
President, Liquid Spark Inc.
PO Box Bryson City, NC 29718
www. LiquidSparkMarketing.com
info@liquidsparkmarketing.com
O:828-488-3420/ M:828-736-1695