More travelers than you think might be seeking adventure. That’s the word from a survey of agent and supplier members of the Virtuoso Active and Specialty Travel (VAST) program for luxury travel advisors and luxury travel partners. Almost all of them (95 percent) said they’ve noticed adventure, active and specialty travel sales increase in the past year, and they predict that trend will continue.
What kind of adventures? Travel Weekly reports “adventure travelers are most interested in hiking/trekking … followed, respectively, by biking, kayaking, small-ship expedition cruising, food and wine, safaris/wildlife viewing, walking, photography, scuba diving and arts and culture.”
According to Travel Market Report, “the survey also found that adventure travelers like authentic experiences and immersing themselves in destinations to learn, not merely sightsee. Today’s health-conscious travelers want to maintain their lifestyle away from home. They like trips where they can indulge personal passions, including athletic, artistic or gourmet activities.”
“Several factors are driving adventure travel’s popularity, as cited by respondents: communing with nature, checking experiences off a bucket list, spending quality time together on family and multigenerational trips, and the ability of today’s older travelers to be more active due to improved longevity and health,” a Virtuoso rep said.
More than 40 percent of adventure travelers are between 50 and 65 years old, followed by ages 35 to 50 (24 percent) and 65-plus (21 percent).
Most adventure travelers have expendable income and the time to spend several days away from home, and they say their desired destinations include such locales as Iceland, Costa Rica, Chile, South Africa and Australia. That data alone should be enough incentive for many convention and visitors’ bureaus in U.S. cities to update their marketing strategies.
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