(SEATTLE) – Tour operators associations in the Asia/Pacific, South America, North America, Central America and the Caribbean are integrating into a more definitive global adventure travel community, through the first round and launch of the Adventure Travel Trade Association’s new Association Partnership Program.
Combined, the 11 associations represent thousands of members (tour operators, accommodations, etc.) which share interests in the responsible and sustainable development and growth of the adventure travel market. Collaborating within the ATTA’s Association Partnership Program, the ATTA and its partners are working to become better networked, enhance cooperative efforts, increase market share, and improve intelligence gathering and sharing on critical matters such as sustainable tourism, best practices, risk management and related matters essential to professionalizing the industry.
The associations representing ten countries which officially joined forces with the ATTA in an unprecedented show of adventure travel trade unity include:
- Bhutan – Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators
- Brazil – Associação Brasileira das Empresas de Turismo de Aventura (ABETA), Brazilian Adventure Travel Trade Association
- Canada –
- Paddling Ontario Alliance
- Aventure Ecotourisme Quebec
- Chile – Corporación de Promoción Turistica (CPT), Tourism Promotion Corporation of Chile
- Ecuador – Ecuadorian Ecotourism Association (ASEC)
- Mexico – Asociación Mexicana de Turismo de Aventura y Ecoturismo (AMTAVE), Mexican Association of Adventure Tourism and Ecotourism
- Nepal – Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA)
- New Zealand – Tourism Industry Association New Zealand
- Peru – La Asociación Peruana de Turismo de Aventura y Ecoturismo (APTAE), Peruvian Association of Ecotourism and Adventure Tourism
- Trinidad & Tobago – Trinidad and Tobago Incoming Tour Operators Association (TTITOA)
Serving as the global ‘hub’ of the adventure travel community, the Adventure Travel Trade Association is an international networking, marketing and resource-focused membership association representing more than 350 entities. ATTA’s members include tour operators, travel agents and accommodations; destination marketing organizations and tourism boards; and numerous industry suppliers and partners with a vested interest in the responsible development of the adventure travel industry.
“Working with the ATTA and our partner associations, great strides are now possible,” said Pablo Retamal O., Director Tourism Promotion Corporation of Chile – CPT, Embassy of Chile. “In the near future, for Chile and the companies we represent, we will be able to tap more readily into the business potential of the broader adventure travel community and to bring a local voice to the global stage.”
Recognizing destination-specific association expertise, membership growth opportunities, and the potential to practically network adventure travel experts across the globe, the ATTA has developed the Association Partnership Program (APP) over the past year. Success of the APP was predicated upon the premise of mutual gain for the associations and their respective memberships, as well as a better understanding and responsiveness to the expansion and sustainable growth needs of adventure travel destinations globally. Whereas local associations are able to bring valuable local perspectives and knowledge to the global scene, the ATTA, with its growing network, resources and marketing influence, is able to bring global expertise to support to associations and their members’ efforts to responsibly develop adventure travel locally.
“Our ability to convey critical local issues and opportunities were previously limited,” said Sonam Dorji, Secretary General of the Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators. “We now have a more realistic chance to share our story with a much larger audience, to contribute more effectively to global trade, and to access the markets where we’ve previously struggled to gain a foothold.”
Year-end evaluations on the success of APP will be considered in the development of phase two of the ATTA’s global partnership initiative. For information on association partnership opportunities, contact ATTA Director of Business Development Chris Chesak at [email protected].
Seattle-based, the ATTA, host of the annual Adventure Travel World Summit is a strategic membership organization representing more than organizations dedicated to raising the profile of adventure travel globally. Established in 1990, the ATTA provides services, knowledge, and connections that help its members succeed in their businesses and contribute to responsible and sustainable industry growth.
Media Contact:
Chris Doyle
ATTA Director
916.791.9409
[email protected]