91 Organizations Join or Renew Their Commitment to ATTA
August 22, 2008
Since May 2008, 91 organizations (see below) have renewed their membership or have become new members of the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA).
To learn more about these and other organizations, visit profiles and news.
Renewing Members
|
New Members
|
Beyond the Adrenaline Rush: Rethinking Traditional Adventure Travel Marketing For Gen Y
August 22, 2008
New report reveals GenY adventure travel behavior trends, recommends marketing strategies to reach a fast-growing travel segment
SANTA FE — With an annual growth rate of 3.5%, Generation Y represents the fastest-growing demographic segment in the travel industry today. A new research report released by Xola Consulting, Inc. indicates this group demands authentic travel experiences rich in cultural exchange and environmental immersion much the same as Baby Boomers. The findings indicate a significant opportunity for adventure travel tour operators to market to Gen Y, and offer destinations and tour operators a new way to perceive this market. If you thought Gen Y was only interested in the adrenaline rush when it comes to adventure travel, think again.
While GenY adventure travelers share a similar desire as their parents in the Baby Boomer generation to learn, connect, and engage with the world, their approach for achieving those goals is very different. Adventure travel tour operators and destinations may need to reconsider their trip offerings and marketing strategies to reach this group effectively.
A substantial body of research covers youth travel, backpackers, adventure travel and Generation Y as a whole, but there has been no focused effort to examine how marketing messages and products might be shaped to best attract this group specifically for the adventure travel industry.
With the support of the George Washington University International Institute for Tourism Studies (www.gwu.edu/iits), Xola consultant Natasha Martin surveyed North American and Western European GenY travelers, and conducted a literature review of youth travel, backpacking, Generation Y, and adventure travel. The resulting report, “WhatUp World? Marketing Adventure Travel for Gen Y,” offers insights to the attitudes, preferences, and lifestyles of Gen Y adventure travelers, and recommends marketing strategies – including brand positioning, messaging, and media relations – for reaching this important and growing market.
“Marketers aiming to reach GenY adventure travelers must recognize that the travel habits of this group are by no means homogeneous,” said Natasha Martin, lead consultant on the study. “Given the variation, marketing messages must consistently focus on micro-specialization, and endeavor to speak simply and specifically about destinations and activities.”
The report’s findings about GenY adventure travelers indicate that:
- 82% choose destination before deciding budget, and 74% research trips on the Internet
- They tend to stay at destinations longer and travel deeper than other travel segments, resulting in expenditures that can have great impact in destinations
- They travel with a purpose – to explore and engage with other cultures
- 50% include cultural experiences in their definition of “adventure;” they travel to develop deeper understanding of their personal or cultural heritage
- 82% have college degrees or higher
- They are well-read and have a holistic view of the world, making them comfortable in seeking out destinations and adventure travel opportunities outside of the traditional mainstream
The Executive Summary from “WhatUp World? Marketing Adventure Travel for Gen Y” is available for free download at www.xolaconsulting.com/research-php. Please contact Christina Heyniger at christina@xolaconsulting.com or +1 202-297-2206 for a full copy of the report. Other groundbreaking reports related to the adventure space are available at www.xolaconsulting.com.
About Xola Consulting
Xola Consulting, Inc. specializes in consulting and research services for the adventure tourism industry, providing expertise to both entrepreneurial adventure tour operators and government tourism boards and destination management organizations. Xola also publishes Off the Radar (www.travelofftheradar.com), an online newsletter and website providing information to adventure travelers about the best sustainable adventure travel destinations and trips.
###
�
Nielsen Business Media Sports Group and Adventure Travel Trade Association Strike Multi-Year Deal to Bring “Adventure Travel” to Sports Shows
August 7, 2008
SALT LAKE CITY – In a newly forged agreement slated for implementation in 2009 and 2010, Nielsen Business Media Sports Group (NBM) and the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) announced today it will partner to deliver the first ever dedicated “adventure travel” presence within four selected NBM sports shows. In the agreement, Nielsen and the ATTA will introduce and establish innovative adventure travel-oriented conference content, exhibitions and sponsorship initiatives within NBM’s Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, Interbike and Fly Fishing Retailer shows throughout 2009 and 2010.
“Bringing adventure travel destinations, tour operators and other businesses together with outdoor retailers and brands focused on adventurous activities will contribute to a more vibrant lifestyle approach,” said NBM Vice President Sports Group Joseph Flynn. “Adventure travel is absolutely a part of who we are. Like the outdoor industry, the ATTA is committed to promoting the industry and to service the communities it serves. Together, we’re better positioned to provide productive cross selling environments for retailers, manufacturers and travel companies, which, in the end, brings more value to our businesses, outdoor enthusiasts and travelers.”
Designed to align and connect the outdoor and adventure travel industries for mutual benefit, the ATTA will provide NBM with sales, marketing, public relations and conference content services related to having adventure travel businesses and organizations participate in, exhibit at, and sponsor NBM Sports Group shows. The partnership provides the adventure travel channel for retailers and brands as another opportunity that can help open new distribution channels and encourage more participation in outdoor recreation activities.
Introductory elements of the dedicated adventure travel initiatives and exposure in the shows are currently under development. Details about the adventure travel concept and how it will be presented at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, set for January 2009, are to be revealed in the fall. Looking ahead to 2009, the partnership is expected to result in new adventure travel trade content tailored for the trade conference programs at OR Winter Market in areas that it has not yet covered in depth, plus an adventure travel exhibit area.
Already, brands such as Eagle Creek, ExOfficio, Men’s Journal, National Geographic Adventure, Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI)/REI Adventures and W. L. Gore & Associates have for years played active roles within and benefitted from association with the ATTA through sponsorship of the organization, participation in global conference events, launching joint consumer outreach and sweepstakes initiatives, and commercial sales programs. The ATTA’s early inroads with prominent outdoor brands were made possible in part through its leadership’s combined four decades of experience from inside the outdoor industry. Brands such as CamelBak, Keen, Kelty, Leki, and others have also benefited from participating in special adventure travel initiatives facilitated by the ATTA, which include familiarization tours hosted by and within travel destinations that result in the backdrop for photo and film shoots.
“Adventure travel has been identified by many industry experts and futurists as representing ‘the future’ of the travel and leisure market,” said ATTA President Shannon Stowell. “It’s the unique blend of physical, cultural and nature-based activities within adventure travel that gets at the core of what’s real and authentic in this world, and can also bring with it compelling solutions to combat poverty, over-development and exploitation of the people and places visited. Partnering with Nielsen and the outdoor industry is ideal. It’s timely, represents incredible opportunities to extend our respective businesses by connecting them to each other, and adds a truly unique vibrancy to the markets we serve that is unlikely to be matched elsewhere.”
About Nielsen: Outdoor Retailer, produced by Nielsen Business Media’s Sports Group, is the leading outdoor industry business-to-business trade event, bringing together top manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of the recreational outdoors. Currently in its 26th successful year, OR gathers approximately 40,000 attendees on a semi-annual basis for both Fall/Winter/Holiday and Spring/Summer markets. The Nielsen Business Media Sports Group, which includes the Outdoor Retailer, Interbike, Action Sports Retailer (ASR) and Fly Fishing Retailer trade shows, is headquartered in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Nielsen Business Media is part of The Nielsen Company, a global information and media company. For more information, please visit: www.nielsen.com.
About the ATTA: Established in 1990, the Seattle-based ATTA is a global membership organization dedicated to unifying, professionalizing, promoting and responsibly growing the adventure travel market worldwide. ATTA Members include tour operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, travel agents/agencies, guides, lodges/resorts/attractions, media, and service providers. Host of the Adventure Travel World Summits, the ATTA provides professional support, development, education, research, marketing, career building, networking and cost saving resources to its members. For more information, please visit: www.adventuretravel.biz.
RSS Feeds
Use one (or more) of the following to add AdventureTravelNewsTM to your favorite RSS Feed Reader!
