Featured Article
Championing the Soul of Travel
August 17, 2010
Bill Bryan, Co-Founder & Chairman of Off the Beaten Path, presenting at July's ATTA Regional Meeting in Montana Editor’s Note: Bill Bryan, a long-time advocate of the ATTA and a 2010 Adventure Travel World Summit Advisory Committee member, first contacted the ATTA about, “Championing the Soul of Travel” following the 2009 ATWS. Then in February 2010, Bill joined ATTA’s President Shannon Stowell and Vice President Chris Doyle in Washington, D.C., to bring a voice to adventure tourism within the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Travel and Tourism Industries. Following those sessions, the three discussed the concept of the “soul” of travel. It’s a concept that Bill presented at the ATTA’s Montana Regional Meeting in June – a concept well received by attendees and that stimulated meaty discussion. Here, we solicit your comments to Bill’s perspectives, and ask that you “sound off” so that we know your... Read More →
Featured Article Featured Interview
Q&A with Praveen Moman from Volcanoes Safaris
August 12, 2010
Recently, Shannon Stowell, president of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, and Praveen Moman from Volcanoes Safaris were having a discussion that stemmed from the Adventure Travel World Summit in Québec, Canada 2009. They were talking about how companies can practically pursue sustainability and responsibility and also be profitable businesses. Curiosity got the better of Shannon and he quizzed Praveen on a number of practices that Volcanoes pursues. This has been published with permission in hopes of shedding light for other operators who might face similar issues: Read More → Read More →
ATTA Press Releases Featured Article
Benchmark Study Values Adventure Tourism Market at $89 Billion
August 3, 2010
Associated Gear, Apparel and Accessories Sales Add Additional $53 Billion (SEATTLE) – AUGUST 3, 2010 – According to the benchmark Adventure Tourism Market Report consumer study by The George Washington University (GWU) in partnership with the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and Xola Consulting, adventure travelers are affluent, educated, and spent more than $89 billion (excluding airfare and gear/clothing) on adventure tourism in 2009. Conducted in late 2009, the final study surveyed people from representative countries within Latin America, North America and Europe, regions that account for 72.8% of all international tourism expenditures [1] and 68.7% of all international departures [2]. Based on UNWTO-reported departure figures, as well as the percentage of adventure trips reported by the respondents in the survey, statistical analysis was used to estimate that nearly 150 million [3] adventure trips are taken every year. The Executive Summary of the report will be available... Read More →
Featured Article Travel & Outdoor Gear
ATTA Pilots Presence at Outdoor Industry Trade Show
July 30, 2010
Between August 3rd and 5th the Adventure Travel Trade Association will attend the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2010 in Salt Lake City, the outdoor recreation industry’s leading event which draws more than 1,000 exhibitors and approximately 40,000 industry attendees semi-annually. There, the ATTA will introduce the adventure tourism industry to the outdoor industry via the Adventure Travel Hub exhibit where retailers, manufacturers and tourism representatives can build relationships and collaborate to access and market in new and creative ways. Read More →
Featured Article New & Different
Creative Adventure Travel and Outdoor Recreation Industry Partnerships Yield Results
July 14, 2010
The Adventure Travel Trade Association continues to bridge the gap between outdoor and adventure travel industries by fostering three more successful partnerships between outdoor gear manufacturers and adventure destinations. By Nicole Petrak, Assistant Editor, AdventureTravelNews A meeting facilitated by ATTA at the 2009 Adventure Travel World Summit in Quebec has resulted in an in-store and online partnership between the Jordan Tourism Board North America, Marriott Hotels, and ATTA members ExOfficio and Wildland Adventures. Together they’re hosting the 2010 Jordan Adventure Sweepstakes, which culminates at the end of this month and will send the winner on a custom 9-day tour to Jordan by Wildland Adventures complete with ExOfficio Adventure Outfitting, at an approximate retail value of $15,000. The contest is currently featured on the homepages of Wildland Adventures, Jordan Tourism, and ExOfficio, and has already seen nearly 8,000 entries. 2010 Jordan Adventure Sweepstakes promotion... Read More →
Featured Article Must Read/View
Save the Serengeti: An ATTA Call to Action
June 25, 2010
~ A major highway, an international airport, power struggles, development, and human welfare issues – critical challenges now threaten the very fabric and survival of the Serengeti National Park as we know it. Never before in its history has the world’s greatest wildlife heritage faced such an uncertain future. ~ Source: SaveTheSerengeti.org On June 21, 2010, the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) signed an urgent petition initiated by Save the Serengeti, a coalition of organizations that share a concern over the future of the Serengeti National Park. “Our sacred responsibility to the young and unborn generations of mankind is to jealously protect Mother Earth and all life on it.” Maasai elder Photo: Courtesy Boyd Norton. “This threat to the Serengeti, a major commercial highway across the Serengeti National Park, is of great concern to us and many of our members,” said Shannon Stowell, ATTA President. “We’re hoping for an alternative plan that can still serve... Read More →
Featured Article Must Read/View
UIAA Responds to Everest Age Restrictions
June 18, 2010
The UIAA welcomes China’s decision to ban people under 18 years of age from climbing Mount Everest. Mt Everest From Base Camp One, Courtesy Rupert Taylor-Price According to press reports and climbing and trekking agencies in Nepal, the decision was taken on June 10 by the Lhasa-based Chinese Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA) – a branch of the Chinese Mountaineering Association, which is a UIAA Member. The move was welcomed by the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA). “While concerned about the restrictions on the freedom for exploration and human endeavour, the UIAA Access Commission applauds the actions of the CTMA and the NMA to protect minors by placing a lower age restriction on summiting Everest,” said commission president Clare Bond. UIAA President, Mike Mortimer, also greeted the Chinese decision, saying young mountaineers lacked not only climbing “experience”, but also maturity. However, Mortimer is critical of the maximum age of 60 set by the CTMA. “The... Read More →
