As destinations around the world work to strengthen their position in the international adventure travel market, capacity building has emerged as one of the most critical, and often overlooked, investments. In Chile’s Los Ríos Region, a multi-layered initiative known as AdventureEDU Los Ríos 2025 is offering a compelling model for how education, connection, and hands-on learning can translate into long-term destination resilience and competitiveness.
AdventureEDU Los Ríos was designed to support the commercialization of innovative nature and adventure tourism experiences while strengthening local operators’ readiness for global markets. Led by SERNATUR Los Ríos and funded by the Los Ríos Regional Government and Regional Council, with support from the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and Opimo Sur, the program combined international exposure, virtual learning, and in-person training into a single, cohesive journey.
Eleven key regional stakeholders participated in the Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS) 2025 in Puerto Natales, Chile, gaining firsthand insight into global adventure travel trends, buyer expectations, and best practices. This experience was not limited to attendance alone: participants took part in pre-Summit preparation, post-Summit reflection, and individualized mentoring sessions, helping ensure that lessons learned were translated into concrete action at home.
Complementing this exposure was a robust virtual training program, which brought together 70 participants from 12 municipalities across the region. Guides, tour operators, accommodations, students, travel agents, and public-sector representatives participated in four two-hour sessions covering adventure travel trends, experience and service design, commercialization and the tourism value chain, and product safety management. Beyond technical content, participants consistently highlighted the value of shared learning, dialogue, and inspiration - key ingredients for building a collaborative destination ecosystem.
The program’s impact deepened further during five days of in-person training, attended by 35 beneficiaries and supported by public-sector partners. Topics included experience and product design, value proposition development, brand personalization, marketing and sales strategies, customer qualification, and Chilean adventure tourism safety standards. Importantly, including SERNATUR’s safety registration and standards ensured alignment with national frameworks while reinforcing international credibility.
Participants repeatedly emphasized that the in-person format transformed the learning experience. Working side by side fostered trust, collaboration, and a shared vision for the region’s future. By engaging directly with nature and culture, participants reinforced the importance of purposeful experience design - tourism that reflects local identity while meeting global expectations. For many, the program marked a turning point in how they see their role within the destination and the impact they aim to generate through their businesses.
The program concluded with a closing event that celebrated both individual achievement and collective momentum. Representatives from regional and national institutions gathered to recognize participants’ commitment and to highlight the collaborations already emerging—from joint programs to shared participation in trade fairs. As ATTA Vice President Nicolás Caram noted, the initiative strengthened not only technical skills, but also confidence and vision among those now driving adventure and nature tourism in the Los Ríos Region.
AdventureEDU Los Ríos 2025 demonstrates that preparing destinations for international adventure travel requires more than marketing campaigns or product development alone. It requires sustained investment in people, relationships, and shared learning. By integrating global exposure, structured education, and community-building, Los Ríos offers a replicable blueprint for destinations seeking to grow responsibly, competitively, and collaboratively in the adventure travel sector.