The future of adventure travel is in the hands of the World Travel Market, the major global event for the travel industry housed at the South London Gallery in the U.K. Organized by the Adventure Travel Trade Association, the gathering will explore and map out the coming 50 years for the niche market, as well as “responsible tourism.”
According to Travel Daily News, issues, policies, and trends in the adventure travel division will be discussed for the span of two days starting November 5th, including debates surrounding a responsible 50-year path for tourism. Executive Director of the European Adventure Travel Trade Association, Chris Doyle, will head the first quarter of the program, entitled “Pioneering the Next 50 Years, Today.” A networking event for operators, agents, destinations, tourism boards, equipment brands, and the media will follow.
“We must acknowledge today’s existing barriers and challenge faulty institutional models and systems,” Doyle said. “It is time to explore a new course of action, designed to help our entire leisure tourism industry…to reconsider, re-frame and re-invent how it views development and capacity.
On the second day of the event, November 6th, a three-part adventure travel program is billed. The first portion, titled “Condensed Adventure Travel Trends for the Travel Professional,” will feature Doyle, along with Lyn Hughes, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief at Wanderlust Magazine, and Ulrika Larsson, ATTA Member Advocate Europe, for AdventureConnect.
“Hot topics include market shifts, digital marketing, traveller lifestyle and motivation, youth markets and mobile booking,” Doyle said about the session, which will provide attendees with information regarding related trends and research. “We’ll make sure delegates receive valuable insights on how to frame these issues within their businesses.”
The second session of Thursday will be a forum about Doyle’s first “Pioneering the Next 50 Years, Today” presentation, while the third and final quarter of the program is “AdventureConnect,”a schedule of networking events.
“It’s great that the adventure travel sector is also taking a long-term view and is debating sustainable policies that could shape the industry for the next 50 years,” said Simon Press, World Travel Market Senior Director. “The Adventure Travel Trade Association serves more than 900 members in 80 countries, and so it is the ideal partner for us. The sessions being run by ATTA will certainly help delegates to achieve their goals in business, while supporting the wider industry on the road to a responsible and profitable future.”
