Press Office

A Passport to Adventure Industry Report 2010...

TUI Travel Adventure Companies are pleased to announce the publication of 'A Passport to Adventure', a groundbreaking, in-depth analysis of recent, current and future trends within the adventure travel sector.

Adventure travel is a growing sector of the travel market, but what is adventure travel? Over thirty years ago an adventure holiday did not really exist and it was only the very determined that would manage to get to the iconic sites that were not easily accessible. Angkor Wat was in the midst of a war zone and flights were very expensive to far off climes. Currently the UK market for Adventure Travel is estimated at over 400,000+ passengers a year.

TUI Travel is the proud owner of a network of independently operated adventure travel companies including The Adventure Company, Exodus, Imaginative Traveller, Peregrine Adventures, Geckos, Quark Expeditions and Headwater in the UK. Together they offer a compendium of over 1,000 discreet adventure itineraries across all continents.

Based on a commissioned YouGov market research poll, tourist office figures, information from the adventure travel brands, and Google search trend report, 'A Passport to Adventure' maps out the future for adventure travel. The report explains not only which travel experiences are likely to gain in popularity in the years to come, but also why they will do so and how clients' expectations of adventure holidays will continue to evolve.

Chief amongst the report's conclusions is that adventure travel enjoys a dedicated and distinctive client base that will see it make a stronger recovery from the global economic slowdown than other travel industry sectors.

'A Passport to Adventure' also highlights a growing acceptance among consumers that specialist tour operators offer the best adventure travel experiences. More consumers have indicated they will choose tour operators for adventure travel in the next three years, owing to their unparalleled destination expertise and their local guides' ability to offer authentic, 'under the skin' travel experiences that cannot be attained through guidebooks.

Further positive news is provided by research into consumers' travel intentions: they are 190% more likely to take an adventure holiday, 145% more likely to take a special interest holiday and 303% more likely to take an environmentally friendly holiday in the next three years than in the previous three years. Rather than the traditional virtues of rest and relaxation, the adventure traveller craves a meaningful holiday that offers in-depth cultural experiences, expert guiding, a physical or mental challenge and the buzz of sharing new experiences with like-minded people.

These trends are already being translated into an upturn in demand for 2010, with strong destination trends for the coming years including European non-Eurozone destinations such as Turkey (bookings up 40% year on year), midhaul destinations (Morocco +80% year on year; Egypt and the Middle East offer potential growth of 81% over the next three years) and 'once in a lifetime' destinations like Kilimanjaro, the Inca Trail and Angkor Wat.

Demand is also strong for tougher treks, assisted in part by the improvement in Nepal's political stability and accessibility (a potential six fold increase has been identified in travel to Nepal from the UK over the next three years). In addition the TUI Adventure Companies have seen an unprecedented demand for Kilimanjaro, with bookings up 400% for 2010 departures.

Colin Stump, MD of TUI Travel's Adventure brands presenting the report, said, “A Passport to Adventure' is an important report into an area of the travel industry that is set to grow significantly in years to come. Not only does it identify hot trends for destinations and holiday types but the results of the report also provide valuable clues to the future requirements of consumers including young professionals, families and the more active and more demanding over 50's group. All of TUI Travel's adventure companies in the market place are well placed to take advantage of this resurgent and growing market. It's a challenge we look forward to with relish.”

Ends

Wednesday, 06 January 2010

For Further Information Please Contact:
Lynsey Devon, PR Manager
Tel: 020 8939 8708
Mobile: 07930 631493
Email: lynsey.devon@tuitravel.com