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Travel Alliances Offer More Choices, Peace of Mind

SEATTLE— As more alliances of well-known adventure travel companies enter the scene offering a combined menu of wide-ranging destinations and experiences, consumers are discovering that it’s easier to shop for the perfect vacation, while taking the guesswork out of finding the right adventure company.

The reason, says Richard Edwards, executive director of Seattle-based alliance Trusted Adventures (TA), is that established industry leaders with proven track records in service and authenticity are the companies forming alliances today.

“These are the best boutique adventure companies in their own areas, and every one is respected industry-wide as pioneers in their own field," says Edwards of the TA members.

While no one organization seems to be tracking the number of alliances cropping up in the industry, it’s clear they are gaining in numbers and notice, says Shannon Stowell, president of the Adventure Travel Trade Association.

“The rationale is to offer a reliable, one-stop resource for customers,” Stowell says. “By joining forces, these companies are making themselves more relevant in today’s marketplace because they are offering peace of mind and ease to consumers.”

The travel industry as a whole, not just the consumer, benefits from these alliances says Megan Epler Wood, founder and past president of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) and principal of EplerWood International, a Vermont-based sustainable tourism consulting firm.

“Once a customer sees that their favorite company has allied with like-minded companies, it prompts them to explore areas of travel they wouldn’t have considered before,” she says. Maybe they’ve traveled domestically because they weren’t aware of the family-friendly international options available today, or maybe they’ve never considered a different part of the country for their annual rafting trip because they weren’t informed of their choices.

For instance, the four member companies that formed TA last year offer more than 220 trips to over 70 worldwide destinations. So choices are not only prolific, but because the companies are like-minded in their approach to travel and service, consumers can rest easy knowing they aren’t taking a risk when traveling with any one member of the alliance.

“Clients are coming to us as individual operators saying they find value in the fact we’ve endorsed each other by forming this alliance because they now have travel alternatives with other companies that they can trust by association,” says Dan Austin, co-founder of Austin-Lehman Adventures and TA member.

Peter Grubb, founder of ROW Adventures and member of the alliance Rafting America says this allows people to relax and have fun during the trip planning process. “When that happens they can truly look forward to their trip instead of worrying if they will have a bad experience or if they’re getting their money’s worth.”

As an expert in the field of eco-tourism, Epler Wood sees potential benefits in that arena as well - not only in exposing the consumer, but in exposing alliance members to the value of responsible travel.

“If one company in an alliance is known for giving back to the environment and the cultures affected by its trips, then hopefully their influence will bring the other companies up to speed on some of these issues and help them reach those same standards,” she says. “That’s good for the destinations and good for the consumer.”

Source List:
Trusted Adventures, www.trustedadventures.com, 206-288-9337
EplerWood International, www.eplerwood.com, 802-865-3351
Adventure Travel Trade Association, www.adventuretravel.biz, 916-791-9409
Rafting America, www.raftingamerica.com, 801-942-6669 x117.

Trusted Adventures
CONTACT: Richard G. Edwards
TEL: 206-288-9337
E-MAIL:
WEBSITE: www.trustedadventures.com