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Networking Candor Details Industry Threats, Opportunities

More than 40 industry executives attended recent ATTA-sponsored networking sessions in Seattle (June 6, 2005) and San Francisco (June 16, 2005). National outdoor gear retailer REI made meeting space available to the ATTA to provide regional adventure travel leaders with comfortable, outdoor-oriented venues to network and exchange ideas. In addition to sharing new ATTA initiatives underway, the ATTA engaged participants in special, facilitated sessions designed to deliver an informal S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analyses.

Session input is being put to immediate use by the ATTA in conjunction with recent trade survey results (see – Traditional Definitions of Adventure Travel Too Limited in Scope Says New ATTA/MSU Research) to continue to evolve the adventure travel industry agenda, much of which are set for discussion at the October 2005 Adventure Travel World Summit (www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com).

Leaders from Virtuoso, REI Adventures, TCS Expeditions, ExOfficio, Mountain Travel Sobek, Geo Expeditions, Outdoor Industry Association, Lonely Planet, Eco – The Wilderness Company, Adventure Center, and a host of other respected adventure travel businesses partnerships opined on a range of topics. Marketing and research, liability and competition, the impact of the Internet, homogenization and commoditization of product were just a few of the issues described as having very real impacts on the industry.

Despite the challenges uncovered, optimization rang equally as loud and clear with regard to the industry’s potential for growth. Participants brought new ideas for collaboration and growth initiatives to the table, much of which are already set for discussion during the October Summit in Seattle.

Here’s just a glimpse at some of the key points collectively identified at both Seattle and San Francisco sessions:

Strengths

• Sheer diversity of product locale, activity (extreme variety), price
• Feeding off a resurgence of adventure travelers – “travel is back”
• People who lead it are passionate for adventure travel
• High quality of experiences – adventure travel is an experiential product
• Authenticity in travel is possible through adventure
• Cultural and environmental immersion and education
• Transformation – individuals become transformed during adventure experiences - viewed as one of the industry’s greatest asset
• Transfer of wealth into rural environments
• Global focus on natural assets for tourism
• Adventure voluntourism is on the rise
• Economic logic of sustainable tourism
• Lifestyle tie-in—important to people (family, activity, intellectual, stewardship, etc.)
• Infrastructure improvements in exotic places (roads, training, boutique hotels)
• More access to information – consumer base is well-educated, curious
• Specialists can customize

Weaknesses

• Difficult to explain ourselves
• Insurance (costs and coverage)
• Significant quality issues, with the Web blurring the issue
• Channel confusion
• Mal-informed US customer base
• Discounting
• Destinations becoming trashed
• Homogenization
• Industry fragmentation
• Over-abundance of product
• Lack industry “seal of approval” (best practices)
• Competing lifestyle choices (e.g., games, television, team-athletics, etc.)
• Competing for same customers
• Lack of collaboration between associations and businesses

Opportunities

• Lifelong learning and other special interest categories
• Cross promotional activity, executed with care
• Boomers as a segment
• Public relations for the industry
• Emerging markets (India, China) not just outbound American travelers, but capitalizing on overseas/international market potential to travel to U.S. and elsewhere
• Capacity planning
• Co-op marketing
• Referral programs
• Certification (e.g., Best Practices, Seal of Approval) for quality endorsements, building credibility for consumers
• Partnerships with outdoor recreation industry
• Safety standards
• Progressive/proactive consumer education and outreach
• Build more local adventure travel opportunities (e.g., close to home adventures)
• Youth
• Accessibility (differing abilities)

Threats

• Protection of the resource; irrevocable changing of the places and people (preservation of cultural and environmental treasures)
• War/terrorism
• Quality control
• Housing bubble and consumer credit issues loom
• Homogenization of adventure experience lessens the uniqueness
• Price pressure
• Political and environmental information
• Geopolitical ignorance
• Lack of diversity (people of color, women)
• Corruption in places we go
• Corporations providing fewer vacation/holidays
• Youth’s detachment from nature
• Lower margins
• Overscheduled youth
• Inactivity and obesity

Sound off – Do you agree/disagree with these general points or have something to add? Email with your adventure travel industry S.W.O.T. analysis and/or challenges! If we receive sufficient and/or diverse input, we’ll collect online input and present new findings.

Want to get the chance to voice your opinion? Additional networking sessions are planned by the ATTA for Denver, Colorado, and for the New England/New York region. Email to receive an invitation to an upcoming session near you.