Unit 39 Adventure Tourism

Introduction

Adventure tourism is a worldwide industry that has been one of the fastest growing areas of the tourism sector, with more and more tourists seeking experiences that take place in unusual, exotic, remote and wilderness destinations. Operators have diversified to specialise in adventure-based experiences to cater for this demand.

This unit will enable students to define the nature of adventure tourism and explain the relationships formed within the sector. Through analysing the experience of adventure tourists, students will be able to discuss the trends and developments, characterising what makes an adventure tourist. The impacts of the adventure tourism industry will be investigated and proposals made towards developing a product/concept that would encourage a more sustainable approach.

The adventure tourism industry as a whole relies upon high numbers of participants and low cost products that require minimal prior skills. However, the majority of activities in the industry include some degree of risk and skill level. A vitally important job in the industry is to match the skills of participants to the level of challenge and skill required in the activity. With continual growth in demand, there is pressure on providers to develop and expand the experiences, with many focusing on creating the ‘ultimate’ experience.

With a growing demand for adventure tourism-based experiences, naturally there is an increasing number of providers putting more and more pressure on resources.

As the market becomes more competitive, this raises issues of the industry’s sustainability, especially in terms of nature resources but also safety aspects. There is a clear need for the providers of these experiences to make sure that critical issues are addressed. This includes minimising the impact on the natural environment, making sure that the risks are managed and establishing the long- term direction of the industry through improved communication with its customers’ needs.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit students will be able to:

Define the nature of adventure tourism and explain the relationships formed within the sector
Analyse the adventure tourism experience, discussing emergence of trends and developments including the characteristics that apply to a participant in this industry
Investigate the impacts that adventure tourism has on its destinations, including environmental, social-cultural, economic and political impacts
Prepare and present a reasoned proposal for an adventure tourism product/concept towards developing a successful and sustainable approach in the industry.

Essential content

LO1 Define the nature of adventure tourism and explain the relationships formed within the sector

Nature:

Niche market provision, aims and purposes e.g. active/creative, social, educational, discovery, hobbies, challenge/excitement and relaxation or health and therapy

Structure of the adventure tourism industry:

Tour operators, voluntary organisations, retail travel agents, transport, destinations, accommodation, equipment, media, venues

Adventure:

Types of adventure: hard, soft, non-adventure

Core characteristics and qualities: uncertain outcomes, danger and risk, challenge, anticipated rewards, novelty, stimulation and excitement, escapism and separation, exploration and discovery

Absorption focus and contrasting emotions

Development:

Factors facilitating growth e.g. globalisation, transport, disposable income, market diversification and competition among providers and destinations e.g. new man-made features, remote locations, urban attractions e.g. regeneration, natural features, improved infrastructure, shift away from traditional tourist desires/packages, role of the internet, social trends

LO2 Analyse the adventure tourism experience, discussing emergence of trends and developments including the characteristics that apply to a participant in this industry

Profile of an adventurer traveller:

Constitution of an adventurous traveller e.g. demographic and psychographic characteristics

Pre- and post-trip behaviours Changing consumer behaviour

Appeal of adventure:

Locations and features – UK, European, worldwide e.g. man-made, natural, attractive, remote, urban, popular, spectacular, novel, dangerous; weather; amenities e.g. ski, climb, sail, canoe, raft, views; social; range of comfort; level of challenge

Motivation:

Intrinsic e.g. thrills, challenge, skill improvement, escape, discovery, relaxation, health, therapeutic

Extrinsic e.g. status, image, newness, sustainability, personality types, methods of stimulation/promotion, pricing, seasonality, socio-cultural and economic influences, modernism

LO3 Investigate the impacts that adventure tourism has on its destinations, including environmental, social-cultural, economic and political impacts

Destinations:

Whole continents (Antarctica), countries (Nepal), regions of countries (Rocky Mountain in the USA), significant geographical features, local areas including natural or manmade features (Lee Valley Olympic White Water Center) and smaller geographical features (individual mountain peak)

Impacts:

Environmental impact on the nature and surrounding areas

Social-cultural: lives of local people, improvements in infrastructure, lifestyle changes

Economic: monetary benefits and overall economic development of the society

Political: political instabilities, political purpose and tools, troubled countries, politics and tourism, terrorism, warfare, coups, political violence, effects on tourism

LO4 Prepare and present a reasoned proposal for an adventure tourism product/concept towards developing a successful and sustainable approach in the industry

Methods:

Advertising, direct marketing, public relations, sales promotion and sponsorship

Materials:

Advertisements, brochures, leaflets, window displays, a display board, point of sale items, merchandising materials, videos, internet/websites, posters and press releases

Considerations:

Segmented approaches, logistics, ‘fit’ with local plans e.g. access, visas, permits and licenses, insurance, accommodation, levels, quality of equipment, regulations and laws, contingency plans, ensuring customer satisfaction and evaluation, liaison with organisations, the intended audience, the use of your chosen promotional method, when, where and how often it will be used, design (logo, images, colour, language, sound, impact, quality), the corporate image and promotional message and budget considerations

Impact on industry:

Stimulation of demand, increased sales, competitive advantage, customer satisfaction, improved image of the product and organisation

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

Pass	Merit	Distinction
LO1 Define the nature of adventure tourism and explain the relationships formed within the sector
P1 Investigate the different natures of adventure tourism P2 Explore the relationships that make up the adventure tourism industry	M1 Critically analyse the different natures and relationships that define the adventure tourism industry and discuss the purposes of their input	LO1 LO2 D1 Evaluate the motivation of participants in adventure tourism and how they are met by those who create the experience
LO2 Analyse the adventure tourism experience, discussing emergence of trends and developments including the characteristics that apply to a selected type of participant in this industry
P3 Determine the different types of customers participating in adventure tourism	M2 Critically analyse the appeal to participants in adventure tourism experiences
P4 Analyse the characteristics of a selected type of participant
LO3 Investigate the impacts that adventure tourism has on its destinations, including environmental, social- cultural, economic and political impacts
P5 Conduct analysis of impacts that adventure tourism has on destination P6 Investigate the impacts of adventure tourism on its destinations, using specific examples	M3 Evaluate the impacts of adventure tourism and how they affect the global tourism industry	LO3 LO4 D2 Critically evaluate the approach towards sustainability and the affect this has on the impacts
LO4 Prepare and present a reasoned proposal for an adventure tourism product/concept towards developing a successful and sustainable approach in the industry
P7 Explore the types of products/concepts that are required to develop further sustainability in adventure tourism	M4 Critically analyse a proposal for sustainable development in the adventure tourism industry
P8 Prepare and present a proposal for developing a sustainable product/concept in the adventure tourism industry

Recommended resources

Textbooks

BUCKLEY, R.J. (2009) Adventure tourism management. Oxford: Routledge.

HUDSON, S. (2008) Sport and Adventure Tourism. Oxford: Haworth Press Inc.

SWARBROOKE et al. (2003) Adventure Tourism: The New Frontier. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann.

WILLIAMS, P. (2018) Special Interest Tourism: Concepts, Contexts and Cases.

Wallingford: CABI Publishing.

Websites

www.adventure.travelnews.biz	Adventure Travel Trade Association News (General Reference)
www.explore.co.uk	Explore The Adventure Travel Experts About us (General Reference)
www.intrepidtravel.com	Intrepid Travel Destinations (General Reference)
www.lonely.planet.com	Lonely Planet Adventure Travel (General Reference)

Links

This unit links to the following related units:

Unit 1: The Contemporary Travel and Tourism Industry

Unit 2: Managing the Customer Experience

Unit 3: Professional Identity and Practice

Unit 4: The Travel and Tourism Business Toolkit

Unit 6: Managing Aviation Services

Unit 7: Managing Conference and Events

Unit 8: Visitor Attraction Management

Unit 11: Corporate Travel Management

Unit 16: Marketing Essentials for Travel and Tourism

Unit 20: Tourism Consumer Behaviour and Insight