Creating Sustainable Experiences in Adventure Travel

Nearly two-thirds of global travelers say the pandemic inspired them to travel more sustainably. Travelers now want to see multifaceted aspects of sustainability at the forefront of business operations. Concurrently, tourists, tour operators, accommodations, and venues, have been rethinking and reformulating the travel experience in terms of sustainability.

Organizations are aiming to maintain success from a financial perspective and increasingly also from social and ecological points of view. Members of the adventure travel community are responding to travelers’ desires by marketing experiences that are sustainable and regenerative in addition to being exciting, fun, educational, and immersive.

To learn more about what the adventure travel industry is doing to make their experiences more sustainable, the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and Switzerland Tourism (ST) partnered together to research more about how the community encourages traveling with greater consciousness, awareness, and appreciation.

This report focuses on cultivating the environmental, social, and economic aspects of sustainability in adventure travel experiences. While organizations have been increasing sustainability practices for years, achieving the ever-increasing standards takes concerted intention and effort. The movement is expected to augment in future years and international and national travel organizations will be looking for sustainability guidelines to follow.