I SPECIAL FEATURE I
I SPECIAL FEATURE I ADVENTURE TOURISM & RESPONSIBLE TOURISM I Shannon Stowell, CEO of the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and Keynote Speaker at this year's ITB Berlin Convention, looks at how the Adventure Travel segment is performing and discusses the association's sustainability efforts in an exclusive interview with ITB Berlin News. Can you tell us about the ATTA membership programme and how it empowers travel companies? The ATTA membership programme serves everyone in the adventure travel industry, but the majority of our members are tour operators (in and outbound), destinations, travel advisors and media. We serve this community of more than 1,100 organisations through connecting them at events, creating research, reporting on trends and delivering advisory services, education and training. We also put on events like the Adventure Travel World Summit. From small businesses to global Shannon Stowell CEO, Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) Travel must become a better global citizen organisations and DMOs, the ATTA offers an opportunity for anyone to catapult their organisation forward in adventure travel. What are the main preferences and priorities for adventure travel buyers and suppliers? I would say some of the cutting edge trends include a desire to work more closely with communities and to find ways to be more sustainable. As adventure travellers leave five to six times as much money in a destination than typical travellers, they work very closely with local suppliers, providers and lodging. Safety, sustainability and quality of experience are three very important issues for our industry. How has the segment performed over the past year and what are your predictions for 2023? The segment came back comparatively quickly, although unevenly, as the pandemic began to wane and in fact, in many destinations adventure travel thrived on a domestic basis even during the pandemic. The data has not come out yet for this year, but anecdotally we are hearing most of our operator members are seeing bookings as high or higher than 2019, with some exceptions of course. As Asia slowly reopens, that part of the world has yet to catch up in force. Could you tell us about the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund and how ATTA is promoting sustainability? The ATCF is a non profit organisation dedicated to supporting grass-root efforts around the world dedicated to protecting threatened communities, cultures, and wild places to preserve their cultural and recreational integrity. It's an industry-wide supported organisation. Another major effort ATTA is working on is Tomorrow's Air, the first traveler and travel business collective to remove carbon from the air for permanent storage to reduce climate impact. We also offer a carbon offset programme to our tour operator members called Neutral Together. In addition, we are long term members of ECPAT to protect children and are actively involved in other organisations focusing on DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and women's leadership. Why is it important for ATTA and other members of the tourism and travel industry to meet at ITB Berlin? The travel industry is humans moving humans to interact with other humans. While this seems simplistic, WE USE OUR EVENTS AND COMMUNICATION CHANNELS TO PROMOTE THE REALITY THAT SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY ARE NO LONGER OPTIONS, THEY'RE A MANDATE I think it's important to acknowledge that travel is more of a relational business than a transactional one. Thus, we need to meet each other, build relationships and trust in order to build a healthy industry. I think it's time for a shift in our thinking in the travel industry based on the realities we have faced and learned during the pandemic - that travel is a privilege, not a right, and we as an industry should think about building what the world needs versus what the traveller demands. These concepts don't have to be mutually exclusive. Travel must become a better global citizen and we believe there is a path to get there Hall 4.1 / Stand 218 ITB BERLIN CONVENTION ADVENTURECONNECT ITB BERLIN 2023 The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) is back at ITB Berlin 2023 and will deliver its popular AdventureConnect education and networking event on 8 March at 5pm in Hall 3.1, Green Stage. The event aims to shed light on key insights from the adventure and outdoor travel industry with the ATTA’s latest responsible traveler trends and sustainable event reports. It will feature lively panel discussions between destination representatives, with practical examples and good practices of working within local communities to progress sustainability and net zero strategies Join ATTA for their highlight sessions at the ITB Berlin Convention: Wednesday, 8 March 2023 I 16:00 - 17:00 I Hall 3.1 Green Stage YOUTH, ADVENTURE & OUTDOOR TRACK EMPOWERING TRAVELERS BY ELIMINATING UNSUSTAINABLE CHOICES Shannon Stowell, CEO, Adventure Travel Trade Association Wednesday, 8 March 2023 I 17:00 - 19:00 I Hall 3.1 Green Stage YOUTH, ADVENTURE & OUTDOOR TRACK / PRESENTATIONS / PANEL DISCUSSION ADVENTURE CONNECT ADVENTURE MEANS BUSINESS: SUSTAINABLE ADVENTURE TRAVEL & YOUR BOTTOM LINE 20 ITB BERLIN NEWS • TUESDAY 28 TH FEBRUARY 2023 www.itb-berlin-news.com
I SPECIAL FEATURE I ADVENTURE TOURISM I © Luke Porter -Unsplash ITB Berlin 2023 highlights hottest adventure and youth travel trends Youth travel, adventure travel and sustainable tourism are being featured on several stands across the Youth Travel & Economic Accommodation and Adventure Travel & Responsible Tourism segments at ITB Berlin Young people are travelling farther, staying longer and spending more money than they previously did, according to the New Horizons recurring global youth and student travel survey conducted by the WYSE Travel Confederation. These are just some of the findings being presented at ITB Berlin through a series of workshops, round-table discussions and keynote speeches. Various national and international companies and associations representing the youth travel market have been coming together since 1999 under the Youth Travel & Economy Accommodation segment to jointly present the sector. Different partners such as the Student Travel Agent Network (STAN), school trip organisers, accommodation providers and specialist youth travel associations will be represented in this segment in Hall 4.1. A number of international companies will be represented on the WYSE (World Youth Student and Educational)Travel Confederation stand, including hostel and hotel chains as well as organisations offering student travel, exchange programmes, international volunteer services and student accommodation. Presentations on youth travel topics will be held every hour on the hour. At the Youth, Adventure & Outdoor track of the ITB Berlin Convention, David Chapman, director general of the WYSE Travel Confederation, and Shayna Zand, director of WeTravel, will hold a session entitled “GenZ and the transformation of travel” where they will share their experiences since the end of the COVID pandemic and discuss how they believe motivation and behaviour will shape international travel and tourism in the near future. The session will take place on Wednesday, 8 March at 2 pm on the Green Stage in Hall 3.1. Visitors to the trade show will also be able to participate in different events in the workshop area of KiJu-Reisen on Stand 121 of the youth travel network Reisenetz e.V, including daily student tours featuring company presentations, round-table discussions on youth policy topics and presentations on staffing and career prospects. There will be a get-together to give all of those representing the youth travel market a chance to meet and exchange ideas on Stand 121 of Reisenetz e.V. on Wednesday, 8 March at 6 p.m. in Hall 4.1. Under the heading “Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism,” the new ITB Lighthouse Stage in Hall 4.1 will feature keynote speeches and presentations on adventure travel and responsible tourism subjects. A list of the programme of events on the ITB Lighthouse Stage in Hall 4.1 can be found on the ITB website. The Youth Travel & Economy Accommodation segment and the Adventure Travel & Responsible Tourism segment can both be found in Hall 4.1 at ITB Berlin 2023 TRAVEL TRENDS FOR THE UNDER-30 MARKET At the Youth Travel & Economy Accommodation segment at ITB Berlin this year, travel specialists with experience in some of the latest trends for travellers under 30 will provide insight into the importance of targeting this market. Visitors to the trade show will be able to discuss their views on the topic with experts from around the world specialising in hybrid hostels, digitalisation, sustainability and other specific subjects in addition to broader youth travel trends. SPACE TOURISM OPPORTUNITIES As part of the adventure and responsible tourism programme of events taking place on the ITB Lighthouse Stage at ITB Berlin, there will be a presentation on the trend of travellers going to remote parts of the word in order to follow cosmic events. On Wednesday, 8 March 2023, Dr. Andreas Hänel, astronomer, Dark Sky Group, Vereinigung der Sternfreunde Kommission e.V., will hold a session entitled “Astrotourism – Journey to the stars.” In this presentation he will provide insight into the future of space tourism and explore the opportunities the international emergence of this niche sector represents for a socially responsible and sustainable future. ITB BERLIN NEWS • TUESDAY 28 TH FEBRUARY 2023 21
