Adventure Tourism

Adventuretourism.wordpress.comHillary Jenkins, Otago Polytechnic 2008

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What is it ?

Who does it ?

Adventure Tourism

Definition:

Tourism that combines physical activity,

cultural exchange, or interaction and

an engagement with nature

Adventure Tourism

• creates some excitement by stepping out of your comfort zone

• requires significant physical or mental effort

• may involve some kind of risk, be it real or perceived

• expectations vary depending on participants level of experience

• may have an element of physical danger

Mountaineering

Trekking

Walking

Bungee jumping

Rock climbing

White water rafting

Kayaking

Canoeing

Fishing jungle

Visit safaris

Hang gliding

Paragliding

Mountain biking

Road cycling

Skiing snowboarding

Ski mountaineering

Scuba diving

Snorkelling

Wind surfing

Caving cooking

Staying on a sheep farm

Bird & animal watching…

this list goes on and on and on…

Activities are linked to places

• Wanaka and Queenstown are synonymous with skiing

• Milford Track is synonymous with walking

• Otago Peninsula is synonymous with wild life observing

• Himalaya - trekking

Adventure can be broken into 2 parts

• Soft Adventure

• Hard Adventure

Adventure Tourism

Soft Adventure

• A travel experience that goes beyond the typical tourist itinerary

• Is rewarding for the spirit and the mind

• Is safe and without excessive physical demands

Examples of soft adventure:

• Camping

• Walking on gradually changing terrain

• Biking

Check out the following websites:

www.advsouth.co.nz

www.flyingkiwi.com – watch the youtube clip

www.countrywalkers.com – look at the Destination Slideshows

www.puretrailsnewzealand.co.nz

www.wildernesslodge.co.nz

Who do you think are the target audiences?

Hard Adventure …

• is a travel experience that has more physical challenge

• has a higher element of risk

• is rewarding to the spirit

• pushes people outside of the comfort zone

Examples of hard adventure:

• Mountaineering

• White water rafting/kayaking

• Mountain biking

Who do you think are the target audiences?

• www.adventureconsultants.co.nz

• www.mountainmadness.com

• www.exum.com

• www.gravitybolivia.com – look at the slide show of “The Worlds most dangerous road”

• www.riversurfing.co.nz – watch the you tube clip on the website

Check out these websites:

Why??

Hard adventure appeals to a more specific audience

Hard adventure

• Level of physical fitness required is higher

• Physical output required is higher

• Pushed outside their comfort zone

• Tours may vary in length

• The adrenalin flows fast!

• Often expensive and requires technical equipment

Hard adventure

• Wide range of people

• Easily done by first timers

• Less physical output required

• Pushed slightly beyond their comfort zone

• Variety of budgets

• Risks are generally lower

• Easily adapted for the audience

• Shorter time spans

• Tours usually includes a cultural component

Why is Soft adventure is the

most popular form of Adventure Tourism ?

In Summary…

• Adventure tourism means different

things to different people

• Activity can vary depending on

experience

• Adventure tourism is a fast growing area

of tourism