FIVE MINUTES WITH... Edi te d b y S a r a h S u y d a m Photo © Advent ure Travel Trade Associat ion
Shannon Stowell
T
CEO, Adventure Travel Trade Association
The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) has published its 2025 Adventure Travel Market Sizing Report, proving that adventure travel is no longer a fringe segment of tourism. Groups Today caught up with ATTA CEO Shannon Stowell to learn more.
What findings from this report should grouptravel planners pay closest attention to? Group-friendly demand is large. Roughly t wo-thirds of outbound international travelers are “open to adventure,” meaning a majorit y are receptive to adventure elements w ithin organized trips, even if adventure isn’t the primar y reason for travel. Soft and moderate adventure dominate group suitabilit y. The largest market share falls into Experience Samplers, Cu lt u ra l E x plorers, a nd Nat u re Ent husiast s, seg ment s that align well w ith guided, small-group itineraries rather than extreme or technical adventures. Groups benefit from blended itineraries. Market sizing data shows t hat t ravelers increasingly combine culture, nature, and light physical activ it y, reinforcing the value of multi-interest group programs over single-activit y tours. Scale favors small groups, not mass travel. The report emphasizes adventure travel’s economic impact through locally led, small-scale experiences, signaling that grow th in group travel is strongest in t houghtfully sized groups rather than large coach-st yle formats. How do you see adventure travel evolving within the group sector over the coming years? Adventure travel in the group space w ill become more accessible and experience-focused. This means adventure won’t just be about physical challenge—it w ill increasingly blend culture, nature, food, and light activ it y that appeals to a w ider range of travelers. Small, thoughtfully designed g r oup s w i l l c ont i nue t o out p er for m l a r ge for m at s, especially when trips are locally led and sustainabilit y is clearly built in. You’ll also see more f lex ible itineraries, w ith options that let travelers choose their activ it y level, ma k ing it easier to sell advent ure-st yle t rips to mi xedinterest groups w ith confidence.
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What do you suggest group-travel companies do now to better position themselves in the market? Re de sig n at lea st one c ore g roup it i ner a r y to ex plicit ly target t he “Open to Adventure” t raveler— not just adventure purists. This could be a decision of a strateg y shift or at least test the concept as a beta trip. That means: » Blending light physica l act iv it y (wa lk ing, hi k ing, cycling, paddling) w ith culture, food, and nature. » Keeping the itinerar y small-group and locally led as much as possible. » Marketing it clearly as “accessible adventure,” not “hard” or technical travel. » With such a strong increase in interest in communit y experiences, do t he hard work of integrating local communities appropriately. AT TA’s ma rket si z i ng show s t he la rgest g row t h isn’t com i ng f rom ex t reme advent u rers, but f rom the much bigger segment of travelers who’re open to adventure and highly compatible w ith guided group t ravel. Compa n ies t hat adapt ex ist i ng t r ips, rat her than building entirely new products, can tap into this demand quick ly and w ith lower risk. Anything else? These shif ts are healt hy for t he t ravel indust r y as customers show more interest in specia lt y t rips vs. mass t ravel. It leaves more f inancial benef it behind in the local destination, ensuring long-term health. In short, it’s good for the world.
View the full report: learn.adventuretravel.biz/ adventure-travel-market-sizing
* F o r m o r e a r t i c l e s l i k e t h i s v i s i t g r o u p s t o d a y. c o m / P R O F I L E S