Adventure Travel Summit 07

Greetings from Whistler, BC! I have the good fortune to be in British Columbia at the jewel outdoor town of Whistler. Unfortunately, I haven't been outside too much yet! I'm spending my time indoors at the various conference events for the Adventure Travel Trade Association World Summit. This is a 4 day conference for tour operators, gear companies, media, destination management companies serving adventure travel. Some great information is coming out again and I'm meeting some great people from all around the globe. We have also Jean Marc here from our France office. Together we are picking up some good ideas about marketing, customer service, risk management, sustainability, and technology in travel.

Some interesting statistics have come to light as well. According to some informal surveys, average growth in our industry is above 18% for this year. More and more people are looking for active vacations with "green" oriented designs. And, more and more people out there need a vacation offered by the companies in our space - adventure travel. Interestingly though, many people are still not sure what adventure travel is. The fact is that it does include activities such as hiking, cycling, culture tours, voluntourism, eco-tourism, and all the other traditional activities and sports that one would think: mountain bike, mountaineering, kayaking, etc.

The good news also is that our industry is leading the way among the travel business segments in the area of sustainability. Its a huge issue, and the impacts are being felt. There is reason to hope for more and better management of travel destinations in the future.

L