ADVENTURE TRAVEL
WHAT IS IT? WHO'S DOING IT?
Chicago, February 18, 2000 - From hiking in the Himalayas and whitewater rafting the Colorado River to wine tasting in
Bordeaux and birding in the Amazon, travelers today are seeking adventurous and enriching
vacations. Active getaways are popular with Gen Xers and Baby Boomers alike searching for
new experiences.
"Hard" and "soft" adventure travel is luring millions of vacationers looking for stimulating
trips or challenging explorations. Whether they are scuba diving, mountain biking,
backpacking or spelunking, "hard" adventurers seek thrilling experiences. These vacationers
tend to be college-educated, single young men. Enriching and educational escapes attract
"soft" adventurers, who are more likely to be women, Boomers and seniors, into such activities
as hiking, birding and going on safari. iExplore also encourages experiential travel, which
exposes vacationers to new experiences, activities, cultures and environments with a lower
activity and exertion level than soft adventure travel. Experiential escapes take travelers
on culinary/wine tours; ecotours; expedition cruises; barging trips; photo expeditions; and
historical, religious, walking, and architectural tours.
Off-the-beaten-path escapes and the Internet are revolutionizing the travel industry by
offering virtual and real trips that take travelers to the ends of the earth and by providing
unlimited resources and instant customer feedback. iExplore caters to this ever-growing niche
travel market by providing a one-stop Internet resource for researching, purchasing and
equipping these adventure and experiential vacations.
STATS AND FACTS
| Who's taking adventurous vacations?
|
64% of Gen Xers & 56% of baby boomers¹
|
| Industry size
|
$40 billion +²
|
| Industry growth rate
|
10 percent/year²
|
| Soft vs. hard adventurers vs. travelers who enjoy both
|
67 million vs. 6.1 million vs. 25 million American adults¹
|
| Hard adventure travel activities
|
Whitewater rafting; snorkeling/scuba diving; mountain biking & climbing; backpacking; spelunking; skate & snowboarding; hot-air ballooning; hanggliding; parasailing; windsurfing; skydiving; bungee jumping³
|
| Hard adventurer profile
|
Male, single, college-educated, young, from Western, Southern and Mid-Atlantic US¹
|
| Soft adventure travel activities
|
Camping; biking; hiking; bird/animal watching; sailing; horseback riding; snow & water skiing; canoeing; visit to cattle/dude ranch; wilderness tour in off road vehicles; safari³
|
| Soft Adventure profile
|
Women, boomers, mature seniors from West and Northeast US¹
|
| Traveler Internet users
|
76.6 million¹
|
| Internet users who book vacations online
|
6.7 million¹
|
1 =
TIA report
2 =
iExplore, Inc.
3 =
Travel Industry Association of America
