The Global Rise of Thematic Trails in Adventure Tourism

1. The Global Rise of Thematic Trails in Adventure Tourism David Landis Feb 13, 2019 IMTM – Tel Aviv

9. Jesus Trail

11. Village to Village Camino Guidebooks www.villagetovillagepres.com

14. What Makes a World Class Trail? • Story or Theme • Accessible • Unique and “bucket list” worthy to everyone in world • Allows traveler to experience the most famous site or activity in a country in the “best” way • Inca Trail (Machu Picchu) • Dana to Petra / Jordan Trail (Petra) • Everest Base Camp Trek (Mt. Everest) • Jesus Trail (Walk where Jesus walked) • Camino de Santiago (Re-live a medieval pilgrimage)

16. Why Trails? • Trails are a perfect platform for development • Trail tourism has many benefits to destinations: • Increase the length of stay of low-impact tourists, • Repeat visitation by tourists who do one section of a trail at a time • it drives tourism dollars to local businesses. • Trails by definitionbring travelers to the peripheral locations and the nature of “slow travel” keeps visitors at a destination longer

17. Why Trails? • Social: Experiential, sustained interaction with local communities • Platform for economic development & job creation, particularly in rural areas • Platform for environmental and cultural heritage preservation • Fresh tourism products, attractive to global press and to tour operators • Stimulates pride and ownerships for local communities and stakeholders • Resilient and is trending upwards even in difficult economic times • ATTA has defined Trails as one of 2018’s major tourism trends

18. “Soft Adventure” Trend • ATTA: Adventure and experiential tourism are two of the fastest-growing segments of the tourism market. • Soft adventurers are interested in active outdoor experiences such as walking, hiking or biking, but not more extreme or risky activities such as rock or mountain climbing. • Soft Adventurers often have more time - retired pensioners or gap year backers • The “soft” adventurer spends the most per trip (excluding airfare), also on gear and clothing • The value of the global adventure market is $89 billion

19. Camino de Santiago (Spain)

20. Camino de Santiago The Camino de Santiago is an 800-km walking trail across Spain following the legend of Saint James to his burial place.

21. Camino Case Study Camino de Santiago - Trail Development: When?- The ancient route began its resurgence in the 1990s after hundreds of years of disuse. Once the infrastructure was in place over the coming years to make logistics simple for walkers, hundreds of thousands flooded to the route. How?- Locals were inspired to revive the route and began grassroots trail development efforts. Trail development professionals assisted government entities to develop appropriate trail infrastructure, and marketing firms extended awareness of the Camino to scale up to its global potential. Why?- Strong appeal due its cultural and historical connection and the simplicity of the logistics with affordable lodging every 5-10km and well-marked navigation along the trail. The “Camino” brand has become a household term in Europe for this type of walking experience.

22. Introduction • Quiz – door prizes • About us • How does the Camino compare to the Appalachian Trail?

24. Camino Growth

25. Camino Impact in Galicia • A 2010 economic impact analysis estimated Camino hikers in Galicia directly benefited €60-100M supporting the employment of 1,300-2,000 • In 2009, the Camino accounted for 4.26% of all hotel bookings, in 2017 that rose to 8.71%. The hotel sector in Camino communities accounted for 9.6% of the local economy in 2008, doubling to 19.1% in 2016. In Camino communities the hotel sector employment is 5X the average. • Initially walkers stayed in low-cost public lodging, now thousands of private hostels and hotels benefit. New hotels and hostels open annually. • Tour companies, restaurants, grocery and gear stores all reap benefits. • Walkers return yearly to hike new segments or re-experience old ones • Keeps rural villages alive that otherwise would likely be abandoned.

26. Economic Impact of Trails • Trail Sports generate BIG MONEY for local, regional, and national economies. • Outdoor recreation is rapidly growing around the world, comprising a large percentage of the travel and tourism sector. By ATTA’s projections the international adventure travel market can be valued conservatively at $683 billion, showing 21% CAGR since 2012. • In the USA, Outdoor Recreation accounts for $887 billion of consumer spending - more than pharmaceuticals and almost as much as financial services and insurance! Trail Sports spending is the largest category within Outdoor Recreation at over $221 billion (22.7%), followed by camping (18.7%). Outdoor Recreation supports 7.6M jobs and generates $114 billion in tax revenue. • Outdoor recreation in the USA is growing at a pace of 3.8% per year, outpacing general economic growth (2.8%).

27. Conclusions • Trails (especially connected to a story) are one of hottest adventure travel trends right now • Trails are reaching more types of travelers than ever before with rise of “soft adventure” • Trails are supporting local economies and preserving culture, creating a more sustainable future • Go for a hike! You never know where it will take you!