ATTA Launches New Tiered Pricing Structure for Tour Operators and Accommodations

Emergency pandemic pricing will be replaced with a tiered structure to continue expanding global access.

We remember all too well what early 2020 felt like, when the headlines sent shivers up our spines and we watched helplessly as adventure travel ground to a halt along with many other industries. While ATTA also went through a challenging time, we prioritized supporting our community as colleagues and friends faced layoffs and uncertain futures for their businesses. In response, we launched a free Community Membership, a new Professional Membership for individuals, and we offered flexible pricing for tour operators and accommodations.

The Community Membership was designed for individuals whether they were connected to a company or not. It gave them access to industry news and job opportunities, helping them to stay connected to the industry and community even if they were no longer employed by a travel company. This free membership option will continue to remain available amid other changes.

The new Professional Membership had already been developed, but due to the impact of the pandemic, we rolled it out quickly at a price 30% lower than originally planned. Professional Membership includes access to webinars and research reports as well as steep discounts to online courses in order to build professional skills from anywhere in the world. 

For tour operators and accommodations, we created an option to “pay-what-you-can,” offering three pricing options, which included one as low as half of the pre-pandemic price. While some members still had to defer their membership renewals as they cut all nonessential costs, many others chose to renew at the reduced price. This resulted in only a 20% drop in overall ATTA membership, which felt like a success given the state of tourism. Additionally, many new small businesses and start-ups joined ATTA for the first time, as some people left their professions to start new careers that aligned more closely with their values and passion for travel and adventure.

No one knew how long it would take to get members of the ATTA community back on their feet. What we now know is that recovery differs for everyone, and numbers never reveal the full story. While many tourism businesses are seeing revenues near to or higher than 2019 numbers, they still face a myriad of challenges to overcome in order to achieve the same kind of profitability. These include staffing shortages and related wage increases, repayment of loans, repurchasing of gear and equipment, high fuel costs, and inflation, among others. Some destinations still have a long way to go before they are fully opened and operational.

As we have learned, pre-pandemic times will remain in the past. While it is time for ATTA to end our special pandemic pricing for tour operators, accommodations and professional members, we won’t be going back to the old pricing model, either. The new structure will be more equitable, allowing diverse companies from more countries and currencies to join ATTA and gain access to the numerous benefits and community enjoyed by members.

Beginning on 17 February 2023, ATTA’s new tiered pricing structure for tour operators and accommodations will be based on a company’s revenue. For more than 75% of our members, their membership fee will remain close to or lower than the pre-pandemic price, with a range of $350-$650 USD for those with an annual revenue of $1 million USD or less in the previous 12 months. For companies with the very highest revenue, making more than $5 million USD per year, the price will increase to $750 – $1250 USD per year. Professional Members will also see an increase from $99 USD to the originally planned price of $150 USD. 

Companies who join as business members will continue to receive discounts for ATTA events such as AdventureELEVATE and the Adventure Travel World Summit that can be equivalent to the cost of membership. For example, a small business that makes less than $500,000 USD would pay $350 for a year of membership and then, as a member, would save approximately $400 on one or more registrations to the Summit. 

“We want all of our members to get the chance to experience one of our in-person events. There’s nothing else like it for connecting with the community and building the kind of bonds that lead to successful business partnerships,” said Mira P. Anselmi, Community Director for ATTA. “They’re where the magic happens.”

ATTA has also been affected by the higher costs of doing business. These changes in the membership pricing structure will help us to continue to serve the industry as we have in the past and throughout the pandemic. This new tiered pricing structure will allow for more small businesses to be part of the ATTA community and access the resources, benefits, events, and community that come with membership, and for our current members to be able to continue their membership on the long road to a full recovery.

We value you, the community that shapes us, and welcome all thoughts and questions around this upcoming change in the comments. Thank you for being on this journey with us.