Dear friends and colleagues,
It feels like the year started with a hundred kilometers per hour. Such a dynamic start, a lot of activities, events, conversations.
I hope it is to prepare ourselves for a busy and healthy year. Usually at the beginning of the year, we look into the trends that have been circulating since the end of last year. A few more significant for me, that I believe we need to pay attention to are:
- Wellness & happiness: professionally and personally; according to Trendwatching “People’s definition of wellness is constantly evolving, moving beyond the physical to encompass mental, emotional, spiritual and social health”. This means that integrating wellness in the working environment and the product offering is essential. And adventure travel may play a key role in it.
- “Climate Impact Moves From Marketing to Operations”, according to Skift’s Megatrends – while no radical changes are expected in this direction, incremental steps and alignment is expected to be monitored – we have one planet Earth – let’s act, even with small steps
- “Uncertainty is certain” – according to the Experience Strategy Trend Report, “to maintain relevance and value, assume the abnormal is normal” – moving in such a mindset will likely help us adapt easier to constant changes and surprises and be prepared for more flexibility and last-minute changes and bookings
- Expecting sustainability as a norm is what BehaviorSMART believes the travel industry’s direction is this year; they say that “introducing smart changes in the design of holiday and leisure experiences, on business and destination level, will be appreciated by travelers who are increasingly sustainability-conscious, but desire some peace of mind”.
It will be interesting to reflect back on all of the above towards the end of the year. If you also have thoughts about them, feel free to comment below or reply to me.
WE HEAR YOU:
For a smooth transition from the Trends reflection above and where we did not mention that the reopening of Asia will have a great impact on the entire globe, including Europe, I would like to share with you the recording of the Understanding Nuances of New Asian Adventure Travelers webinar. We invited experts from three significant markets from Asia to talk about the opportunities and challenges and also to hear how Switzerland Tourism has been preparing for the return of the Asian traveler.
Responding to other requests that have come from you, I am happy to share with you that our team is working towards bringing AdventureELEVATE also as an annual European event starting next year. If you are interested in your destination to become a host – please, let me know. Proposals are submitted by the end of March.
Another request that has come our way is for tiered membership pricing. We are thrilled to launch the new pricing model for tour operators starting this week. You can find more about the topic in this article.
WHAT IS NEXT
The ATTA team is preparing for ITB in Berlin. We will hold our traditional AdventureConnect event (don’t forget to register and join us) and will have two panel discussions themed Adventure Means Business: Sustainable Adventure Travel & Your Bottom Line. Here you can also see who from the team is joining – reach out through the message feature to schedule a meeting. Two weeks before ITB, on 23 February, London is calling: I will be speaking at the Adventure Travel Networking event. I look forward to seeing friends and colleagues and meeting new ones. Again in the UK, in Cumbria on March 16, ATTA Ambassador Alex Greenwood will host an AdventureConnect – details coming soon.
The European team has also confirmed an AdventureConnect in Italy this Spring – on 31 March in Bologna, as part of Fiera del Cicloturismo. Thanks to our great ambassadors Tullia and Monica, this introduction was successful and we look forward to diving deeper into this part of Italy. The AdventureConnect page will go live soon, so stay up to date with your email preferences and notifications to make sure you receive such announcements and meanwhile, save the date for it.
A FEW IMPORTANT UPDATES
My lovely colleague Celine Fortin who has been my partner in crime for business development in Europe is transitioning to a new role with ATTA and will be focusing on Buyers & Adventures. Her profile and background is simply perfect for this role. And while the European department will miss her, we are sure she will continue to contribute to our success as we will continue our close collaboration in her new capacity.
AdventureELEVATE in Portland, Maine (9-11 May 2023) keeps attracting more destinations and businesses from Europe who are interested in the North American Market. Seats are limited and most of the partnerships are already reserved but if you are interested – contact me or you can also register here online.
Adventure Travel World Summit in Hokkaido, Japan (11-14 September 2023) – those of you who are interested in joining the Summit and have a Marketplace table need to book immediately – only a limited number of tables are available. The fastest way to book one is online through the event registration page or if you prefer, you can also email me or Miya on our team. Destination partnerships are also hot discussion and I will be very happy to discuss the best option for your destination. Let’s talk soon!
I look forward to seeing you either or why not both in Portland and in Hokkaido.
As I wrap up this first for the year newsletter, I have the great pleasure of introducing to you a bit more two of the European Ambassadors (in case you do not know them already): Ambros from ASI Reisen in Austria and Angelina from Trekking Hellas from Greece. We are thankful to our active ambassadors for being such an integral part of the ATTA family and team and for constantly opening new opportunities for us and for their regions.
I wish you a healthy and successful year. Let’s stay in touch and continue contributing to the development of active and responsible tourism and inspiring others to join that movement.
Best,
Gergana Nikolova
Regional Director, Europe & Central Asia
Adventure Travel Trade Association
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