by Alice Gifford, ATTA Member Advocate
Seattle, WA - Outside Magazine’s March 2011 issue includes a selection of 80 Tour Operators between the “Trips of the Year” feature and the annual “Travel Hot List,” more than half of which are current Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) members.
Fulfilling one of its primary functions, to promote the global adventure travel industry and tackle initiatives that get adventure travel in front of mainstream culture, ATTA drives journalists and other media directly to its members through an email alert system. After an alert delivered in October 2010, member tour operators had ample time to submit nominations for their most exciting new adventures.
“We love the ATTA journal alerts because they really spur us into action on a regular basis,” says Sandy Cunningham, Founder of New Mexico-based Uncharted Outposts, selected for a SCUBA-diving trip during South Africa’s famous sardine-run.
Most of the featured operators had one-on-one correspondence with editors at the magazine to share in-depth details about their tours and business operations. By creating the opportunity to build long-lasting relationships with print journalists, editors, writers and freelancers, ATTA members are offered a firsthand look at what consumer publications need to know, and want to publish and share with their readers.
“Thanks to the ATTA Journal Alerts…otherwise we wouldn't have known about Outside Magazine's Hot List,” says ATTA Member and general manager of Icelandic Mountain Guides, Elin Sigurveig Sigurðardóttir.
Five out of Ten tour operators named with 2011 Trips of the Year included ATTA members: REI Adventures, KE Adventure Travel, Tahiti Expeditions, Tusker Trail and Cyclomundo.
Thirty-seven ATTA members of the seventy-one tour operators featured in the Travel Hot list included Uncharted Outposts, Icelandic Mountain Guides and many more.
Perhaps the most outstanding result (and speaking to the effectiveness of print journalism in an increasingly oversaturated online market) comes from Greg Witt of ATTA Member, Alpenwild: “Because of the ATTA journal alert, our Savoring Switzerland trip was listed on Outside Magazine's 2011 Hot List. I received a call the evening the magazine arrived on my doorstep, and booked 4 people on this tour!”
How does the ATTA journalist alert system work?
The ATTA has long-established relationships with travel journalists worldwide, and is regularly adding new writers to its journalist network. Journalists have come to recognize that the ATTA membership represents a treasure trove of adventure tourism industry experts, leads on new product, services and itineraries, leads on new and emerging adventure destinations, and as a key resource for adventure tourism research and trends. And, while the ATTA responds to many journalist trends and research questions, it relies mostly on its active members to respond to media queries. Learn more.