Across the adventure travel industry, establishing and maintaining relationships with media professionals is crucial for businesses and destinations that want to showcase their product offering, enhance their visibility to consumers, and build brand credibility. In this article, we’ll review the benefits of working with media, how to get started, best practices for building partnerships, and how to make connections with media members at the annual Adventure Travel World Summit.
The Strategic Advantage of Media Partnerships
Collaborating with reputable journalists and content creators can yield high-quality press and consumer exposure that resonates with travelers well beyond what is possible with traditional in-house marketing. These partnerships can result in powerful storytelling that taps into current trends and creates an organic narrative that showcases the most compelling aspects of a business.
“Our collaboration with travel media we met via ATTA events has paid off tenfold,” shared Malia Asfour, Managing Director of the Jordan Tourism Board for North America. “We attend ATTA events to meet with the media and travel trade partners, however, the travel media are one of the more important components for us. Over the years we have been able to collaborate with new journalists and work on extraordinary campaigns that have brought us millions of dollars in return on investment, while also helping to influence travelers to consider Jordan as a travel destination. The media have helped us capitalize on Jordan becoming an adventure travel hub for our region, and a location that can cater to all types of adventure travelers.”
Benefits and Best Practices for Collaborating With Media Members
According to tartanbond, a Canadian digital communications agency and ATTA partner, ATTA members should begin by engaging with media through the Member HUB and responding to relevant J-alerts (Journalist Alerts) within the posted deadlines to make connections. Attending ATTA events that include attending media members offers opportunities to share your company’s stories directly and achieve impactful results. These connections can lead to articles that feature your business, a content creation campaign, or the beginning of a relationship that leads to a future partnership or hosted opportunity. Hosted opportunities offer media a chance to experience and share a destination or tour firsthand, adding credibility and objectivity to the stories produced as a result. Reaching a broader audience through the power of a third-party endorsement can be transformative for businesses.
To cultivate and sustain fruitful media relationships, consider the following best practices:
Crafting a Customized Pitch: The foundation of successful travel media or content creator collaboration lies in delivering well-structured and captivating pitches that are a good fit for the specific interests and areas of focus for individual journalists or publications. Demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of their work and audience significantly increases the likelihood of your story being featured. For example, if you are trying to gain a larger following on social media and want to highlight the types of activities available on your tours, it would be more beneficial to partner with a content creator who specializes in adventure, rather than a journalist who specializes in sustainability. The reverse is true as well – if your goal is to obtain media recognition for conservation initiatives, it makes more sense to work with a journalist whose typical beat is covering sustainable travel for esteemed publications. Research the media member and review their previous work to understand their focus areas, and in your pitch, highlight how the story you want to tell aligns with their audience. Ensure you provide information that goes well beyond your standard marketing copy or what can be found on your company website.
Understand the Needs of Writers: Recognize that writers often work under tight deadlines and require timely responses. If you can be prompt and professional in your communications, quickly provide all requested information in an organized manner, and supply high-resolution images to facilitate their work, you are more likely to foster a positive relationship and encourage working together again in the future. Ask about their process, timeline, and preferences.
Hosting Media: Once a potential earned collaboration or paid partnership is identified and feels like a good match, inviting travel media or content creators to experience a destination, trip, or product firsthand can be a powerful tactic. When organizing such visits, ensure meticulous planning to provide a positive and immersive experience that accurately reflects your brand and company values. Clear communication regarding expectations and deliverables is crucial to maximize the benefits of these engagements.
Develop a Media Hosting Guide: Once you have invited travel media or content creators to experience your trips, products, or destination, provide them with a comprehensive guide that includes a detailed itinerary that specifies what is (and is not) included, key contacts, and background information. This preparation ensures they have all the necessary resources to create accurate and engaging content about your business. Ask them about what they need from you in advance, such as a brief interview or quotes, photos and videos, or any key statistics.
Utilize and Monitor Press Releases Effectively: Craft clear and concise press releases that highlight newsworthy aspects of your business. Distribute them to relevant media outlets and follow up accordingly. Well-structured press releases can capture media attention and lead to valuable coverage. Keep track of media mentions and analyze the impact of your PR efforts. This monitoring helps you understand what strategies are working, what stories are of interest, and where to adjust.
Leverage Budget-Friendly PR Strategies: For businesses with limited PR budgets, consider building relationships with local media, utilizing social media platforms to share compelling stories, and encouraging satisfied clients to share their experiences online. By creating a robust and interactive social media presence and relationship with past clients, businesses can broaden their reach through a modernized “word of mouth” approach. These cost-effective methods can enhance brand visibility when a significant financial investment is not available.
Additional Resources
Over the years, the ATTA has published several articles intended to guide members toward successful media partnerships. Many of these are shared with delegates attending the MediaConnect at the annual Adventure Travel World Summit, but are just as relevant and potentially valuable to members looking to collaborate with media but have not yet registered for an upcoming event.
- How to Pitch and Work with Writers by JoAnna Haugen
- How to Pitch Travel Media by Darryn Leniuk
- Tips to Working with Media as Travel Returns by Sherry Ott
- A Guide to Hosting Media by Lyn Hughes
- Done Right, Partnerships with Travel Influencers Elevate Destinations' Brand Awareness, Drive Visitation by JoAnna Haugen
- New ATTA Report Explores the U.S. Adventure Travelers of Color Market Opportunity
- by James Edward Mills
- Travel Advisors Should Be Working With Influencers--Here's How to Start by Kelly Rosenfeld, TravelAge West
- What Adventure Travel Businesses Need to Know About Working With Influencers by Casey Hanisko
- How to Get Travel PR on a Budget by Jamie Sterling
The media landscape is continually evolving, and a successful strategy involves staying updated on current trends, such as the importance of digital media, the growing influence of social media platforms, and emerging content distribution platforms such as Substack or newsletters. Understanding these shifts allows you to adapt your media strategies effectively. To access additional guidance and work with a professional, contact one of the ATTA’s PR members.
MediaConnect
To jump start media collaboration and paid or earned content partnerships, there’s no better way than attending MediaConnect at the Adventure Travel World Summit. The ATTA fosters year-round connections with diverse global travel media professionals and content creators who focus on outdoor, adventure, cultural, and sustainable travel in their work. Delegates can engage with media or creators informally throughout the event or during MediaConnect, which is a dedicated one-on-one pitching session held to solidify targeted connections.
There are no pre-scheduled appointments at MediaConnect. On behalf of the ATTA, representatives from tartanbond Communications are available during the session to help explain the process and assist delegates in refining their pitch if they are new to working with media and would like some feedback.
Ahead of MediaConnect:
Reflect on your business and your goals. Some key questions to consider: What unique or new experiences are you offering? How does your company or destination stand out, and what expertise do you or your team bring? Are you making exceptional contributions to local communities or conservation efforts? For traditional media, is there a timely or newsworthy angle, like an anniversary, celebration, or trend?
Do your research to find media delegates and content creators who align with your story, brand, and audience. Use profiles on the Attending Media Page and the ATTA Compass app to research their interests, outlets, platforms and past work. Focus on quality over quantity by identifying up to six top picks whose interests match your destination or experiences, and aim to connect with them at MediaConnect or during the Summit. Tailor your approach based on their role—editors need broad concepts, freelancers prefer specific ideas and angles, and content creators, influencers, and bloggers value understanding your product, goals, and marketing budget.
At MediaConnect:
Use your time wisely by delivering a pitch of one minute or less that introduces who you are, why you’re speaking with them, and your unique hook. Pause to listen and be prepared to answer key questions about timing, unique product attributes, media resources, accessibility, community involvement, fees (if any) and sustainability. Take notes, accept feedback, and adjust your approach as needed. Treat the interaction like speed dating—if your story isn’t a fit, move on gracefully and refine your pitch for future follow-ups.
Ready to work with adventure travel media? Meet members at the Adventure Travel World Summit in Puerto Natales, Chile, 13-16 October 2025.
Resources For Media
For journalists and content creators, here are the ways to get involved with the ATTA, to connect with the stories that matter, helping to support adventure travel as a force for good:
Free Community Membership is a highly recommended first step to get to know the ATTA better. This membership includes access to these ATTA resources
- NEWS - Receive new event announcements, articles, interviews, research analysis, and newsworthy updates from ATTA members around the world by email and at Adventure Travel News.
- LEARN - Be the first to hear about new job listings from an industry specific career center and attend free educational webinars.
- NETWORKING - Opportunity to attend free AdventureConnect networking gatherings with the adventure travel trade community around the globe.
Adventure Media Membership is an invite-only membership for media professionals who have successfully participated in the official media delegate role at an ATTA event.
Learn More About Becoming an Official Media Delegate
This level includes all of the benefits that ATTA's Professional and Business Members receive, plus three unique additional benefits
- J-ALERTS - Ability to post Journalist Alerts in The HUB to source information, trends, data, or interviews from the ATTA membership base.
- MEDIA NEWSLETTER - Media-specific ATTA news, including event application announcements and story ideas.
- ADVENTURE MEDIA MEMBER BADGE - ATTA Adventure Media Member digital badge to display credentials and commitment to ATTA values.
Media also have the option to explore a paid Professional Membership or an Industry Partner Membership for those looking to dive more deeply into the adventure travel industry.