Bringing thought leaders together in one room is one of the most powerful aspects of Adventure Travel Trade Association events. During this year’s Adventure Travel World Summit in Panama, 24 leaders from 11 countries gathered in conversation for three hours to share the challenges and opportunities facing the destinations they represent. Nearly half of the leaders present brought more than 20 years of experience and are deeply involved with their tourism board’s marketing and branding efforts. This discussion built on previous “Destination Insights” sessions that were held earlier this year at the ATTA’s three regional AdventureELEVATE events, and the key trends and takeaways from those sessions were further developed at the Summit.
Destination development emerged as a key topic, with sustainability firmly at the core of destination management strategies. Many leaders are looking to find ways to involve regional partners and tour operators in product development; are facing issues such as high volumes of single day visitors and a standardized approach to experience development; and are facing an increasing urgency in balancing authentic, local experiences with the expectations of international visitors.
As a whole, the group agreed that destination development needs to happen from the inside out, with education and resources needed to help tour operators expand beyond the ‘tried and true’ destinations into lesser-known regions, and instead moving away from overtourism to foster economic growth in the places that would benefit from tourism. However, some leaders cautioned that moving visitors to more remote areas without proper infrastructure has the potential to cause more problems.
Examples like Jordan’s meaningful travel map and the increase in trail development globally was cited as a positive move towards more ‘slow travel’ experiences. Rwanda was also highlighted as a success story of managing demand: by increasing education and promotion, the country attracted fewer visitors who stayed longer. This ensured tourism revenues remained high, but the negative impact decreased.
Leaders also stressed the need to balance promotion with destination management. Some destinations are discovering more ways to build collaborative policies and programing between public and private sectors. For example, certain regions have created policies around AirBnB to reduce the negative impact on affordable housing in urban centers. Meanwhile, emerging destinations are focusing their marketing efforts to attract visitors who respect the land, culture, and communities. A key question that arose was how to ensure the revenue generated by visitors is invested back into communities and infrastructure, and not just funneled into additional marketing and promotion. Canada’s data collective and recent announcement of a new wealth and wellbeing index were highlighted as good examples of shifting the focus of destination development back to residents and communities.
Throughout the discussions, leaders agreed that there is a critical need to educate municipal leadership and community influencers. Municipal and community planning is frequently done in isolation, without significant input or engagement from the tourism sector – despite its potential for economic growth and benefit. Without understanding that tourism can be developed with intention and responsibly, often politicians and city officials push back over concerns about potential negative impacts.
At times destination management plans are used against tourism development, especially if there is no data to back up recommendations. Leaders also discussed the value of third-party certifications and programs like the Global Destination Sustainability Index and Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, which were both cited as important tools for training and destination development. These holistic approaches to destination development, which integrate economic, environmental, cultural, and social goals provide both data and road maps that help with governance and collaboration between private and public sectors.
The insights shared at ATWS 2024 echo a growing commitment to refine tourism strategies so that they prioritize sustainable development, benefit the community and local economy, and minimize negative visitor impact. Destination leaders are emphasizing thoughtful approaches where collaborative policies, citizen engagement, and conscientious travelers are the key to driving sustainable growth. Insights will evolve as destinations continue to shift their strategies – and they are invited to keep the conversation going by sharing additional thoughts on the new ATTA Member HUB.