Adventure Travel Trade Association Publishes 2024 Adventure Tourism Development Index
For the first time since 2020, the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), in partnership with the International Institute of Tourism Studies at The George Washington University, has released its 2024 Adventure Tourism Development Index (ATDI), which ranks both developed and emerging adventure travel destinations based on nine key pillars ranging from natural resources to health, climate resilience and more.
The ATDI is a comprehensive report discussing the strengths and weaknesses of 39 advanced economies and 147 emerging and developing economies.
“The Adventure Tourism Development Index (ATDI) is a valuable tool for destination decision-makers, particularly DMOs and trade associations, to assess a country’s adventure tourism potential across nine key pillars and anticipate future travel trends,” said Heather Kelly, ATTA’s Director of Research. “By highlighting the connection between natural and cultural resources, adventure tourism, and sustainable development, the ATDI promotes responsible growth within the industry and helps stakeholders plan for long-term competitiveness.”
The Pillars of Adventure Tourism
Adventure tourism defines itself by three important factors: nature, culture and activity. Adventure travel could include wellness travel experiences, challenging physical activities, transformational travel and impactful travel that provides a tangible benefit to local communities.
The ATDI analyzes the countries based on nine pillars: sustainable development, safety, health, climate resilience, natural resources, cultural resources, entrepreneurship, infrastructure and image. Each is explained in detail in the report.
The Top Ten Advanced Economies for Adventure Travel
Palü See in Alp Grüm lake in Switzerland (Photo Credit: Lauren Breedlove)
The top ten adventure travel destinations with advanced economies include several in Europe, as well as a few others.
Germany ranks first, scoring highly in several categories. It ranked fourth overall for cultural resources, fifth for climate resilience, sixth for natural resources and eighth for health. It’s unsurprising it ranked so highly, as Germany is considered one of the most developed nations in the world.
France took second place, scoring consistently across all categories. It ranked third for cultural resources and ninth for climate resilience. France is home to some amazing cultural resources that bring millions of travelers to visit each year, including the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.
Switzerland took third place, but ranked second in image, sixth in both climate resilience and entrepreneurship, seventh in both safety and infrastructure and eighth for natural resources. The high-ranking nation has been recognized for centuries for its clean water, blue skies and pristine mountain views.
Norway took fourth spot, ranking third in sustainable development and health, fourth in natural resources and seventh in climate resilience. Norway has been at the forefront of sustainable development and transition for years.
The fifth spot went to Austria, which ranks third in natural resources, fourth for infrastructure and tenth in health. Austria has long been beloved for its highly developed cities and its picturesque mountain landscapes.
The other top ten included Spain, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada and Japan. Curious about the United States’ ranking? It ranked 24th out of 39 among advanced economies, showing it has a long road to go to compete against the top ten.
The Top Ten Emerging and Developing Economies
Hiker looking out at the Arenal volcano in La Fortuna (Photo Credit: Goway/Amy/ Adobe Stock)
These destinations have been seeing great opportunities for growth and development benefiting adventure travel in recent years.
Among the list of 147 countries, Costa Rica ranked first overall. It ranked first in sustainable development, fifth for natural resources and third for image—which should come as no surprise, since it’s only developed its image as a biodiverse and eco-friendly adventure travel destination in the past decade or so.
Chile, home to Patagonia and the Atacama Desert, took second place, ranking it third in sustainable development, sixth in safety and entrepreneurship and tenth in climate resilience.
Thailand ranks third, ranking second for image, third for infrastructure and ninth for entrepreneurship. The destination’s been recognized for its wellness offerings for years.
Brazil, home to the amazing Amazon Rainforest, took fourth place, ranking seventh for natural resources and its infrastructure.
In fifth place is China, which ranked first in cultural resources and infrastructure among emerging and developing economies. The large country is home to thousands of years of history on display, including the Great Wall of China.
The rest of the top ten include Peru, Turkiye, Montenegro, the United Arab Emirates and Romania.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
link
