Europe Dominates in Adventure Travel

The index evaluates 186 countries across nine key pillars: sustainability, safety, health, climate resilience, natural resources, cultural resources, entrepreneurship, infrastructure and image.

Germany, France and Switzerland took the top three spots for the former, while Costa Rica, Chile and Thailand reached the podium for the latter category.

“Germany’s consistently strong performance across all nine pillars of the ATDI secured its top ranking,” officials said. “Achieving high scores in both cultural and natural resources, a rare feat, significantly contributed to Germany’s success, given the substantial weighting of the resources factor.

Costa Rica’s success is driven by its leading position in sustainable development, strong rankings in country image (third) and natural resources (fifth).”

Canada ranked ninth for advanced economy destinations. Experts scored Canada sixth for image and eighth for infrastructure.

What is Adventure Travel?

“From an activity standpoint, the travellers interpretation of ‘adventure’ is continually evolving,” ATTA said. “A diverse array of activities associated with adventure travel might involve: participating in an archaeological or citizen science expedition, backpacking, birdwatching, camping, caving, climbing, cooking, cycling, engaging with the local community, hiking, horseback riding, kayaking… as well as other niche activities combined or as standalone experiences.”

Travel Trends

“The travel industry is well on its way to recovering from the setbacks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic,” ATTA officials said in their report. “With tourism numbers continuing to increase, the travel community expects an overall recovery by the end of 2024. However, recovery is uneven, with some countries, especially in Europe, superseding their 2019 growth and with many others still catching up to their 2019 numbers.

“Markets are also changing,” ATTA said. “Many travellers from the US, Canada, Europe, and New Zealand are staying closer to home to explore domestic experiences. This overlaps with the rise in sustainable and responsible travel.”

ATTA said there are still a number of stress points in today’s travel climate, including difficulties attracting and retaining workers, geopolitical tensions, cost-of-living influences, and extreme weather events. Russia’s war against Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East dent traveller confidence in these locations as well as in surrounding countries, since safety and security are essential for tourism.

Top Ten Ranked Countries for Adventure Travel (Advanced Economies)

Germany

France

Switzerland

Norway

Austria

Spain

United Kingdom

New Zealand

Canada

Japan

Top Ten Ranked Countries for Adventure Travel (Emerging/Developing Economies)

Costa Rica

Chile

Thailand

Brazil

China

Peru

Turkiye

Montenegro

United Arab Emirates

Romania