One woman admiring Kukulkan pyramid at Chichen-Itza archaeological site, Yucatan, Mexico
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At this point in the world's collective coronavirus experience, it seems clear that it'll take a while for travel to return "to normal;" for travelers to move as freely across borders without concern as we did prior to early 2020. The economic impact of coronavirus also makes it likely that some small travel businesses may have to shutter their doors or change their business models until traveler confidence is high enough to become profitable once again.
While most conversations have been around hotels and restaurants – which are, of course, of the utmost importance travelers – certain segments of the travel industry have additional concerns, especially given the nature of their product. This especially applies to the adventure travel industry. Adventure travel has a few main characteristics, and, unfortunately, many of them make adventure travelers and hosts and destinations especially prone to transmitting viruses. Adventure travelers are often off-the-grid, camping, hiking, or backpacking for days in a row without access to sanitation and showers. Travel is often in developing or remote destinations with limited healthcare resources, and it frequently involves the coming together of people from geographically diverse areas.
Credit: Adventure Travel Trade Association
The following Q & A (partially edited for length) is with Shannon Stowell, CEO of the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and co-founder of the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund, a nonprofit that funds local projects focused on conserving natural and cultural resources of adventure travel destinations. As the head of ATTA for the last 16 years, he's keenly interested in the world of post-COVID-19 adventure travel and how both travelers and destinations can adapt to continue to attract intrepid travelers.
Q: Tell us about the ATTA. What does it do? The ATTA is a global network of responsible travel professionals focused on the wise development and promotion of travel that focuses on nature, culture and activity. We are the largest and most experienced association in the adventure travel space and the only one that has a global reach. We also co-authored the definitive report on Adventure Travel with the United Nations World Tourism Organization in 2014. ATTA provides education, training, conferences, marketing programs and advisory roles for the industry and we launched a non profit called the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund in 2016. Our members number around 1300 and span every aspect of adventure travel from tour operators to governmental tourism boards from travel agents to adventure gear and apparel companies.
Q: How did you come to be the CEO? I acquired the assets of the organization in 2004 after falling in love with the idea of a community that could change the world for good through responsible travel.
Q: How has COVID-19 specifically impacted the adventure travel industry? Devastating. There's no way to sugarcoat it. There's been no precedent for such a global shutdown for such a long period so travel companies really were among the first to get hit. Everyone is in "hunker-down" mode, some more gracefully than others.
Q: Have you seen any tour operators or destinations taking any unusual or "above and beyond" actions in light of COVID-19? I’ve seen lots of interesting stories such as people offering birding trips on Facebook Live, operators offering free digital adventures for kids, etc. Some are canceling trips and offering 110% value moved forward for future trips. When Guatemala grounded all flights, one of our members paid guides to drive customers up to Mexico so they could fly home.
Q: Do you think this will change the adventure travel industry going forward more than, say, the luxury travel or domestic travel industries? It's hard to foresee, but I think that adventure travel will actually be positioned well as small group travel that avoids crowds and enclosed spaces. It’s travel that takes people deep into nature and keeps them active and healthy. Domestic travel will certainly benefit from this situation now and in the future and luxury travel will probably spend a lot of effort promoting the safety and security of their offerings. Exclusivity will probably be sexy again since it implies fewer people involved.
Q: Much of adventure travel involves venturing into "off-the-beaten-path" destinations, which can have safety and hygiene standards that are very different from what most American travelers are used to. How can travelers visit these places in a healthy and safe way? Do we need to rethink the way we venture around the world? This could be a whole article by itself, of course, but I think that the reality of the pandemic is that it has shown how important it is to travel with experts who understand safety and security – to do research in advance. And the "little" things like washing hands are suddenly important to people who maybe were lax. All travelers will need to be smarter about how they travel. I think smaller groups will be in demand and possibly groups who all know each other versus with strangers. Seating arrangements for distance, assurance of medical facilities near the trip, clarity around hygiene, and possibly confirming that people aren't sick when they show up.
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Q: Any advice on how destinations who rely on tourism can help rebound and attract travelers back once things begin to get back to 'normal?' They definitely shouldn't jump the gun and look like they are not in tune with the current realities. Catalonia has done a great campaign to show imagery of their destination with the words "Stay positive, Stay safe, Stay home.... Visit Catalonia later." Then I highly suggest targeting the right travelers versus blasting advertising and marketing out to the universe. Are nature travelers your best target? Mountain bikers? Foodies? And, of course, the strongest converter remains word of mouth, so campaigns that focus on actual travelers who have shown up and been fine should be highlighted. All of this, of course, should happen once the imminent danger has passed. In my opinion, mass travelers will be very cautious to get back to traveling while passionate or niche verticals like adventure, culinary, spiritual – those will come back first.
Q: What can travelers do to support their friends in the travel and tourism industry in a time when nearly everyone is feeling the economic impacts of COVID-19? I'd hope that travelers ask their favorite tour companies, lodges and travel agents that question directly. Appeals to generally support the industry, I think, will land lightly, but if you've traveled with a company that you loved, call them and ask “How can I help you survive this?" Even if it's just an encouraging conversation, that is important right now in this dark time for travel companies. But it may look like booking a trip in the future, or being reasonable about existing trips being moved forward instead of canceling. Almost every industry in the world is going to suffer, but if little travel companies don't make it, the warp and woof of the most beautiful fabric for travelers could be lost