From Demand to Impact The New Adventure Travel Market
Summary
This session, hosted by ATTA CEO Shannon Stowell at ITB Berlin 2026's AdventureConnect event, combined a destination showcase for Cabo Verde with a data-driven presentation on global adventure travel market trends, followed by a panel discussion with Esther Romero (Head of Product, Andalucia Tourism Board) and Andre Kiwitz (CEO, Ventura Travel).
The session opened with a spotlight on Cabo Verde as an emerging hiking destination. Joel from the Cabo Verde Tourism Board described a national strategy to transform the archipelago — historically known for sun and beach tourism in islands like Sal and Boavista — into a world-class hiking destination. ATTA has been working with Cabo Verde for several years on this project, recently completing a 10-day familiarization trip with 12 tour operators from around the world. The strategy aims to generate income in rural mountain areas, diversify the tourism economy beyond coastal resorts, and reduce territorial asymmetries across the archipelago.
Shannon Stowell then presented findings from a landmark ATTA global adventure travel market sizing study, co-funded by CBI (part of the Dutch government) and EF World Journeys — the first fully global market sizing study ATTA has conducted. Key headline: the global adventure travel market is now worth $1.16 trillion, up from $683 billion in 2017. 67% of global travelers now describe themselves as 'open to adventure,' broken down as: 14% nature enthusiasts, 27% cultural explorers, experienced samplers, and core adventure-intensive travelers. Culinary travel has surpassed hiking/walking/trekking as the top driver of adventure travel decisions — a notable shift that Stowell emphasized as an opportunity for all operators since food is universally accessible. Seven emerging trends were presented: decision detox (less planning, more presence), secondary destinations going mainstream, luxury redefined as depth not decadence, experiential retail and cultural immersion as core trip drivers, regeneration replacing sustainability, geopolitics actively reshaping travel flows, and wellness going wild (saunas, darkness retreats, longevity).
The panel explored how organizations translate this demand growth into concrete strategy. Esther Romero outlined Andalucia's multi-pillar approach: the region has 30% protected territory, 9 biosphere reserves, 24 natural parks, 3 national parks, Europe's only desert (Tabernas, Almeria), the southernmost ski resort in Europe (Sierra Nevada), and 8 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Andalucia participates in approximately 40 national and international trade fairs annually, including niche-specific events like FITs & Ber (cycling/hiking, Netherlands), FIO (birdwatching, Spain), Velo Berlin, Salon Randonee (France), and Global Bare. They also run themed forums — 'Choose Nature' in October (Huelva province) and a biennial 'Bike Experience Forum' — that bring international tour operators and travel agencies for educational tours in lesser-known inland areas. A new Andalusian Sustainable Tourism Law is imminent, which will regulate tourist holiday apartments, reinforce inspection against illegal activities, and incorporate big data tools into destination management. The 'Andalusian Deal' marketing campaign has launched to educate visitors on respecting local culture and coexistence.
Andre Kiwitz stated Ventura Travel's philosophy: growth demand is welcomed but the company maintains group sizes at 12 and will not increase them to capture more volume. He emphasized sticking to core values (fun, fair, focus) and maintaining a blacklist of disrespectful or ill-fitting travelers, actively encouraging his team to turn away bad-fit customers even in strong demand periods. He flagged geopolitical polarization and AI/technology as the two most significant forces reshaping the industry — both threatening and enabling.
Key Takeaways
- •The global adventure travel market is now valued at $1.16 trillion, up from $683 billion in 2017 — a significant market growth that ATTA's first fully global market sizing study (co-funded by CBI/Dutch government and EF World Journeys) has confirmed.
- •67% of global travelers describe themselves as 'open to adventure,' segmented as: 14% nature enthusiasts, 27% cultural explorers, a segment of 'experienced samplers,' and a core adventure-intensive group — with roughly one-third being dedicated core adventure travelers.
- •Culinary travel has surpassed hiking/walking/trekking as the #1 driver of adventure travel decisions in 2025 — Shannon Stowell called this 'really good news because no matter what kind of tours you do, you can add culinary.'
- •Seven key trends to watch: (1) Decision detox — travelers want less planning and more presence; (2) Secondary destinations going mainstream; (3) Luxury redefined as depth not decadence; (4) Experiential retail and cultural immersion as core trip drivers; (5) Regeneration replacing sustainability; (6) Geopolitics actively reshaping travel flows; (7) Wellness going wild — saunas, darkness retreats, longevity.
- •Cabo Verde is executing a national strategy to become a world-class hiking destination, moving beyond sun-and-beach tourism. ATTA recently completed a 10-day familiarization trip with 12 global tour operators — described by ATTA president Gustavo as 'really remarkable.'
- •Andre Kiwitz (Ventura Travel): 'If we have travelers that are disrespectful, I encourage my team to say no, put them on the blacklist. They don't deserve to travel with us.' Maintaining a blacklist is an active policy — he noted a poor-fit traveler 'destroys a whole group.'
- •Ventura Travel keeps group sizes fixed at 12 and will not increase them in response to rising demand — a deliberate choice to preserve product quality and values (fun, fair, focus) over volume growth.
- •The 'right traveler' is defined by mindset, not demographics. Kiwitz: 'People that are curious, people that are interested to really get to know a country, a culture, the music, how people live — not a personality of a teacher, but rather an observer, someone who learns, talks on eye level.'
Transcript
All right. All right. Good afternoon, everyone. I think we're going to get the presentation up on the screen in a few seconds. Um, yeah. Welcome everyone for another Adventry Connect here at ITV. Uh for those who doesn't know the ATTA the adventure travel trade association we are a global association spread in more than 100 countries with members in our core business that we have members that are tour operators agencies DMC's accommodations and we serve everyone here uh our mission is to empower...
