Who’s to Say What Is Truly Authentic Travel?

With contrived, packaged tourism losing its appeal, that begs the question: Who’s to say what is truly authentic travel? How much authenticity do today’s travelers want? How experiential or adventurous?

And how can travel marketers differentiate their product as more experiential experiences amid an increasingly crowded travel landscape?

Note: Below is an extract from our brand new FREE report, The Rise of Experiential Travel, download the report for free, to get the full goodness!

Some of the answers to those questions are found in consumer data. By tracking social media, website analytics, location data, blog comments, search metrics, traveler reviews, etc., the travel brand who thrives in tomorrow’s travel economy is the one most aware and aligned with their customers’ purchase behaviors and travel values.

Evaluating, understanding and adapting to changing travel consumer trends is equally important for travel brands targeting specific niches. For those selling adventure travel, for example, that market has grown 65% yearly since 2009 according to last year’s Adventure Tourism Market Study, co-produced by George Washington University and the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA).

The growth is attributed in part due to the rise of interest in soft ad- venture by a wider range of age demographics than in previous decades. The survey states: “Nearly 54% of travelers plan to participate in an adventure activity on their next trip, compared to the 42% of travelers currently participating in adventure activities.”

ATTA President Shannon Stowell says, “As we watch adventure travel tourism grow it is imperative that we continue to provide travelers with transformative experiences.”

The demand for those transformative experiences is driving business in almost every travel segment within the tourism and hospitality industry today.

Get a peek below, and download the full report here, free!

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