The Independent Adventure Travel Show attracts top brands

Ultimate Tours Peru, Indo China Trekking, Bundu Basher Tours, Journey Latin America, Travel the Unknown, Oman Dreams, STA, Hotelbeds.com, The Adventurists, and Wicked Campers are among the trail-blazi

Ultimate Tours Peru, Indo China Trekking, Bundu Basher Tours, Journey Latin America, Travel the Unknown, Oman Dreams, STA, Hotelbeds.com, The Adventurists, and Wicked Campers are among the trail-blazing companies exhibiting at the UKโ€™s only dedicated adventure travel event next March. New to the show and exhibiting for the first time will be national and regional tourist boards keen to showcase their own adventure credentials. National stands of Malta, Austria, Czech Republic, the States of Jersey and Cumbria are among those already signed up.

Show director, Stanislava Blagoeva, said, โ€œWe are delighted to have such companies taking part in The Independent Adventure Travel Show; companies that will inspire visitors with their products and depth of knowledge – just exactly who our visitors want to meet. In addition we have packed in some exciting features for adventure travel enthusiasts next March, from a โ€˜have a goโ€™ climbing wall to a state of the art F1 simulator that you can get your hands on like Lewis Hamilton. Thereโ€™s also the more traditional Adventure Theatre where visitors can share in and learn from the experiences of high-profile adventurists, express their opinions in the Eco Debate, or join travel photography and writing workshops.โ€

Organized by Expomedia Events, the show has strong media support, too, not only by title sponsor The Independent, but also from within the sector with the participation of the Real Travel Magazine and market leader Wanderlust magazine. โ€œItโ€™s great that the show has such solid media engagement,โ€ said Blagoeva, โ€œespecially from the leading publications for the industry.โ€

The size and value of the total UK adventure travel market is not known, but research by AXA Insurance in 2006 estimated that some 13 million people took part in activity or adventure holidays in 2007. Further research by Adventure Central, a US-based provider of travel distribution and online booking services, backed by a more recent Mintel report, put the value of the US market alone at $200 billion. โ€œAs the 2008 Mintel report suggests, adventure tourism in the UK outbound and domestic tourism market is big business and growing,โ€ said Blagoeva.

The Independent Adventure Travel Show offers a dedicated industry environment for suppliers and customers to get together, meet, discuss, and generate ideas, even more so in 2009 as โ€˜destinationsโ€™ join the independent adventure travel companies for the first time. Blagoeva concluded, โ€œWe are certain the industry of adventure travel, with its rapid growth in the past couple of years, will be of interest to many destinations aiming to attract high-yield UK business. We look forward to welcoming a diverse selection of top adventure specialists, and there is no doubt that it will be an energy-packed event for all concerned.โ€

The Independent Adventure Travel Show will be held at the Olympia National Hall in London from March 20 -22, 2009.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

Share to...