ABSTRACT

According to the UNWTO, the adventure tourism industry is the fastest growing category of tourism in the world. Within the global tourism economy, the ATTA projects the value of international adventure tourism at US$683 billion, a number the International Finance Corporation, through a study conducted by Euromonitor International, pegs higher, at $745 billion. An additional indicator of the expanding adventure tourism industry is the growth of the outdoor recreation industry, which has become an economic and job-creating powerhouse with 7.6 million direct jobs and US$887 billion in consumer spending in the outdoor recreation industry. Although research approaches differ, and consensus on the definition of adventure tourism has not been agreed upon by researchers, there is little argument that the adventure travel segment of the global tourism economy is growing. Growth of this segment can be attributed to evolving traveler preferences and an increase in supply as governments and aid agencies have initiated programs to support adventure travel market development as a means of achieving economic growth. Despite the growing global enthusiasm for adventure travel, there has been little in the way of concrete data to validate its economic impact compared with other forms of tourism. This chapter provides two case studies comparing adventure and mass tourism economic impacts in the Caribbean and Jordan using the results of comprehensive analysis conducted by a USAID-funded team. The results indicate adventure tourism creates nearly twice the jobs in local communities for every dollar generated and integrates more local businesses into the tourism supply chain than other forms of tourism. These examples provide evidence that adventure tourism can contribute to a balanced and healthy economy and generate tourism-related jobs, revenues, and taxes, while protecting and enhancing the destination’s sociocultural, historical, natural, and built resources.