Interview: Shannon Stowell

Print

 

 

Editors Note: The following is from Issue 5.

By Jimmy Langman




Adventure travel has many forms, but at its core it is typically defined as combining some sort of physical activity with a connection to nature and the environment or cultural immersion. Today, the fastest growing segment in global tourism, this is a travel niche that offers especially great promise for a region with the natural and cultural characteristics found in Patagonia. A recent study shows adventure travel is worldwide a $US 263 billion industry with an incredible 65 percent annual growth rate since 2009. At the center of this booming industry is the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), a global association of more than 900 adventure tourism companies and organizations based out of Seattle, Washington, that serves as a forum for sharing best practices, creating marketing opportunities, and providing education and research.
 
The president of ATTA since 2004, Shannon Stowell has also worked as an environmental chemist and is co-founder of the adventure travel and outdoor gear retail site Altrec.com. In 2008, he co-authored the National Geographic book, Riding the Hulahula to the Arctic Ocean — A guide to 50 Extraordinary Adventures. Patagon Journal executive editor Jimmy Langman spoke with Stowell about the state of the global adventure travel industry, and potential benefits and pitfalls accompanying its growing presence in Patagonia. Excerpts:
 
LANGMAN: How did the adventure travel sector get going?
STOWELL: I think the growth and interest in adventure travel has been increasing over the years just because, for one, there is a lot more travelers. There are a lot of people who are looking for more authentic experiences and finding that the packaged, resort, all-inclusive product common to the past is not really giving them what they're looking for in a vacation. I think that’s what is really driving the growth right now. In regards to the ATTA, this was a very fragmented industry before we came along, and in some ways it still is because it's made up of millions of little, tiny businesses around the planet with a few big ones here and there. We saw an opportunity to provide a home for those companies and organizations that are promoting adventure travel. Now we have more than 900 members worldwide. 
 
Where do most adventure travelers come from around the world?
If you look at U.S.-WTO outbound data, it breaks down into that 70 percent of the outbound market in the world comes from Europe, North America, and then, to a lesser degree, South America. But South America has an incredible outbound growth rate right now. As far as adventure travel, we don't have specific data as to exactly which markets are providing the most but I think, anecdotally, we can easily say that Germany, the U.K., the United States, France, those are the big adventure travel outbound markets.
 
Where does Patagonia stand among top adventure travel destinations worldwide?
I don't have hard data on that, but it is certainly is among the top desired spots in the world for adventure travelers. Certainly one of the top destinations for South America, where it's Macchu Pichu, the Amazon, it's Patagonia, but especially for adventure travelers it's a global must-do.
 
How can Chile and Patagonia improve its position in the adventure travel market?
It's certainly an iconic destination, so in that sense, it's already being done well. But I would say continue to treat it as a precious resource. Also, resist thinking only about how to monetize, rather focus on the uniqueness of it. Patagonia has got that. It's just a one-of-a-kind place in the world. I think the future bodes well for Patagonian tourism.
 
In Patagonia, plans for big hydroelectric dams threaten some of the leading adventure travel destinations.  What is ATTA’s view on such conflicts?
We are definitely conservation-oriented. If natural resources are going to be damaged or lost for short-sighted gain, whether that's for energy or resource extraction, then absolutely we're against that. We believe other options should be explored. We are not against all development, but certainly we're against development that needlessly destroys natural resources when there are alternatives.
 
We've been involved in several situations where we have even lent our industry weight and name and pushed our members to protest. For example, there was going to be a highway put across the Serengeti that would cut natural game trails. There were other options, but that was the cheapest option. We rallied against that. We rallied against Norway putting power lines across some incredible, scenic fjords. Frequently, it is the cheapest options that are often the most awful for the adventure tourism industry.
 
How can adventure travel benefit communities on the local level?
We recently did a survey of our members. We asked them how much of the revenue customers spend, excluding airfare, when they book a trip stays within the country and the average came back at 65 percent.  Considering most adventure tourism is done in rural areas, there is an extremely strong case that it is keeping the lifeblood of the economy flowing in some communities. It also helps slow emigration to cities.
 
But it is also true that adventure tourism is not the only answer, and it is not done right in many places. There are places where it destroys local communities so it is not a silver bullet. It has to be done responsibly. Typically that means making sure that local people are involved in the decision making, and they are also beneficiaries of whatever is going to be done there.
 
How has adventure tourism had a negative impact?
Just look at some of the places that have just been overrun by tourists. Recently, I read about a place in Turkey where 100 hot air balloons go up into the air at the same time. Of course, then there is an accident and people die. The ballooning gets shut down. It hurts the operators. The operators get put out of business because there is just too much going on. Adventure tourism is not a good all by itself.
 
What advice would you have then for a mayor of a small Patagonia town that is an up-and-coming adventure travel destination?
To look at the whole concept of carrying capacity, i.e. how much tourism can your area handle.  The answer varies according to each location. A large town on the Colorado River or the Amazon will be able to carry a lot more capacity than perhaps a small village in Chile. My advice: control the growth to make sure you are not sacrificing your town or your culture's soul for the sake of a few dollars because it won't be worth it in the long run. At the same time, I would also say that adventure tourism can be a wonderful, renewable resource that, if it does not get out of control, will continue to bring high dollars to the community.

To read all of the current issue subscribe here, or download the digital edition of Patagon Journal via Zinio, Apple's iTunes Newsstand, or Appstore for Android on Amazon.com

 

 
Related articles :