Albania, Portugal and Cuba among the top destinations for adventure tourism

TIRANA, March 17

Albania is the surprise for 2017 from the appearance on the list of 5 main destinations for adventure tourism. The interest for Albania was shown since 2014 with the Weekly Adventure in the Western Balkans.

ATTA (Adventure Travel Trade Association) has published the findings of the situation for the tourism industry for 2017, a comparative overview of the travel industry. Albania is listed among the main destinations for adventure tourism as well.
ATTA is involved in research for more than a decade as part of its mission to educate and enable adventure tourism industry.
The situation of the industry for 2017 focuses on trends, including information about destinations, activities and business practices in the industry.

Tours, activities and destinations
The most requested adventurous activities were ecotourism, environmental sustainability, hiking and gastronomy. Cycling and wildlife expeditions are popular for specific regions.
Tour operators say that destinations that have awakened the interest of tourists in search of adventure are the Scandinavian countries, South America, East Africa and the Mediterranean.
Types of travel that have had the most interest from customers have been those with short duration up to long trips over seas, along with custom itineraries and family trips (attended from all generations).

Favorite destinations from most important market sources for adventure tourism:
North America and Europe continue to lead the main source for adventurous tourists. For North Americans- the United States, Peru, Ecuador and Canada have been five most favorite places in the past two years.
For Europeans- Italy, Spain and France take the majority of bookings each year.
However, a surprise for 2017 is the appearance on the list of a new country in 5 main destinations: Albania. The interest shown for Albania has been in the region since 2014 from the Weekly Adventure in the Western Balkans.

Benefits of tourist destination:
Tour operators estimate that 67% of tourist spending remain on destination, around 2% more than a year ago. However, they have also calculated that tourists traveling with tour companies spend an average of 142 dollars per trip for local handicrafts and souvenirs which is $ 3 less than in 2016.

Profile of tourists:
37% of the total tourists are couples, which are the most common type of tourists. 18% of customers are the ones traveling alone, and 19% are families. Groups comprise 26% of the total.
51% of the total tourists are more likely to be women, about 2% points less than a year ago.
About 40% of tourists belong to the age group of 50-70 years old. The average age of tourists is 47 years.

News Source: Monitor