Adventure tourism tips

Aspen-based adventure travel operator Heli Adventures has acquired the iconic Silverton Mountain Ski Area in Colorado, with the highest ski elevation in the U.S.  

Expect more private equity deals in the tour operator and travel agency sectors.

The global adventure tourism market, valued at $324.9 billion in 2022, is projected to reach $2 trillion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 19.5%. Factors such as increased income, affordable travel, and advanced technology fuel this growth.

A unique hospitality and adventure experience is set to open 40km from the coastline in the Arabian Gulf. 

TV adventurer Bear Grylls has announced that the UK’s ultimate family adventure festival, Gone Wild, will be coming to Holkham in Norfolk from 8-11 August 2024. Recognised as the UK’s fasted growing family festival, Gone Wild will see its Norfolk event take place two weeks before Gone Wild Devon, which will be held at Powderham Castle over the bank holiday weekend, 22-25 August 2024. The two four-day festivals will both feature big name acts. Eurovision legend Sam Ryder, McFly, Example, Reef, and Scouting for Girls will headline at Gone Wild Norfolk. Gone Wild Devon’s headline acts will be announced over the coming weeks.

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has partnered with award-winning creative agency, Beautiful Destinations, on a new creative campaign featuring 30 pieces of short-form video content.

India’s aviation security regulator – Bureau of Civil Aviation Security – has been deploying new-age security systems at airports across the country, including 3D perimeter security equipment, biometric-based access control and surveillance systems. “We are creating a dedicated special force for aviation security and a program for pre-verification of passengers for faster processing,” said Zulfiquar Hasan, director general of the regulator. Speaking at a webinar on ‘Aviation Security Trends and Insights: A Focus on India’ organized by International Air Transport Association, Hasan highlighted the success of DigiYatra, which allows biometric boarding using facial recognition technology to establish the flier’s identity. First launched in December 2022, the facility is now available at Delhi, Varanasi and Bengaluru airports, with the most recent one introduced at Kolkata airport. For Indian airlines, aviation overview, terrorism and travel warnings are key considerations to strategize on aviation security, the global airlines body said. It cited a transparent risk-based oversight and security management system as essential to ensuring that measures are being applied where vulnerability is assessed to be at its greatest point. “Given new-age emerging threats like cyber hijacking and drones, security and infrastructure at airports need to be modernized,” added Hasan. He also called congestion a serious security challenge as it leads to an “increase in the density of unchecked passengers with unchecked luggage.” In December 2022, several passengers complained of unending queues at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, leading to many missing their flights. Hasan said that the issue is now being addressed at all major airports in the country. India has also been mulling a unified security force for all its airportsakin to the Transportation Security Administration of the U.S., which will combine immigration and customs. 

Deep in the Panamanian jungle, Venezuelan migrant Franca Ramirez was scrambling to reach higher ground as a rushing river broke its banks, he said, when something caught his eye: a group of young men, snapping photos of the landscape.

The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to implement its Water Tourism and Adventure Sports Policy-2023 to boost tourism in the state.