A survey of 31 adventure accommodations — including lodges, boutique hotels, cabins/villas, glamping options, resort/retreats, hotels and ranches — shows a need for embracing change and adopting new solutions to improve efficiency as the hospitality industry emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new survey from Flywire and the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA).
Key findings of the study, which was conducted from February through April 2021 and is called the Global Adventure Accommodations survey, were shared during a June 28 webinar by Heather Kelly, senior research manager for ATTA.
Respondents hailed from 17 different countries, with more than half of the properties based in Central/South America, 29% in North America, 10% in Europe and 3% each in Africa and Asia/Pacific.
During the discussion, Kelly noted that 40% of the accommodations expect their 2021 room revenue to be similar to or higher than their 2019 rates (while 60% anticipate 2021 to be lower than 2019). Although two-thirds of respondents say this revenue comes from guestrooms, 15% is from food and beverage options, and 13% is from activities (which are offered by 79% of the properties). Travelers attracted to these accommodations vary, but are mostly couples and families with children.
The type of activity that attracts adventure travelers to these properties is varied; half of guests prefer to do an unguided activity through the accommodation if it’s free, while the other half enjoy guided activities. However, unguided activities with an added fee (as is the case with accommodations providing equipment rentals) are the most unpopular, with Kelly seeing opportunity for additional marketing, on-property awareness or the expansion of tools such as self-guided tours to boost this number.
In terms of activities, today’s travelers are most interested in hiking, trekking and walking (rated No. 1 by respondents).
“This is what we typically see in all our research reports,” Kelly said. “The most generic adventure activity is accessible to so many different levels, and so many different groups. Kids can do it, older people can do it … there are so many options.”
Other popular activities include safaris, wildlife spotting, bird-watching, cultural activities, cycling, horseback riding and mountain biking.
“Adventure travelers don’t want to just lay on the beach,” Kelly said. “They’re not the mass leisure traveler; they want to interact with a local environment.”
Adventure travelers don’t want to just lay on the beach. They’re not the mass leisure traveler; they want to interact with a local environment.
When it comes to tracking and scheduling these activity bookings, = many hotels are not using a specialty software, a method that Kelly believes should be more widely available. Instead, 39% of adventure properties use word processing or spreadsheets to track these numbers, and 14% keep these figures hand-written. On the other hand, 80% are using a custom-made or automated inventory management software system.
“I think this is really a time of renaissance for the adventure industry as a whole,” Kelly said. “It’s time for accommodations to really have a look at what changes they can make, and how they can operate more efficiently. And really, most importantly, how they can serve their guests more effectively.”
If technology is improved and streamlined to help owners run things in the background, Kelly says, these property owners could have more time to be with guests rather than “worrying about typing the right thing on an Excel spreadsheet.”
Editor’s Note: Readers should note that because of the study’s small sample size, this survey is not statistically representative, and the findings should not be extrapolated to be applied to the entire industry. However, researchers believe the results still give insight to the needs, trends and future of this segment.
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