Adventure travel has become a large and increasingly diverse part of international tourism. ATTA’s market-sizing research puts global outbound adventure travel at $1.16 trillion in 2024, while its traveler research shows that 67% of international outbound travelers are open to adventure. The figures below separate traveler demand, operator activity, destination scores, local economic impact, and reported trends by measurement period.
Contents
- Market size and traveler demand
- Who is choosing adventure travel
- Adventure travel destinations
- Operator performance and trip economics
- Local spending and sustainability
- Popular activities and regions
Market size and traveler demand
ATTA’s Adventure Travel Market Sizing research reports a global outbound adventure travel market worth $1.16 trillion in 2024. The same research says the market was worth $966 billion in 2023 and that the 2025 market-sizing study surveyed approximately 5,000 international travelers across 13 countries in Q1 2025. These figures describe international outbound travel and should not be read as a measure of every domestic adventure trip.
Earlier figures reported by the CBI adventure tourism market report, citing ATTA’s 2025 report, put the market at $683 billion in 2017. The report says the market grew at a 6% compound annual growth rate from 2017 to 2023. Because the 2017 and 2023 figures are historical reported values and the 2024 figure comes from the newer market-sizing view, they are best treated as separate dated reference points rather than as a single independently reconstructed series.
The size of the audience is also broad. ATTA says 67% of all international outbound travelers are now “Open to Adventure.” The core adventure-first traveler base rose from 30% to 40%, according to the same market-sizing research. That distinction matters: being open to adventure is a wider potential audience than traveling primarily for an adventure experience.
Who is choosing adventure travel
ATTA divides the open-to-adventure market into several traveler segments. Cultural Explorers are the largest listed group at 27% of the market. Adventure Intensives account for 14%, Experience Samplers account for 14%, and Nature Enthusiasts account for 12%.
The reported segment shares do not total the entire market, so they should be used as named segment indicators rather than as a complete allocation. They nevertheless show why “adventure travel” includes more than high-intensity outdoor activity. Cultural exploration, nature-focused trips, and travelers sampling experiences all appear in the market picture.
ATTA reports that Open to Adventure travelers average 11 days per trip. Their average spending is $265 per person per night, and their reported spending is about $3,000 per traveler per trip. The nightly and trip figures are useful planning benchmarks, but they are not a universal price for an adventure holiday: itinerary length, destination, activity, accommodation, and booking structure can all vary.
The following snapshot brings the principal market figures together.
| Measure | Reported figure | Period or scope |
|---|---|---|
| Global outbound adventure market | $1.16 trillion | 2024 |
| Global outbound adventure market | $966 billion | 2023 |
| Global outbound adventure market | $683 billion | 2017 |
| Travelers open to adventure | 67% | International outbound travelers |
| Core adventure-first traveler base | 40% | ATTA market-sizing research |
| Average trip length | 11 days | Open to Adventure travelers |
| Average nightly spend | $265 per person | Open to Adventure travelers |
| Approximate trip spend | $3,000 per traveler | Open to Adventure travelers |
Adventure travel destinations
The 2024 Adventure Tourism Development Index (ATDI) gives an average global score of 3.9 out of 10. Its country scores are not a direct count of visitors or bookings; they are an index measure of adventure-tourism conditions and competitiveness.
Among advanced economies, Germany ranked first with an ATDI score of 8.00. France ranked second at 7.14, Switzerland third at 6.93, Norway fourth at 6.87, and Austria fifth at 6.81. Spain and the United Kingdom each scored 6.79, followed by New Zealand at 6.75, Canada at 6.67, and Japan at 6.55.
Among emerging and developing economies, Costa Rica ranked first with a score of 8.00. Chile ranked second at 5.80, Thailand third at 5.45, Brazil fourth at 5.43, and China fifth at 5.38. Other listed scores were Peru at 5.30, Türkiye at 5.22, Montenegro at 5.19, the UAE at 5.18, and Romania at 5.17.
The ATDI’s regional tables covered different numbers of countries, so regional breadth also varies. Europe and North America were grouped into a table with 34 countries. East Asia and Pacific had 27 countries, Eastern Europe and Central Asia had 19, Latin America and the Caribbean had 33, the Middle East and North Africa had 18, South Asia had 9, and Sub-Saharan Africa had 46.
Operator performance and trip economics
ATTA’s 2024 Annual State of the Adventure Travel Industry Snapshot reports that participating respondents served an average of 6,553 travelers in 2023. That was 54% above the 4,243 average in 2022 and 65% above the 3,974 average in 2019. Trip departures were 65% full on average in 2023, and only 1% of respondents reported zero guests.
The same snapshot found that 17% of respondents had some reduction in revenue compared with 2022. Twelve percent reported 2023 gross annual revenue below $50,000. Expectations were more positive: 85% expected 2024 net profit to be equal to or better than 2023, while 80% expected 2024 net profit to be the same as or higher than 2019.
The most popular itinerary in that snapshot cost a median of $2,813 for eight nights. Seventy-five percent of that price, or $2,110 on average, was spent with local suppliers. This provides a concrete example of how an adventure itinerary’s price can be distributed beyond the tour operator.
ATTA’s 2025 Annual Adventure Travel Trends & Insights report gives a different later-period operating snapshot. Respondents served an average of 4,141 travelers in 2024, which was 37% below the 6,553 average reported for 2023. Trip fill rates remained 65% in 2024. The median itinerary price rose to $3,000 for eight nights, with 76%—about $2,280—spent with local suppliers.
These figures should not be treated as a contradiction in traveler demand. They describe operator survey averages for different reporting periods and may reflect changes in the respondent group, itinerary mix, or business conditions. The consistent 65% fill rate and higher eight-night median price are the clearest comparable measures across the two snapshots.
Local spending and sustainability
The 2025 ATTA operator report says 50% of operators educate travelers about climate-conscious travel. Forty-nine percent are shifting suppliers to more sustainable options, 47% are conserving water, and 40% are restructuring itineraries to reduce fossil-fuel use.
ATTA’s 2026 Adventure Travel Trends & Insights report included 329 tour operators. It reports that approximately 75% of trip revenue stays within the local economy and that travelers spend an average of $263 on handicrafts and souvenirs. More than half of operators now hold or are working toward sustainability certification.
The local-spending figures come from different ATTA reports and measurement periods. The 2024 snapshot’s most popular eight-night itinerary allocated 75% of its $2,813 median price to local suppliers. The 2025 report allocated 76% of a $3,000 median eight-night itinerary to local suppliers. The 2026 report uses the broader statement that approximately 75% of trip revenue stays within the local economy. These are related indicators, not interchangeable accounting definitions.
The sustainability figures also describe operator actions rather than a quantified reduction in emissions or water use. They show how frequently surveyed operators reported particular practices: traveler education, supplier changes, water conservation, and itinerary restructuring.
Popular activities and regions
ATTA’s 2026 report places hiking, trekking, and walking as the most in-demand activities globally. Culinary and gastronomy ranked second, cycling with electric bikes third, cultural experiences fourth, and wellness fifth.
The ordering shows a wide definition of adventure travel. The leading activity is walking-based, while the next four include food, electric cycling, culture, and wellness. For independent travelers, this mix suggests that adventure-oriented planning can include active routes alongside local experiences and lower-intensity activities.
North-East Asia and Scandinavia were the top trending regions in the 2026 report. Canada, southern South America, and Western Europe also ranked highly as trending regions. These are reported trend rankings, not visitor-volume estimates or forecasts of future arrivals.
Marketing and booking behavior provide another view of how these trips are sold. Word of mouth remained the most effective marketing channel in the 2026 report, and direct bookings continued to make up the majority of bookings. Together, those findings point to the continuing importance of recommendations and direct relationships between travelers and operators.
ATTA’s 2026 operator outlook was positive but not universal: 61% of respondents expected higher net profits in 2026. That is an expectation reported by participating operators, not a confirmed industry result. Read alongside the 2024 and 2025 operator snapshots, it suggests that adventure travel businesses were reporting stronger profitability expectations even while annual traveler averages varied by survey period.