The Intrepid Adventure Index | Intrepid Travel AU

Welcome to the second annual Intrepid Adventure Travel Index, an opportunity for us to share the latest trends and insights in the adventure travel industry with all Australians

As the world’s largest adventure travel company with 30 years behind us, this report aims to share insights in to the fast-growing adventure travel sector by combining our own travel figures and industry knowledge, with externally-commissioned qualitative research of 1000 Australians. To provide a report which challenges the dated stereotypes of adventure travellers, and redefines this growing sector within the tourism industry.

Intrepid Adventure Travel Index 2019

The index, contains a wealth of current information and research examining topics such as top destinations for Australian travellers, how young Australians choose to travel, and trends in the travel market, plus some handy insights on getting your money's worth around the world.

Adventure travel is a growing sector within the tourism industry, stay ahead of the trends and read the Intrepid 2019 Adventure Travel Index.

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2019 Index highlights

Top 10 destinations for Australian travellers

1. Vietnam

Remaining our number one travel destination Vietnam offers adventures full of beauty and contrast, in a country of incredible food, lively locals, stunning scenery and cosmopolitan cities.

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2. Peru

Full of mystery and culture dating back millennia, Peru is an indomitable land of deserts etched with enigmatic lines, Amazonian rainforests teeming with wildlife, and soaring mountains harbouring secret cities.

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3. India

A vast nation filled with colourful, chaotic, and enchanting cultures. Witness pilgrims performing ancient ceremonies on the ghats of Varanasi and marvel at the iconic Taj Mahal, inspiring India has it all.

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4. Morocco

Growing in popularity and moving up one place on the list . Morocco's offering of camel rides through the Sahara, the stunning Atlas Mountains and the pulsating energy of Marrakech are just a few highlights that have helped build this destinations popularity.

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5. Cuba

Cuba a stunning and idyllic time capsule, where the cars are classic, salsa dancing is a must and the mojitos are icy, icy cold.

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6. Cambodia

With art galleries popping up in Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap’s thumping nightlife, Cambodia is more than just epic temples (although they’re awesome too).

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7. Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is jam-packed with ancient sites, fascinating culture, beautiful wilderness and idyllic beaches, it's an all-encompassingdestination for those seeking a unique travel experience.

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8. Nepal

Whether you’d rather track rhinos in the Chitwan jungle or eat momos in Thamel – there’s more to Nepal than the mighty Himalayan mountains.

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9. Mexico

Peel back the lucha libre mask and you’ll find a patchwork of cultures and customs mixed into one tequila-drenched country.

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10. Italy

Food, wine, history, architecture, fashion, coffee – there’s nothing this European favourite can’t do. You’ll surely be seduced by a slice of La Dolce Vita.

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Travel for good: Understanding Undertoursim

Destinations with the lowest tourism density ratio

_{The below figures examine tourism density ratios, by comparing the number of tourists to locals in each destination using 2018 figures.}

Kenya

Tourists: 1,449,000

Locals: 49,699,862

Tourism Density Ratio: 2.29%

Papua New Guinea

Tourists: 212,000

Locals: 8,251,162

Tourism Density Ratio: 2.75%

Iran

Tourists: 4,867,000

Locals: 81,162,788

Tourism Density Ratio: 6%

Tajikistan

Tourists: 431,000

Locals: 8,921,343

Tourism Density Ratio: 4.83%

Uzbekistan

Tourists: 2,690,000

Locals: 31,910,641

Tourism Density Ratio: 8.43%

Colombia

Tourists: 6,531,000

Locals: 49,065,615

Tourism Density Ratio: 13.31%

As concerns with the impact of overtourism grow, we believe the concept of undertourism will become more relevant. Particularly as responsible travellers opt to spend their dollars wisely in economies where their holiday can provide positive benefits to the communities they visit.

The rise of solo travel

At Intrepid, we've seen increase in solo travellers with a rise of 113% in 2018. The global rise in single women and solo households is mirrored in the travel sector with 77% of solo travellers from Australia being women*.

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The increasing value of experiences

Intrepid travellers have always sought out experience-rich holidays. Anecdotally, we are seeing a rise in consumers placing more value on experiences than materialistic belongings.

"This is the age of travel, where consumer shifts see the hoarding of material possessions increasingly making way for the desire to have extraordinary life experiences, especially through travel."

^{_{Dr. Jospeh Cheer - Center for Tourism Research at Wakayama University, Japan}}

In our survey 1,000 Australians* were asked to rank the below experiences that tourism facilitates in terms of what they value the most. See their rankings below:

Spending time with loved ones

Creating new memories

Learning new things

Enjoying the food

Feeling recharged

Meeting new people

Getting outside a comfort zone

Achieving a travel goal

Making new friendships

Taking part in a physical challenge

Millennials and social media's influence on travel

Intrepid's national survey of millennial's revealed the growing power of social media on travel desicion making. It was found social media played a key role in the decision making process from providing destination inspiration, to influencing travel purchasing behaviours.

Furthermore, around a third of 18 to 24 year olds (33%) and 25 to 34 year olds (27%) admited they always consider how their social media feeds will look when booking a trip.

Ranked number 1 in influence over 18-24 year olds, with 81% indicating it played a significant role in their travel purchase decisions

Ranked number 1 in influence over 25 - 34 year olds, with 63% indicating it played a significant role in their travel purchase decisions

Interestingly, 31% of 18 - 24 year olds indicated Snapchat played a significant role in their travel purchase decisions

Explore Intrepid's 18-29s range of trips

Women in tourism: a force for good

"The industry is male dominated. In fact, I am the first female overland truck driver in East Africa and now I am known as ‘Mama Overland!'."

Becky Kieha, - Kenya Overland Truck driver

"My family, are so happy because I’m paving the way to other females to become tour leaders too."

Sara Lamzawaq - Morocco tour leader

"Other than my elder sister and a few friends, no one else supported my decision of becoming a tour leader .... Now, everyone feels very proud of me."

Sana Jinah - India tour leader

Our plan for gender equality

Intrepid travel is committed to supporting and empowering women across the globe. Women in developing countries often face ingrained gender discrimination and two years ago we set a target to double the number of female tour leaders around the world by 2020. We are currently on track to reach this goal.

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